Middelvlei Wines
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In Their Words
Middelvlei History & Location
It is our pleasure to welcome you to the authentic charm of Middelvlei Wine Estate. Situated in the heart of the Stellenbosch Winelands on the slopes of Papegaaiberg, we sit just 4 kilometres from the town centre at the base of the picturesque Devon Valley overlooking the Bottelary Hills,
Middelvlei wine farm is home to the Momberg family. Their story begins in 1919 when two brothers purchased the farm and it has continued for over 100 years to grow around a strong sense of tradition and family ideals. Today, brothers Ben and Tinnie Momberg apply the knowledge passed down to them through 3 generations of wine making, to produce wine of exceptional quality and reputation. The beautiful 160 hectare farm is famous for its red cultivars and Tinnie has showcased his talents with his specialty: the free-run Pinotage, a unique wine made through natural, unpressed processes which set it apart from its peers.
Known for its hospitality and special farm atmosphere, Middelvlei offers a personal, unforgettable and authentic Stellenbosch Winelands experience for the whole family.
Middelvlei Operating Hours
Wine Tasting: open daily 10am-4.30pm (pre-booking required for large groups of 20+).
Wine & Food Pairings: available Sat & Sun, 11.30am-3pm.
Note, pairings can be arranged during the week for groups of 15+ or more who pre-book.
Boerebraai Restaurant: open Sat & Sun only, 12pm-3pm (pre-booking essential).
Note, lunches and dinners can be arranged on any day, for large groups of 20+ or more who pre-book.
Wine Blending Experience: available Sat & Sun between 12pm-3pm (pre-booking essential).
Monthly Pop Up Market: usually open on the first weekend of the month. Please contact the farm to check.
*PLEASE NOTE*
Closed on Christmas Day, Good Friday and New Year’s Day. All times, prices and facilities listed are subject to change. We recommend checking latest details directly with the farm and pre-booking experiences wherever possible, to avoid disappointment.
Middelvlei Wine Tasting
Middelvlei’s wines have won numerous prestigious awards through the years and our 3 wine ranges include Pinotage, Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Chardonnay varietals.
The Wine Tasting Centre, a charming building that was once the horse stable for the estate, has something for everyone including tastings, food pairing, wine making experiences and even juice tasting for the little ones. Relax under the veranda in summer or snuggle up in winter in front of the fireplace.
Wine Tasting Prices
A relaxed tasting of 4 wines is priced from R60pp either inside the tasting centre or on the veranda with views of farm life. Add a traditional culinary treat, Potbrood and Snoek pâté, for an additional R50pp. Kids’ tastings cost R50.
Our Middelvlei Tapas and Wine Pairing costs R150pp and includes 3 wines with a Mini Potbrood and Snoek pâté, Biltong and Mozzarella Braaibroodjie (toastie) and Cocktail Boerewors Sosatie. Alternatively our Middelvlei Braaibroodjie and Wine Pairing costs R150pp and includes 3 wines and 3 different savoury Braaibroodjies (toasties). Pre-booking recommended.
For our wine blending experience and cellar tours, please refer to the Tours section below.
Middelvlei Restaurants
South Africans are known for loving a braai (BBQ) and having a braai has evolved into a unique South African social event where family and friends gather to share stories, food and a special bottle of wine. Join us and create your own memorable braai experience with Middelvlei to be part of a very special, authentic South African outdoor barbecue experience.
Middelvlei is also family-friendly! While mom and dad relax with a bottle of Middelvlei wine, the kids can have a good time too. The little ones can play in the sandpit, feed the farm animals, enjoy the open space with our lawn games, braai their own marshmallows or even do their own juice tasting.
Menus & Pricing
Our set menu includes salads, traditional potbrood (baked bread) and braaibroodjies (toasties) in addition to a selection of grilled meats which our resident braai expert will cook to perfection. A vegetarian and low carb option are also available. Priced from R265pp. Pre-booking essential. For kids, we offer a Kiddies Snack Box or a burger and chips for R70pp.
Middelvlei Tours & Activities
Guided Cellar Tours of Middelvlei are available – please contact the Estate for details and to pre-book.
Join us for an exciting 1.5 hour Middelvlei Wine Blending Experience and become part of our winemaking team! This unique experience allows you to create a personalised bottle of your own wine to take home and includes our famous freshly baked Potbrood and home-made Snoek Pâté. Cost from R250pp. This experience is designed as an activity for 2, with the blending kit making a single bottle of wine. Additional bottles can be made for R180 per bottle. Pre-booking essential.
With breathtaking views, Middelvlei is also a popular destination for corporate events and weddings. Our Wine Barn is set on the slopes of Papegaaiberg and offers the perfect backdrop for a memorable and beautiful wedding day – and is also ideal for a conference, conveniently located close to Sellenbosch town centre. Celebrations can also be arranged in the Boerebraai Restaurant, which is an old horse stable built in the late 1800s. With an extension completed in 2017, the restaurant also boasts a veranda overlooking our lawns and dam. Please contact the Estate to discuss your needs.
Finally, Middelvlei are playing host to the monthly indoor pop up Stellenbosch Weekend Market. This is scheduled to be at the farm on the first weekend of each month and includes food, clothing and gift stalls, plus outside family-friendly entertainment. For the latest details please refer www.facebook.com/stellenboschmarket/.
Middelvlei Accommodation
Although there is no accommodation run by Middelvlei on the Estate, they can recommend some local Airbnb rentals which can be booked directly. See www.middelvlei.co.za/weddings/ for more information.
When Lucy Visited
Hugely popular with locals for its authentic country vibe, rustic dining and cute wildlife, family-owned Middelvlei is all about sharing good times. If you want to experience true laidback South African hospitality, don’t miss a visit!
So What Makes Middelvlei Stand Out?
A true working farm with its heart firmly rooted in family values, Middelvlei have (thankfully) resisted all urges to become glitzy or blingy, retaining a wonderfully traditional vibe much loved by locals. A visit here is all about being together and enjoying the simple things in life (like feeding the ducks, sipping delicious Pinotage and eating those insanely good braaibroodjie toasties!). Put simply, South African simple country hospitality at its best.
The Location and Set Up of Middelvlei
Considering its very close proximity to Stellenbosch town (roughly a 5-10 minute drive), Middelvlei feels surprisingly rural, with rolling fields, distant mountains, a large pretty dam and vineyards (note, my pictures are from the middle of winter, so you’ll have to imagine how glorious a summer’s day would be!). The farm is easy to access if you have a car and close enough to get a taxi if you’re in Stellenbosch itself. From Cape Town, it’s around a 45 minute drive.
Once through Middelvlei’s gates, you’ll spot donkeys in the fields, plus a menagerie of wildlife adjacent to the car park, including chickens, goats, tortoises, ducks and even an Australian wallaby. You can purchase feed for them from the Tasting Room and of course this is a total hit with the kids. We saw all manner of visitors wandering aorund – cyclists, families, couples, groups. As the farm is flat it’s also easy for those with limited mobility.
The farm is made up of several buildings which include the Cellar, a private farmhouse, the Tasting Room/Boerebraai Restaurant and the Wine Barn. Usually reserved for weddings and events, on the day I visited the Wine Barn was hosting the monthly ‘Stellenbosch Market’, which at the time of writing operates on the first weekend of the month only (check www.facebook.com/stellenboschmarket/ for the latest dates). When the market is on, there are extra activities for kids such as a bouncy castle out front, plus inside the barn itself there are food, clothes and flower stalls hosted by local producers. If you’re interested in The Wine Barn to host your wedding, conference or celebration, Middelvlei have dedicated packages so refer to www.middelvlei.co.za/events/ for more details.
On ‘normal’ days when the market isn’t on, most visitors come to the Tasting Room/Restaurant building. Note, the Boerebraai Restaurant is currently only open at the weekends, unless you have pre-booked a group dinner for 30+ people. The Tasting Room/Restaurant also boasts a large covered verandah and rolling lawns overlooking the distant mountains, dam and vineyards beyond. Pretty pastoral scenery rather than towering mountain peaks, but very nice and peaceful nonetheless. Sitting outside, there’s plenty of space on the flat lawns for kids to roam, there is also a sandpit but no jungle gym.
The traditional and charming Tasting Room/Restaurant is housed in what was originally the farm’s old Horse Stables, built in the late 1800s. Further extended in 2017, its facade is reminiscent of old Karoo homesteads, with a signature pitched red roof, olive green pillars and a shaded patio to admire the views. Inside, the traditional theme continues with open fireplaces, exposed timber beams and cooling tiled flooring. There are several tables dotted inside and out for groups of all sizes, however I would recommend pre-booking all weekend experiences at Middelvlei, as it can get very busy.
Wine Tasting at Middelvlei
On the day I visited the Tasting Room was hosting a private group, so I can’t be sure how the seating is normally arranged – however I would guess at there being space for perhaps 20 or so people. At weekends when it gets busier, I believe you can also wine taste outside on the patio or in the adjacent restaurant. Wine tasting costs from R60 for 4, or at the weekends you can also pre-book a Tapas & Wine Pairing or a Braiibroodjie & Wine Pairing (mini versions of some South African classics, continue to the Dining section below for more details on the food).
With approximately 130 hectares under vine, Middelvlei is quite a large wine farm and most of their wines are Estate grown and made. The Momberg family have owned Middelvlei since 1919 and now over 100 years later, brothers Ben and Tinnie Momberg are at the helm. Specialising in red wine, cultivars include Pinotage, Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Chardonnay.
I was hosted for my visit and tried their Cinsault Rose, stainless steel fermented Chardonnay, free run Pinotage and Shiraz. I really enjoyed the Rose, which boasted a wonderful sweet nose of strawberries, which followed through with watermelon on the palate and a dry finish. I wasn’t a huge fan of the unoaked Chardonnay – this is definitely a personal preference as I prefer my Chardonnay oaked as opposed to being fermented in a stainless steel tank, but hey, it’s different! I absolutely adored their ‘free run’ Pinotage though, with its juicy blackberries on the nose, rich and smoky textures on the palate with bursts of vanilla, fruity plums and a long full finish.
Free-run wine is wine made without being pressed, where the juice from the grapes is allowed to run freely. This is quite unusual to find as yields are lower, but apparently makes for a purer, more expressive smooth wine, lower in tannins. Based on this Pinotage, I am a big fan! I have since heard others rave about Middelvlei’s award-winning Merlot, which I didn’t get the chance to try. Next time!
Dining at Middelvlei
Anyone who knows South Africa can attest that ‘braaiing’ (BBQ’ing) is a way of life, 365 days of the year. And so in keeping with this theme and their farm roots, Middelvlei’s Boerebraai Restaurant (literally translating from Afrikaans as “farmer’s barbecue”) serves up hearty country fayre straight from the outside grill, cooked in the way grandma used to. Local specialities include braaibroodjies (barbecued sandwiches filled with cheese, tomato and onions), potbrood with snoek pate (bread cooked in a cast iron pot over the fire, with a smoked fish pate), beef boerewors (farmer’s sausages), lamb chops, pampoenkoekies (pumpkin fritters served with cinnamon sugar) and Koeksisters (a syrup-coated, crispy doughnut).
Now obviously this is not fine dining and it’s not meant to be. This is all about gathering together, eating classic and casual South African food cooked in the traditional way, all served together at the table in simple crockery. As an English person living in SA, I’ve had most South African foods, however never a braaibroodjie – I am now a total convert! In Europe we would broadly call this a toasted sandwich but this is nothing like any toasted sandwich I’ve eaten before. Melted and crisped over the braai, the cheese just oozes and the flavour was smoky and delicious. I’d have happily eaten braaibroodjies for the whole afternoon!
The entire Boerebraai experience is priced at R265 per adult, plus they also have a low carb and veggie option available. Bookings are essential and remember this is weekends only as at the time of writing. There is no kids’ price, however they have a separate small kid’s menu which includes boerewors and chips, hamburger and chips and ice cream (no veggie options). You can also purchase marshmallows for the kids to braai outside and they have quite a large drinks menu. The restaurant itself is essentially a traditional dining room, with an enormous fireplace, around 10 or so tables, with high ceilings and exposed timber beams.
In Summary
If you’re looking for a laidback, traditional farm serving homestyle food and wine in a country setting, Middelvlei is a great option. Bring the family, feed the animals, get stuck into that amazing free run Pinotage and sample South Africa’s culinary heritage with a rustic Boerebraai lunch. Lekker!
Top Tip!
If you’re bringing kids and are visiting at the weekend, purchase some marshmallows and toast them on the braai at the end of lunch service. This is a fun way to meet the chefs and for the kids to experience the icing on the cake of a true South African braai!
