Simondium is a small hamlet on the R45 reached from Stellenbosch by the magnificent Helshoogte Pass. On the pass, the historic town of Pniel is worth a stop before moving on to Franschhoek or Paarl.
Recently Simondium has put itself on the map, hosting the annual South African Cheese Festival in April, with great success. The festival takes place on the Bien Donné farm and attracts cheese lovers from far and wide, to sample the award winning cheeses and wine.
Inspired by the Slow Food movement, the festival includes a cheese workshop where local cheese masters explain all about what goes in to making cheese.
Bien Donné farm also hosts the popular annual Cape Country Picnic Festival in February with its wonderful food stalls and weekend sunset concert.
Although wines have been produced in Simondium only in recent years, and include wine farms such as Lindhorst Wines, Cowlin Wines and Vrede en Lust, some of the vines date back 300 years and are fast earning a reputation in their own right.
Simondium is also on the Western Cape Brandy Route, introduced in 1997. Backsberg in Simondium is one of the smaller more intimate cellars on the list, and uses an imported pot from the Cognac region of France in the distilling process of the Sydney Back Estate Brandy.
For the ultimate guide on the Cape Winelands, visit ShowMe Cape Winelands.
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