Stellenbosch Top 20 Wineries for YOU and your Tots
Updated: Nov 16, 2022
Want to know what the best FAMILY-FRIENDLY Cape Wineland destinations are? Join @WineTots as we reveal our 20 best Stellenbosch Wineries for you to enjoy with your kids.
Twenty of our top family-friendly wineries on the Stellenbosch wine route for YOU and your kids (or ‘tots’)! The selection, which excludes the Helderberg Somerset West region, is based on our overall enjoyment and rating, as a family, taking into account beautiful surroundings, great wine, delicious food, excellent service, child-friendly destinations with varied fun things to do for the kids (and folks), art & sculptures, and nature & game viewing.
In no particular order, here are WineTots’ Top 20 Stellenbosch Wineries for 2018:
(Please check out our further individual Winery blogs for what's new; and feel free to contact us for our latest advice, tips and tours!)
Please note: all information is correct at the date of publication
#1 Tokara
The Tokara “Deli Cat” or Delicatessen in the Simonsberg region, can be found on the road towards Franschhoek from Stellenbosch at the top of the Helshoogte Pass. The Tokara Deli Cat is definitely one of the best child-friendly venues in Stellenbosch and is open for Breakfast and lunch. The actual wine-tasting lounge and the formal Tokara Restaurant (which you pass on your way to the Deli Cat) do not particularly cater to the needs of children, but you could pop in for a quick tasting of their exceptional wine on your way to the Deli Cat. Once you arrive at the Deli, you will be able to sit back and enjoy some simple but great quality food and sip fine wine, while blissfully wallowing in relaxed views of vines & olive trees and jungle gyms - this spot was planned for the kids, and they effortlessly entertain themselves.
It is certainly one of our favourite family-friendly spots – incredible views, architecture, sculptures, food, wine and kiddie play area! Was voted by our son, at the age of 3, as his top spot to go to! It also has a tray of toys for the kids to play with next to the lovely big fireplace – great for those rainy days when the kids may not brave the jungle gym and wonderful human-sized bird nest outside.
*See our latest Tokara blog for news & on the new and improved jungle gym!
#2 Warwick
Warwick Wine Estate is certainly a favourite for families with kids and serves one of the best picnics in the Winelands. Wonderful, relaxed setting alongside a dam with boules, jungle gyms and different private pods (named after their award-wining wines like Professor Black & The Blue Lady) for groups to book. Great spot for kids’ parties too, with tasty picnic boxes for the little ones. The kids love to play in the fountains and water features on a Summer’s day. You can join them on a Big 5 Vineyard Safari, where they will compare the ‘Big 5’ animals with their ‘Big 5’ grape varietals. Suitable for all ages.
#3 Dornier
Dornier Wines is one of our family-favourite local wine farms. This is a fabulous farm to relax at for an extended and delicious lunch on the terrace at Bodega Restaurant with the magnificent Stellenbosch Mountain in full view, while the kids play on the large pirate-ship jungle gym. They also have a great tapas menu from 15h00 to 18h30 in Summer, which comes with a bottle of wine from their Cocoa Hill range. Perfect for enjoying the beautiful pink glow over the mountain while the sun goes down.
* Please note that since 2020 Dornier has closed its restaurant and no longer has their Pirate jungle gym. You are most welcome to join them for a lovely tasting and platter instead. (Edit: Nov 2022)
#4 Eikendal
Eikendal is a relaxed, delightful family-friendly farm with consistently superb wine, in the Helderberg region of Stellenbosch. Perfect for a sunny afternoon or summery evening to sit outside near the dam while the many local kids run around, climb the jungle gym and munch some fine pizza and pasta. The estate currently has the Cucina di Giovanni restaurant onsite, serving delicious Italian food. (Open for lunch, serving till 3:30pm, Tuesday-Sunday and dinner from 6-9pm Tuesday-Saturday.) They also have a great kiddie milk & cookie pairing, which involves the kids decorating their own cookies. For the further adventurous, there is a fun tractor ride (mostly for the kids!)
#5 Mont Marie
Truly a ‘Top Spot for Tots’! Just around the corner from Dornier in the Stellenbosch Mountain region, is the newer and also very child-friendly Mont Marie. This is especially good young kids (2–8 year olds), with lots of aesthetic, wooden jungle gyms and tables in an enclosed area. The restaurant serves fabulous food all day, overlooking their dam and the mountains. For a more formal setting, you can sit inside and join for dinner. A perfect venue for a tot’s birthday or a kitchen tea in the Cape Winelands!
#6 Mulderbosch
Mulderbosch Vineyards offers a superb venue for both adults and kids. Adults get to ‘chill’ on comfy couches, sipping wine and enjoying a game of boules, while the kids play on the jungle gym, grab some pizza and have a try at their version of boules too. Fantastic wines, platters and pizza & wine pairings on offer as well. Open Tuesday – Sunday from 10h00 to 18h00 for tastings, and lunch is served between 12h00 and 16h00.
#7 Jordan
Jordan Wine Estate is a fantastic wine farm overall – superb wine, food, service and location. The Jordan Bakery is probably more suitable for kids, while the food at Jordan Restaurant is one of the best in the Winelands. It is well positioned at a large dam with a most wonderful view looking back at the Stellenbosch, Simonsberg and Helderberg Mountains in the distance.
They also do lazy picnics on the large lawn, allowing the kids to run free in your view. A tour of the vineyards in their open safari-style game-viewing truck, with stops to experience the spectacular views of False and Table Bay as well as the flora, fauna and geology of the Cape Winelands, is also a must! They have recently added beautiful luxury suites in which you can stay on the property. Open daily for tastings and lunch.
#8 Stark Conde
Stark-Condé Wines has undoubtedly one of the most phenomenal settings in the Cape Winelands, with postcard views towards the Jonkershoek Valley. The perfect place to take tourists too.
The tasting of their excellent wines is currently done in the cellar, while they are renovating and expanding their spectacular tasting venue on the lake overlooking the Jonkershoek Valley. This can be preceded by breakfast or followed by a delicious lunch at the PostCard café – our kids last enjoyed lasagne and some delectable Cape Velvet cake.
* Please note that their spectacular tasting venue is now open on the lake!
#9 Peter Falke
Peter Falke is the perfect place to relax all afternoon long on the lawn and enjoy some fine wine – like their Pinot Noir or Ruby Blend (or for the more serious indulgers, the Syrah or Exclusive Blend) - with friends in a beautiful setting to take you into the early evening. They now also serve fantastic cheese and meat platters, nachos and one of the best ice-creams for kids at a wine farm!
We discovered this Cape Wineland gem in the Stellenbosch Berg region long before most people – being the first place to be open until 7pm that is not attached to a hotel. It used to be quiet, but now bookings are advised at busy times if you would like to secure a spot with bean bags on the lawn and a spot for your kids at the sandpit!
* Bookings in season are recommended - Please mention WineTots when booking your spot!
#10 Spier
Spier Wine Estate, hotel and conference centre in Stellenbosch valley offers a variety of fun-filled options for both adults and children. You can visit the Eagle Encounters with the kids and then picnic on the lawns overlooking the Eerste River (after preordering or buying your goodies from their Farm Kitchen). The gardens have numerous enormous granite rocks, which the kids love to climb on, as well as a large jungle gym and a big swing in front of their Restaurant called Eight.
Their wine tasting centre is open late and even has a little kiddie table with a super, educational activity book to keep the kids occupied! There is also a new restaurant (since November 2018) called the Vadas Smokehouse & Bakery, which serves lovely free-range slow-cooked meats and further produce from their eco-friendly farm. Our kids enjoyed the mini-fountain outside!
Also check out their Spier Light Fest on until the end of January 2019!
Please see our latest Spier blogs for more!
#11 Vergenoegd
Vergenoegd Löw Wine Estate is famous for their Runner Duck Parades*! The perfect family-friendly destination if you are coming out of Cape Town or from the Airport towards Stellenbosch. Come with your kids and watch the flock of more than 1200 Indian Runner Ducks parade across the farmhouse back to their yard, after they have finished their shift doing natural pest and snail control in the vineyards. The kids can then get to feed the ducks too – your tots will really love this.
Follow this with a picnic or bite to eat from their relaxed Cellar Kitchen, or do a wine tasting. Join them on a Saturday for their market, or on a Sunday for MyRun, a 2.5 or 5km run or walk with a pram, dog on a leash or with your kiddies and their bikes. Also look out for their Live Summer concert lineup on a Sunday afternoon. Weddings and kids’ parties can also be arranged.
*Please see our latest blogs for more updated information! (The runner ducks are taking a well-deserved break from the crowds and are working hard tending to the vines)
#12 Blaauwklippen
Blaauwklippen has a long history dating to 1682 and is home to some of the first vineyards planted in South Africa, dating back to 1688. It is also one of the first members of the Stellenbosch Wine Route, which was founded in 1971. The Stellenbosch Wine Region is now home to over 150 wine farms.
A visit to Blaauwklippen presents many alluring possibilities. From enjoying their standard wine tasting, to their chocolate or macaron pairing, to gin tasting and sharing a platter at the Bistro! Blaauwklippen is a fantastic farm for families and kids – they can run free and play outside on the jungle gym and interact with the farm animals, including the goats and alpacas, while you, the folks, can relax at the bistro or under the shade of the trees.
The delightful Blaauwklippen family market is also on every Sunday from 10h00 to 15h00, with lots on offer for the kiddies and you, including pony rides.
Watch the space for new exciting things taking place in 2019 at Blaauwklippen!
Please see our latest Stellenbosch blogs for updates and more!
#13 Middelvlei
Middelvlei is a lovely rural, child-friendly and relaxed family-owned wine farm. It is a great wine farm for a treat tasting of wine that was authentically made using traditional open fermentation. Blending experiences can also be arranged – we loved our experience a few years back with the Heartfelt Project!
Their wines include the fantastic free-run Pinotage, which can be paired with a genuine South African boerebraai. The kids can play jenga, run free on the lawns, play in the sandpit and feed the farm animals.