Paarl

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

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.