Doolhof Wine Estate — Attraction in Drakenstein Local Municipality

Doolhof is as beautiful as most reviews will attest - the location is second to none and it is a beautiful drive. Be warned that the road is narrow and rough in places. Our 4 x 4 made light work of it, but I'm not sure how it would be in Winter. In a smaller car full of passengers, you would be guaranteed an 'African Massage'!

We only went for wine tasting and I think that the overall reviews for Doolhof become confused between the different offerings that this Estate offers. Everything is well signposted when you enter and it is pristine and well-maintained. The Tasting Room and Restaurant are located partly up a small, but fairly steep hill. We had to park at the top of the hill which meant that it was a mini hike for us older people in the glorious February heat. It wasn't problematic, but it could be for others who find walking a challenge.

The air-conditioned Wine Tasting Room was a cool respite from the heat, but it was surprisingly small, given the overall size of the Estate. The tasting itself was unfortunately a disappointment. This is a do-it-yourself tasting and you are given a tray with your wine selection, a tasting sheet and a label on the stem of each glass with the name and a QR code to scan for more information. The Hostess was polite and helpful, but her job was simply to pour your selection and leave you to get on with it.

For me, the story of each wine and the Estate are important parts of the wine-tasting experience. A price list and a QR code just don't do it. It felt impersonal and perhaps that also affected my appreciation of the wines. I didn't particularly enjoy or dislike any of them - they were simply 'okay'. One of our group enjoyed the gin tasting (only one was available) and she bought a bottle, despite the lack of a sales pitch. There was no bottled water as part of the tasting, and we had to buy this as an extra (although tap water was available, probably gratis). There was also no spittoon provided.

Afterwards, we went for coffee and cake at the restaurant. They were delicious, but the service was dreadful. We were left waiting for long periods and one of our group's coffees was forgotten. When we asked for the bill, it transpired that it hadn't been opened for our table, so we could have walked away without paying and no one would be any the wiser. This necessitated another wait in opening and then settling the bill. If the restaurant had been packed, then perhaps this could be better understood, but it wasn't.

We do a lot of wine tastings but felt disappointed by the experience at Doolhof. This is an Estate with many strings to its bow and wine is but one of their many offerings. We would not make a return visit - but to each their own. It was a beautiful drive...

The grounds at Doolhof are stunning, the food is good and the wine enjoyable as well. We particularly love the unusual malbec gin, and it's one of the reasons we were excited to return to Doolhof when attending a function in the area as it is hard to come by this gin off the estate.

We loved the walking trails, although we could have done with more markers/signposts at one or two points and had to guess our way, but quite quickly found our way back onto the path.

We stayed at Africamps in a hillside tent and it was the best Africamps stay out of 4 that we've had. I recommend the hillside tents for couples and the river tents for families with kids.

My complaint about the wine-tasting experience was that there was a heatwave, and the wines are all brought out at once in a flight, meaning by the time we were half way through the first of our 5 wines, the rest was warm. Also - the servers at the tasting room simply tell you to turn over the sheet of paper and read the tasting notes. I prefer an experience where they talk to you and can answer your questions, as the notes on the paper were extremely basic/generic. The staff were not particularly warm or welcoming on our arrival and didn't even stand up, although they thawed out a little over the course of our tasting. I'd put it down to training - hospitality is important and can be trained and this appeared to have been overlooked.

The restaurant staff seemed very uninterested in helping us - we stood at the entrance to make a booking with not one person out of the 4 clustered around the bar turning around to acknowledge us. The server that they did let us talk to seemed like she'd never served anyone before - had no idea how long the wine tasting would be in order for us to make a booking at the restaurant, had no idea how to make a restaurant booking or to check if they were fully booked or not, had no idea what was in any of the food - asked us to pay a cash tip so that she wouldn't have to share it with the other servers. The manager seemed like she knew better but we only got to look her in the face once over several hours. I've heard similar things from friends before when visiting Doolhof - it caused them to turn around and leave with their family.

The estate is beautiful, but don't expect the level of service you might expect from more mainstream wine regions like Franschhoek or Stellenbosch, as it feels distinctly "South African small town" rather than "upmarket tourist region" in that regard. This might be said of a lot of farms in the...

A Scenic Gem at the End of the Road

Doolhof Wine Estate may be a bit off the beaten track, but it’s absolutely worth the drive, especially if you're anywhere near Wellington. Located at the very end of the Bovlei road, getting there is part of the charm: a beautiful drive through vineyards, past farmhouses, and with stunning mountain views all around.

The estate itself is a peaceful haven, nestled in a scenic valley and surrounded by nature. There’s ample parking, and they offer both wine tastings and a lovely restaurant experience.

Our recent experience with the wine tasting, however, was not quite up to the standard we've come to expect from other estates. The wines were brought to the table with numbered labels and little explanation, and one of the wines served was incorrect. Without someone present to guide or engage with the tasting, it felt more like a self-serve experience than a curated one. The cheese platter we ordered also left much to be desired, resembling a pre-packed supermarket selection rather than a ready-to-indulge cheese platter you would expect.

That said, Doolhof remains a favourite for us because of its tranquil setting and breathtaking views. It’s still a wonderful place to relax, unwind, and enjoy the natural beauty of the area—worth the visit even if the wine tasting experience could...