3 Best Sights in Somerset West, The Western Cape and Winelands

Established in 1700 by Willem Adriaan van der Stel, who succeeded his father as governor of the Cape, this traditional thatched Cape Dutch homestead looks like something from a fairy tale. An octagonal walled garden aflame with flowers surrounds it, and huge camphor trees, planted over 300 years ago, stand as gnarled sentinels. The homestead is now a museum, furnished in period style. Other historic buildings include a magnificent library and the old stables, which is now the Stables Restaurant, where you can have breakfast or lunch while looking onto the Hottentots Holland Mountains. You can also purchase a picnic to enjoy in the grounds during the summer months. 

Vergelegen's flagship wines include Vergelegen V (a full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon), and Vergelegen GVB Red, a Bordeaux blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc.  Reservations are recommended for the hour-long wine tours, but no children are allowed. Note that there are also 70 steep stairs leading to the cellar. Apart from award-winning wine, there are 18 themed gardens, including the Camellia Garden of Excellence—a collection of more than 1,000 plants which flower during the winter months (June–August). There's also a lovely children's play area adjacent to the restaurant.

You can't drive down the R44 between Somerset West and Stellenbosch without noticing the remarkable scarecrows at Mooiberge Farmstall. They're riding bicycles, driving tractors, and working in the strawberry fields, where you can spend a morning picking the luscious red fruit. The strawberry season varies from one year to the next but usually begins in October and runs to January. You pay for what you pick, and you can also buy jams, dried fruit, and other refreshments at the farm stall. Look for the interesting display of old farm implements at the side of the building.

A leading producer of excellent extra-virgin olive oils and wines is the historic estate Morgenster (Morning Star), which was part of Cape Governor Willem Adriaan van der Stel's original 17th-century farm. In the mid-1990s the estate was restored to its original splendor, and thousands of olive trees were imported from Italy. It is now producing some of the best olive oils in the country and internationally. Seventeen different olive cultivars on the farm have been carefully selected from all the regions in Italy; these are pressed and stored individually before they're blended. For R55 you can taste the olives, the oil, balsamic vinegar, and the delicious olive paste. It's also worth lingering in the beautiful wine-tasting room, which was designed by acclaimed South African architect Revel Fox. Phone a day ahead if you're traveling in a group bigger than six. Reservations are recommended on weekends.