Best Wine & Cheese Tastings in Cape Town & the Cape Winelands

Fairview

Fairview produces both wine and cheese on the same farm, on Suid-Agter-Paarl Road at the foot of Paarl Mountain. It is the strongest choice when the cheese itself is one of the main reasons for the visit. The cheesery dates from 1980 and the estate keeps a herd of more than 900 goats, so the pairing uses its own goat’s- and cow’s-milk cheeses, not bought-in boards.

The tasting room is open daily from 9:00 to 17:00, walk-ins are fine, and only groups of ten or more need to book. Fairview also appears on more guided itineraries from Cape Town than any other Paarl estate. The half-day Stellenbosch and Paarl tour pairs it with Marianne, where the reds are served with biltong, for about $53 with hotel pickup and both tastings included; it is rated 4.6/5 from more than 310 reviews. The small-group Stellenbosch and Franschhoek tour adds three Stellenbosch estates to the Fairview pairing. Our guide to the best Paarl wine farms covers the rest of the valley, including Spice Route next door.

Fairview Master Tasting and the other formats

Older guides recommend a guided “Master Tasting” at Fairview as the premium, more structured version of the pairing. Fairview’s own tasting page no longer lists one, so do not plan a day around it. What it does list, in October 2026:

• Standard Tasting, R95 — six wines paired with six cheeses. This is the classic Fairview pairing most visitors mean.
• Farmer’s Tasting, R105 — six wines with four cheeses and two cured meats, the better choice if you want something closer to a light lunch.
• Cheese Tasting, R45 — six cheeses and no wine, useful for a driver or a non-drinker.
• Kids’ Tasting, R65 — five cheeses, a sweet treat and a juice or lemonade, which is what makes Fairview work for families.

If you want a more guided premium pairing with a cheese matched to each glass and someone explaining why, Neethlingshof’s Short Story cheese pairing below is currently the closest thing in the Winelands.

Neethlingshof

Neethlingshof, on the western edge of Stellenbosch, is the good Stellenbosch choice for combining wine with a substantial cheese-and-charcuterie platter in a relaxed format. It is also the one Stellenbosch estate here with a formal cheese pairing.

The Cheese & Charcuterie Platter is R325 for two: four cheeses, cured meats, fig preserve, cornichons, olives, fruit and sourdough, ordered beside any of the tastings, which run from R90 for the five-wine Estate Range to R130 for the Short Story Collection. The Short Story Cheese Pairing, at R250 per person, matches a cheese to each of the estate’s Short Story wines. The estate also runs a chocolate pairing (R150) and a kids’ pairing (R80). The tasting room is open 9:00 to 17:00 on weekdays and 10:00 to 16:00 at weekends and on public holidays.

Warwick

Warwick, on the R44 north of Stellenbosch, is best for wine, cheese and a scenic outdoor setting rather than a formal pairing lesson. Boards and gourmet picnics are served on the lawns or in the shaded courtyard, and most people come for the setting as much as the cheese.

The tasting room’s booking menu lists a six-wine First Lady tasting at R75, a Gourmet Pairing at R150, cheese and charcuterie boards at R250 to R275 and gourmet picnics from R465. The farm is open 9:00 to 17:00 daily, with tastings and food served from 10:00 to 16:00, and Warwick publishes its prices as subject to change, so check before you go. Warwick is a stop on the Vine Hopper Northern route, a hop-on hop-off bus from Stellenbosch rated 4.6/5 from 53 reviews; tasting fees are paid at each farm.

Delheim

Delheim, on the Knorhoek Road below the Simonsberg, suits a traditional Stellenbosch wine-farm visit where food naturally accompanies the tasting; it is not a cheese-led stop. It does not publish a cheese platter; the food is the garden restaurant, which serves breakfast from 9:00 to 11:30 and lunch from 12:00 to 15:30 daily and is worth pre-booking.

Tastings are R105 for the Premium range and R165 for the Reserve range, and Delheim’s signature pairing is wine against fynbos cupcakes (R180), not cheese. Delheim is one of the four estates on the small-group Stellenbosch and Franschhoek tour, which also carries the Fairview cheese pairing, so you can have both on one day without driving.

Spier

Spier, on the Cape Town side of Stellenbosch, is best for families and mixed groups who want wine alongside broader farm food, picnics and activities. It is about 40 minutes from the city and the easiest estate on this list to fill a whole day at.

The tasting room is open 9:00 to 17:00 with tastings poured from 9:30 to 16:00. A Taste of Spier is R105, and a Cheese Platter (R250) or Cheese & Meat Platter (R280) can be ordered beside it; there is also a chocolate-and-wine pairing at R140 and a vegan garden bowl at R160. Picnics are available on the farm, and children have the Elemental Garden playground, with the Buzz Club for hotel guests. Our guide to Stellenbosch wine farm restaurants covers Spier’s restaurants and picnics in more detail.

Formal Pairing vs Cheese Board

Choose a formal pairing to learn how specific wines and cheeses interact. A good pairing puts a soft goat’s cheese against a Sauvignon Blanc and an aged hard cheese against a Shiraz for a reason, and someone explains it; Fairview’s Standard Tasting and Neethlingshof’s Short Story pairing both do this.

Choose a board for a slower, more social tasting or a light lunch. Warwick, Spier, Neethlingshof and Kleine Zalze all sell a platter you order beside an ordinary tasting, and the wines are not matched to the cheeses. A board for two, at R250 to R325, usually costs less than two formal pairings and takes longer to eat.

Which Region Is Best?

Paarl is strongest for a dedicated cheese experience because of Fairview, and the valley’s tasting fees are generally lower than Franschhoek’s. Stellenbosch offers greater overall variety: a formal pairing at Neethlingshof, boards in a garden at Warwick, a family farm at Spier, all within 20 minutes of each other.

Most guided tours settle the question for you by visiting both. The full-day three-valley tour starts in Paarl, which its operator describes as famous for its cheese and wine tastings, and includes cheese and chocolate pairings subject to availability, with a vineyard lunch and a cellar tour; it is rated 4.9/5 from more than 1,400 reviews. Our Stellenbosch vs Franschhoek comparison covers the wider trade-off between the valleys.

Wine & Cheese vs Wine & Chocolate

Choose cheese for savoury, more traditional pairings that work through a whole flight of wines, including the dry whites. Choose chocolate for a sweeter, more playful tasting that suits the big reds and the dessert wines better than the Sauvignon Blancs.

Several Stellenbosch tours let you do both in a day. The half-day Stellenbosch tour pairs the first tasting with cheese and the second with biltong or chocolate, for about $55 with hotel pickup, rated 4.6/5 from more than 880 reviews. The four-estate Stellenbosch full-day tour pairs its tastings with local cheese, cured meats and Fair Trade chocolate and includes lunch, rated 4.8/5 from more than 270 reviews.

How Many Pairings?

One specialty pairing is enough for most days. Cheese is filling, and a second formal pairing an hour later usually means leaving half of it. Combine one pairing with conventional wine tastings at one or two other estates and a proper lunch, and the day keeps its shape.

Our guide to Cape Winelands tasting prices sets out what pairings add to the cost of a day, and our Stellenbosch wine tasting guide covers how to get between the estates without anyone driving.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best wine and cheese tasting near Cape Town?

Fairview in Paarl is the strongest dedicated option, because it makes its own goat’s- and cow’s-milk cheeses and pairs them with its wines in a Standard Tasting (R95) or a Farmer’s Tasting with cured meats (R105). In Stellenbosch, Neethlingshof’s Short Story cheese pairing (R250) is the most formal alternative.

Is Fairview in Stellenbosch?

No, it is in Paarl, on Suid-Agter-Paarl Road about 20 minutes’ drive from Stellenbosch town. Several tours from Cape Town visit Fairview and Stellenbosch estates on the same day.

Is a wine and cheese pairing good for beginners?

Yes. Food makes the changes in acidity, tannin and texture easier to notice, and a pairing gives you something concrete to compare across the glasses instead of six wines in a row.

Can families enjoy a wine and cheese tasting?

Yes, particularly at broader destination estates such as Fairview and Spier. Fairview runs a Kids’ Tasting of five cheeses, a sweet treat and a juice for R65, and Spier has a playground and picnics on the farm.