SWARTLAND

The 'Swartland' begins some 50 kilometres north of Cape Town and consists of the regions between the towns of Malmesbury in the south, Darling in the west, Piketberg in the north and the Riebeeck West and Riebeeck Kasteel in the east. Jan van Riebeeck called this softly undulating land between mighty mountain ranges "Het Zwarte Land" (the Black Land) because of the endemic Renoster shrubs. After the rains, mainly in winter, they turn black. The wide fertile plain is the bread basket of Cape Town with its golden yellow wheatfields reaching up to the foot of the mountains, interrupted by wine, fruit and vegetable plantations.
Viticulture in the Swartland is still comparatively young, but it is grown under dryland conditions, wit or without minimal irrigation. As a result, the wines from the Swartland are of an extraordinary quality and very much in demand. On the well sign-posted Swartland Wine Route you can visit the different wine farms and taste their products.