Whether you are an oenophile or amateur grape lover, the Cape Winelands deserve their own excursion on your South African sojourn. When pairing your wine with august mountain views, gorgeous Cape Dutch architecture, and the perfect microclimates, exploring the Cape Winelands will certainly make for some treasured memories. The centuries old wine culture was born when the Dutch East India company (which founded the South African colony) invited French Huguenots fleeing religious persecution to come settle in South Africa; some of these settlers brought their knowledge of viticulture to the new colony. Today the South African wine industry has won major international awards and recognition and can easily hold its own against Old World wine behemoths. What makes the South African Cape Winelands unique is that it mixes great wines and food, true indulgence and luxury, with an affordability and humility that is not easy to find in other famous wine regions in the world. Perhaps one of its most infamous endorsements is from Napolean Bonaparte who loved and drank barrels of South African wine when exiled in St. Helena. So come grab a glass with us and explore the majestic landscapes that may have inspired "Middle Earth" in South African born J.R.R. Tolkien's literature.