Delaire Graff Estate

Delaire Graff Estate on Helshoogte Pass above Stellenbosch represents the Cape Winelands at its most extravagantly beautiful — a world-class wine estate, luxury lodge, gallery, and fine-dining destination combined into a single property whose hilltop position commands panoramic views across the Franschhoek Valley and the layered mountain ranges that define this corner of the Western Cape. The estate was acquired by diamond merchant Laurence Graff in 2003 and transformed over the following decade into an internationally renowned showcase of South African viticulture, contemporary art, and five-star hospitality operating at the highest level.

The vineyards benefit from elevated altitude — between 350 and 480 metres — and the cooling influence of mountain breezes to produce wines of genuine distinction, particularly the Delaire Graff Signature white blend and the estate's structured Cabernet Sauvignon-based reds. The cellar offers guided tastings paired with local artisan cheese and charcuterie in a space that doubles as an exhibition venue for the estate's rotating contemporary art collection. Indochine Restaurant, with its sweeping terrace view and menu blending Southeast Asian technique with Winelands ingredients, has been consistently rated among the Cape's finest dining experiences across many successive seasons. The lodge villas are individually decorated with museum-quality contemporary African and international art works selected by Graff personally. Even visitors not staying overnight can spend a deeply rewarding afternoon tasting wines, exploring the sculpture garden, and absorbing a view that justifiably appears in every curated guide to the Western Cape region.