The Darling Wine Region is a warm, welcoming and friendly tourism town and region.

Darling is a calm and peaceful retreat from the stresses and strains of the hectic city life.

A chance to escape the daily grind and re-energize the soul.

Darling offers that in spades and is easily accessible from either the N7 or the R27 and is only an hour’s drive from Cape Town.

But that’s not to say that there shouldn’t be lots to do as well during your well-deserved stay!

Darling has a variety of tourism offerings that will appeal to all members of the family.

There’s craft beer and a taproom at Darling Brew, olives and olive products to be tasted at Darling Olives and Het Bos (by appointment).

The top end of the Main Road boasts an artisanal cheesery and deli plus The Darling Wine Shop.

Wine tasting at Ormonde, Cloof, Darling Cellars and Groote Post along with its long established, family friendly Hilda’s Kitchen.

A San centre at nearby !!Khwa ttu and the beach at Yzerfontein is just a short drive away.

Back in Darling itself are the old favourites like Evita se Perron and the Darling Museum plus a number of restaurants and coffee shops like Bistro Seven, Marmalade Cat, Café Mosaic, Chicory Cheese Café and Brig’s Barn.

There’s lots of accommodation to suit all tastes and budgets and, best of all, even a toffee and caramel tasting at Darling Sweet.

General shopping hours are 8h30 to 17h00 weekdays and 9h00 to 13h00 Saturdays.

Please note that some businesses are closed for lunch between 13h00 and 14h00.

Explore the town on foot.

Browse through the antiques and collectables and visit the interesting craft and gift shops.

Enjoy a cup of coffee on the “stoep” of a coffee shop or at a farmstall.

Linger a while and watch the locals go by.

The mean annual rainfall of the area is 600mm.

Most of the rainfall occurs from April to the end of August.

The mean temperature during the summer is 24 degrees Celsius.

The Wines of the Darling Wine Region.

Growers in Darling have adapted to poor quality soils and low rainfall by planting bush vines.

These thrive here because they are more resistant to drought and grow deeper root systems.

The ancient soils of decomposed granite do not retain water well, and the vines therefore have to reach deeper to find moisture.

Some have roots as deep as 8 meters (25ft).

Bush vines are also naturally low yielding, meaning the fruit has more concentration, which leads to greater complexity in the finished wine.

One of Darling’s signature grape varieties is Shiraz, also grown in bush vines in some vineyards in Australia and Southern France.

Darling’s other top-performing grape, Sauvignon Blanc – almost uniquely across the global wine industry – is also extensively planted as a bush vine.

Bush-vine Pinotage, Cabernet Sauvignon and Chenin Blanc also feature in the area’s vineyards.

The region’s wine estates sit on the rolling hills that surround the small town of Darling.

The slopes face all manner of directions, allowing growers to position their vineyards in a way that will make the most of ocean breezes coming in from the Atlantic.

Wines of Darling have garnered international acclaim in the past 10 years, particularly the intense and unusual styles made from bush-vine Sauvignon Blanc.

Darling was separated from Swartland in the Wine of Origin scheme in 2003, after a consensus that the wines produced here were distinctive enough to merit acknowledgment.

Things to do in the Darling Wine Region.

Wine and Beer Tasting is at the order of the day in Darling.

Darling is also known as the Flower of the West Coast and during the months of August and September people flock from all over the world to view the wild flowers of the area – one of the most spectacular wild flower exhibitions in the world which can be seen for hundreds of miles on end.

The area also has a birding route.

Festivals and Events in the Darling Wine Route.

Darling offers many activities to suit all ages.

• Darling Walk In – Walk Out Food Market
• Movie Nights Under the Stars
• Shows at Evita se Perron
• Love Affair Picnic
• Voorkamerfees
• Rocking the Daisies

We look forward to host you in Darling in the near furture.