Stellenzicht Wine Pod: Wine-Tasting in Nature Near Stellenbosch

Perched among fynbos and wild grasses, a sleek, curvy pod stretches out into a wide deck with endless views towards Stellenbosch and the Helderberg mountains. Here you’ll find the perfect away-from-it-all setting to soak up nature as you settle in – on couches or cane chairs – for an afternoon of wine-tasting and wood-fired pizzas.

Since German owner, Baron Hans von Staff-Reitzenstein, bought the 230 hectare farm in 2017, it has been restored to its former glory (the 1994 Stellenzicht Syrah was one of the celebrated early benchmark reds for South Africa’s wine industry in the late 90s, but the farm had since been neglected). Sustainability, treading lightly and the pursuit of balance is the key to the Stellenzicht wine philosophy: farming regeneratively, working with the terroir, and welcoming the dragonflies back onto their piece of mountainside paradise outside Stellenbosch. The ecofriendly wine pod sits equally lightly on the land. Without needing a concrete slab, it can easily be moved, and fits seamlessly into the natural landscape.

The voice of the land

In a prime section of Stellenbosch’s Golden Triangle, the mountain slopes above the tasting pod are known for their balanced, single-varietal wines. Stellenzicht’s winemaker L’Re Hughes sees her work as preserving the voice of the land through sensitively working with the terroir, together with viticulturist, Nico Nortje. “We believe in terroir-driven wines,” L’Re says. “We let the soils create the very best vineyards of grapes that historically have flourished on the Stellenzicht farm. We don’t force what nature hasn’t already given us.” They focus on the varietals that have made the Stellenbosch region famous – cabernet sauvignon, syrah, chardonnay and cinsault, with three distinct ranges available to taste.

Cost Thunderstone + single varietal ranges (R80 for 4 wines)
Acheulean Red + Acheulean Chardonnay (R120 for 2 wines)
Full Stellenzicht experience (R120 for 8 wines excluding Acheulean)

Stellenzicht pizzas

A simple menu of crisp but satisfyingly chewy thin-based pizzas from the wood-fired oven is all you need to complement the wines and stretch your wine-tasting into a relaxed lunch (we loved the pancetta and funghi pizza paired with the Tristone Cabernet Sauvignon). Or, there are sumptuous cheese and charcuterie platters piled with pillowy ciabatta bread. Keeping things simple, there’s coffee to finish and perhaps a pasteis de nata for dessert.

Cost R95 – R150 (pizzas)
R160 (cheese platter) + R50 (charcuterie)

A real hidden gem of nature-based chic, Stellenzicht’s wine pod is a breath of fresh air well worth discovering.

Good to know There’s a fireplace inside the very comfortable pod for cosy winter tastings
Opening times Wednesday – Friday, 10am – 6pm
Saturday + Sunday, 9am – 5pm
Contact 021 569 0362, [email protected]
Where to find it Stellenzicht Wines, Upper Blaauwklippen Road, Stellenbosch
Book through Dineplan

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