Wineries:
Surrounded on three sides by towering mountains, the vineyards of Tulbagh grow between fruit trees and wheat fields. The soils in this area are very diverse. The area is characterized by extreme fluctuations between day and night temperatures. The mountainous landscape creates a variety of different mesoclimates, which can be used to great advantage.
Unique to the geological composition of this valley is the "cold trap", a phenomenon resulting from the horseshoe shape of the surrounding mountains, with Tulbagh located at the northern end of this "bowl". In this bowl, once a prehistoric lake, the cold night air rests undisturbed. Without wind movement from the sides, this bubble of cold air from the previous evening is trapped under the air warmed by the sun. The result is relatively cool average daily temperatures. The annual rainfall is about 550mm per square meter.
Here, history and tradition work hand in hand with innovation. With modern irrigation methods and advanced agriculture, the true potential of this area is only just being tapped. Currently, there are 16 wineries here, some of them quite new, making excellent wines in this hidden valley, especially Shiraz and sparkling wine using the Méthode Cap Classique (bottle fermentation).
