Paarl

At 18,000 ha the Paarl wine district incorporates the wards of Franschhoek (where in 1688 fleeing Huguenots from France set up home here, bringing winemaking skills and vines), Paarl and Wellington. 

Being further inland, warmer and lower-lying than its neighbour Stellenbosch, the greater Paarl district is more inclined to produce gutsy wines from granite and clay soils, typically from the Shiraz and Chenin Blanc varieties.

Joostenberg Wines in Paarl and Boekenhoutskloof in Franschhoek are two impressive producers.