Bot River Wine Route 6 farms

Bot River Wine Route

In the rolling hills of the Bot River area, down-to-earth, sociable farmers make wines for lovers of the road less travelled. Here you can taste wines made from the oldest vines in the region, as well as more recent varietals from new plantings.

From historic and traditional wineries to the most modern state-of-the-art cellars, the common denominators are a warm welcome, handcrafted wines, a commitment to biodiversity and the desire to share hours of sociable sipping.

Experience

Within a 10km radius, the wine traveller can experience real country hospitality and taste wines made from the oldest vines in the region, as well as the latest, most innovative varietals from new plantings.

Bot River has many local arts and crafts available, as well as hiking and biking trails in the surrounding mountains.

Wineries

From the top of the Houwhoek Pass, one gets the first glimpse of the vast, rolling hills and big sky of the Bot River area, where real people make real wine.

The Bot River area offers handcrafted, top-quality wines, a commitment to biodiversity and the desire to share hours of sociable sipping with fellow wine lovers.

Wellness

The Arabella Hotel & Spa is situated just over an hour's drive from Cape Town, and close to Bot River. Indulge in a weekend getaway or a mid-week break at this golf resort and spa, on the edge of the Bot River lagoon.

Things To Do

The Bot River area offers various activities for visitors to enjoy. The Houwhoek Pass area is popular with nature lovers, and it offers numerous biking and running trails. Visit the town itself and catch the friendly locals at the Bot River Hotel, or browse quaint arts and craft shops.

See Bot River and its vineyards on horseback with Klein Paradys Equestrian Centre
Green Mountain Eco Route is the world’s first biodiversity wine route. Experience this four-day hiking trail around the mountains of the Overberg region
Bring your mountain bike and take a ride down the Van der Stel Pass gravel road that runs between Bot River and Villiersdorp. Wildekrans Wine Estate also has a mountain bike track
A more relaxing pursuit is trout fly-fishing in Bot River
Bird-watching opportunities are vast for enthusiasts looking to expand their South African portfolios
Other, adrenalin-filled activities include abseiling, rock climbing, guided tours on quad bikes and 4x4 adventures
As Bot River is a small wine route and most farms are owner/winemaker-operated, you have the opportunity when visiting to meet the winemaker
Enjoy a great variety of restaurants, some located on picturesque wine farms
Check out the Bot River Hotel, which serves as the meeting point for travellers and the community
Visit the historic watermill at Beaumont Wines
The wineries are all kid-friendly
De Geheime Kelder Gallery showcases local talent in curated exhibitions throughout the year

Events

The annual Bot River Barrels and Beards Harvest Festival, with its quirky antics and wine auction, has become a favourite event for visitors to this area.

Related Blog

Make sure these MTB-friendly wineries are on your route

The advent of mountain bike (MTB) enthusiasm has been a boon for many wineries. Many have dramatically expanded their offerings to cater specifically to this sport.

At the same time, these routes have given wine-lovers a new way to explore old favourites too.

The list that follows comprises a small selection of intersecting trails and wineries in diverse regions of the Cape Winelands. Most of the trails require permits and more information about these may be found at corresponding links.

Grootbos Experience Coastal Safari Sunset

The unconventional coastal wine route

Over holidays the stretch of the R43 between its intersection with the N2 and the coast gets particularly busy as families head out to the favourites of Hermanus, Franskraal, De Kelders and Pearly Beach.

At these times, the R43 becomes its own de facto wine route - not by traditional evaluations of terroir or climate, but because of the many of these regions the road traverses. In this example, there are also several world-class wine experiences along the way too.

This then becomes the invitation not only to stock up for the coming weeks of relaxation, but to replenish the home cellar by filling the Ventertjie on the return trip.