5 exquisite wine estates in the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley in South Africa

When Belinda Carlisle sang her hit: ‘Ooh, heaven is a place on earth, they say in heaven, love comes first’, she surely did not know about the Hemel-en-Aarde (Heaven and Earth) Valley near Hermanus! Otherwise she would perhaps have sung: ‘They say in heaven, wine comes first’! Until 2006 this part was known as Walker Bay, but then became known as the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley. You will need quite a few days to fully explore the cellar and restaurant experiences, so do make use of the wine farms’ accommodation or sleep over in Hermanus, a seaside town nearby and well-known for whale watching.

The Hemel-en-Aarde Valley is really any wine lover’s ultimate destination. With the towering Babylonstoren Mountains and indigenous fynbos-covered hills as background, you cannot imagine something more breath taking. There are many remarkable wines produced by the Hemel-en-Aarde winemakers, but accolades over the years show the Pinot Noirs and…