Landscape of Meerendal Wine Estate.

© gabs1510/Shutterstock

Meerendal

Top choice in Cape Town

LoginSave

Although it was established in 1702 and has some of South Africa's oldest pinotage and shiraz vineyards, as well as a handsome Cape Dutch homestead, Meerendal is no fuddy-duddy wine estate. The tasting room is very professionally run and combined with a contemporary art gallery and distillery, offering vodka, rum and gin tastings. There are two restaurants, Carlucci's Deli and the more upmarket Crown, as well as 18km of mountain biking trails.

The estate hosts various mountain biking competitions, as well as the milder, 5km Saturday-morning Durbanville Parkrun (www.parkrun.co.za). Galileo Open Air Cinema (http://thegalileo.co.za) screens movies here, and there's an elegant boutique hotel in the historic homestead.

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

  • Flowers in the Kirstenbosch Botanic Gardens below Table Mountain.

    Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden

    17.18 MILES

    Location and unique flora combine to make these 5.28-sq-km botanical gardens among the most beautiful in the world. Gate 1, the main entrance at the…

  • Table Mountain Aerial Cableway in Cape Town

    Table Mountain

    16.97 MILES

    Around 600 million years old, and a canvas painted with the rich diversity of the Cape floral kingdom, Table Mountain is truly iconic. You can admire the…

  • Prison Barrack on Robben Island

    Robben Island

    14.76 MILES

    Used as a prison from the early days of the VOC (Dutch East India Company) right up until 1996, this Unesco World Heritage site is preserved as a memorial…

  • Simondium near Paarl Western Cape South Africa, Vineyard of the Babylonstoren wine estate.

    Babylonstoren

    17.36 MILES

    This 2.5-sq-km wine and fruit farm is on the north slope of the Simonsberg mountain between Klapmuts and Paarl. Its highlight is an 800-sq-metre, formally…

  • African penguins on the stone in evening twilight. African penguin ( Spheniscus demersus) also known as the jackass penguin and black-footed penguin. Boulders colony. South Africa 628098086 Endangered Species, Wilderness Area, Stone - Object, Sea Life, Colony, Two Animals, Water Bird, Bird Watching, Arrival, Coastline, Dusk, Dawn, Twilight, Cute, Jackass Penguin, Animal Foot, Animal Wing, Fun, Wildlife, Nature, South Africa, Uncultivated, Animals In The Wild, Penguin, Sea Bird, Freshwater Bird, Bird, Animal, Sunset, Boulder - Rock, Sand, Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Sea, Surf, flightless, Footed, south-africa, blackfooted, black-footed, Life, Aquatic

    Boulders Penguin Colony

    29.38 MILES

    This picturesque area, with enormous boulders dividing small, sandy coves, is home to a colony of some 3000 delightful African penguins. A boardwalk runs…

  • District Six Museum

    District Six Museum

    14.74 MILES

    It's impossible not to be emotionally moved by this museum, which celebrates the once lively multiracial area that was destroyed during apartheid in the…

  • Groot Constantia manor house in Cape Town, South Africa.

    Groot Constantia

    20.02 MILES

    Simon van der Stel’s manor house, a superb example of Cape Dutch architecture, is maintained as a museum at Groot Constantia. Set in beautiful grounds,…

  • Silvermine Reservoir.

    Silvermine Nature Reserve

    23.37 MILES

    The Silvermine Reservoir, a beautiful spot for a picnic or a leisurely walk on the wheelchair-accessible boardwalk, is the focal point of this section of…

View more attractions

Nearby Cape Town attractions

1. Canto Wines

0.7 MILES

New to the Durbanville wine route, Canto is a boutique winery offering tastings in the church-like cellar/tasting room. Particularly popular is the bubbly…

2. Hillcrest Estate

2.9 MILES

There's lots going on here apart from excellent wine-making, such as growing olives and producing Havoc Brew craft beers, which you can enjoy with a pizza…

3. Nitida

3.19 MILES

Excellent tastings of Nitida's award-winning wines are held in the wine cellar. Booking is recommended, as it's a small space. Also here are two…

4. Durbanville Hills

3.96 MILES

Offering a change from the historic Cape Dutch wine estates, this winery, best known for its merlot and sauvignon blanc, occupies an ultramodern building…

5. De Grendel

4.74 MILES

Established in 1720, the closest of the Durbanville wineries to Cape Town has a jaw-dropping view of Table Mountain from its tasting room. There's also a…

6. Intaka Island

9.01 MILES

Intaka means ‘bird’ in Xhosa and you can see 120 feathered species, as well as 200-plus plant species, at this 1600-sq-metre wetland reserve. Learn about…

7. Bloubergstrand

9.5 MILES

The beaches beside this pleasant coastal suburb are where the British won their 1806 battle for the Cape. The panoramic view they provide of Table…

8. Villiera

9.98 MILES

Villiera produces several excellent Méthode Cap Classique wines and a highly rated and well-priced shiraz. Excellent two-hour wildlife drives (adult/child…