The Breede River Valley 225km

Paarl

When the Dutch fiskaal (revenue collector), Abraham Gabbema, and his party first saw the granite domes that dominate the Berg River valley glistening like gems in the rising sun in October 1657, he named them the ‘Paarl’ and the ‘Diamant’ (Pearl and Diamond). In 1687, Governor Simon van der Stel awarded the first farms in the valley, and in the following year several Huguenots settled here. Paarl Mountain lies within the Paarl Mountain Nature Reserve, accessible along the 11-km-long Jan Phillips Mountain Drive. The mountain originated some 550 million years ago when granite intruded into the rocks of the Malmesbury Group. Over millions of years the softer, overlying rock was eroded, exposing the more resistant granite outcrops. The Afrikaans language had its formal origins in Paarl in 1875, with the foundation of the Society of True Afrikaaners.

The Afrikaans Language Monument on the southern slopes of Paarl Mountain was unveiled in 1975 to commemorate the birth and development of the Afrikaans language in Paarl a century earlier. To appreciate Paarl’s wealth of historic buildings, take a walk down Main Road. Starting at the Strooidak Kerk (Thatched Roof Church), dating back to 1805, the walk takes visitors past Zeederberg Square (surrounded by several historic buildings) to the Afrikaans Language Museum. The only language museum in the world, it focuses on the history of Afrikaans. The walk ends at the Oude Pastorie Museum, built as a parsonage in 1786. The graceful U-shaped manor house, with its pedimented gable, contains a fine collection of antique Cape furniture, silverware and copper.

KWV Brandy Cellars

The KWV (Ko-operatiewe Wijnbouers Vereniging van Zuid-Afrika), founded in 1918,  produces a wide range of internationally renowned wines, port, sherries, brandies and liqueurs. It also supplies local brandy wholesalers with over half their annual requirements. The 22-ha cellar complex is the largest of its kind in the world. A highlight of the cellar tour is the Cathedral Cellar, with its dome-shaped roof, slightly tinted windows and enormous 1 200-litre red wine vats decorated with carvings depicting the Cape’s winemaking industry. The tour also includes a visit to the Sherry Cellar, where sherry has been produced since 1937 in accordance with the methods of the Spanish bodegas. Here visitors can see the world’s five largest vats under one roof. After operating as a co-operative for nearly 80 years, the KWV was converted to a group of companies in December 1997.

Nederburg Wine Estates

…is one of South Africa’s best-known wine cellars, and its wines have received over 1 000 international and national awards. The farm was awarded to Philippus Wolvaart in 1791, and named after the Commissioner-General of the Dutch East India Company, Sebastiaan Nederburg. The beautiful H-shaped Cape Dutch manor house, with its magnificent gable, was completed in 1800. After a succession of owners, Nederburg was acquired by Johann Graue in 1937, and under the talented winemaker Günter Brözel the estate’s wines became famous. The extensive range includes red and white wines. sparkling and champagne-style wines and a range of late harvest and dessert wines. Since 1975, the estate has hosted the annual Nederburg Wine Auction, one of the top five wine auctions in the world. Over 1 600 guests and participants attend the event, and annual sales exceed R6 million. Between November and February, visitors on their South African holiday can enjoy picnics on the estate grounds.

Dal Josafat

Dal Josafat, meaning ‘Valley of Josafat’ was named after the biblical Josaphat, the ‘place of judgement’ in Joel 3. The first farms in the fertile valley were awarded in 1692, and the area was settled mainly by Huguenots. The valley is noted for its beautifully preserved 18th-century buildings – Roggeland, Non Pareille, Goede Rust, Schoongezicht and Vlakkeland. Dal Josafat is closely associated with the development of the Afrikaans language, as the Society of True Afrikaaners had its origins in the area. SJ du Toit, founder and leader of the first Afrikaans Language Movement, and his brother, DF du Toit, another founder member of the society, were born on the farm Kleinbosch. In 1880, the farm was bought by another prominent campaigner for the Afrikaans language, Petrus Jacobus Malherbe, the eldest son of Gideon Malherbe and the society’s printer.