Taste your way through four (or more) remarkable wines.
From the moment you pass the grand granite boulders at the entrance and through the big farmhouse-style doors of the winery at Ernie Els Wines, you know you’re in for a treat. The views from the terrace are quintessential Winelands, the wine cellar is suitably atmospheric and awe-inspiring, and there’s a room filled with the golfing legend’s trophies and awards.
Fresh from a recent, award-winning remodelling, this winery is a modern and gloriously designed space that’s both stylish and relaxed, inviting visitors to spend a day experiencing the triple-punch charms of this region: wine and food and hospitality.
It’s all about the reds
The vineyards outside on the slopes of the Helderberg produce six varietals, with the main focus on cabernet sauvignon. There are four ranges – from the everyday easy-drinkers to the more complex and exclusive, rounded off by the singular Signature Bordeaux blend – which can be tried at the Tasting Room.
The Player’s Tasting (R185) features The Big Easy wines: cabernet sauvignon, merlot, a red blend and cabernet sauvignon rosé (which recently won gold for the second year at the Rosé Rocks Competition).
The Major Tasting (R265) includes the Major Series merlot and cabernet sauvignon, and the Proprietor’s red blend and syrah. A tasting of that Signature 2017 can be added for R95.
To accompany the wine, there are two classic shared-platter options: a cheese board of four locally made Dalewood cheeses, with fruit, nuts, olives, hummus and breads (R285); and a charcuterie board (R150)
The full experience
Should you be interested, a guided visit to the atmospheric fermentation cellar, with its concrete tanks, clay amphoras and rows of barrels filled with maturing wines, is also available. For serious fundis, the Vinotheque stocks a selection of older vintages alongside current ones.
And for those who’d like to linger longer, there is a library in the Tasting Room filled with comfortable chairs and glossy books about wine, where you could easily while away an afternoon, glass of vino in hand.
The daytime restaurant serves a concise selection of dishes that complement the wines perfectly – the Big Easy Cabernet Sauvignon, for example, is known as the “classic steak wine”. The restaurant’s winelist includes several others, some by the glass, not included in the tastings.
Opening times Monday – Sunday, 10am – 5pm
Restaurant: Wednesday – Sunday, 12pm – 3.30pm
Contact 021 881 3588, info@ernieelswines.com, bookings@ernieelswines.com (to book)
Where to find it Annandale Road, Stellenbosch
Book through DinePlan
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