When you plan a Winelands day, book the lunch table first, then fit the tastings around it. Lunch is the longest fixed point in the day and the hardest to move, especially on summer weekends, while tastings are shorter and easier to rearrange. For a day from Cape Town, a Winelands lunch booking at about 13:00 with one tasting before it and one or two after gives the day a natural shape and leaves room for the drive home.
Why the Winelands lunch booking comes first
A good estate lunch takes an hour and a half to two hours. It is also where the day is most likely to be full. January is peak season in Cape Town, and on a Saturday the best-known estate restaurants commit their tables early. If you book three tastings first and then look for lunch, you may find the only table is in a different valley, which forces a mountain pass crossing at midday.
Start with the question of where you want to eat, then look at the estates within ten or fifteen minutes of it. Stellenbosch and Franschhoek are about 30 minutes apart over the Helshoogte Pass, so a lunch in one valley and tastings in the other works only if the change happens once.
What to tell the estate when you book
Whoever makes the booking, the estate needs the same information. A clear booking avoids the common problems on the day, such as the wrong table size, a menu nobody can eat or a tasting room that cannot seat the party together.
- The number of guests, including children, and their ages if a children's menu or space for a pram matters.
- The name the booking is under, and a mobile number that will be answered on the day.
- The arrival time, with a little allowance for the drive from the previous estate.
- Dietary requirements and allergies, given in advance, not at the table.
- The kind of tasting: a standing tasting at the bar, a seated tasting, a food pairing, or a cellar or vineyard tour.
- Any occasion: a birthday, an anniversary, a client lunch. Some estates can arrange a quieter table or a cake, but only if they know.
- How you are arriving. If a driver is bringing you, say so, so the estate can point the vehicle to the right entrance and the drop-off is at the door.
How far ahead to book tastings and lunch
There is no single rule, and each estate sets its own. As a guide:
| Season and day | Lunch | Seated tasting or tour |
|---|---|---|
| December and January weekends | As early as you can | Book ahead |
| Summer weekdays | A week or two ahead is sensible | Book ahead |
| March to May | A few days to a week ahead | Usually a few days ahead |
| June to August | Often a day or two ahead | Often short notice |
Some estates accept walk-ins at the tasting room. Others require a booking for every tasting, and some run tastings only at set times. Check current times with the venue, as formats and opening days change by season. The Franschhoek Cap Classique and Champagne Festival on 5 and 6 December 2026, harvest events from January to March and long weekends all put extra pressure on tables in the valleys.
Booking for a group
A group of eight is a different booking from a couple. Many tasting rooms are designed for small parties, and a seated tasting for ten or twelve may need a private room or a set time. Some estates cap group sizes or offer a set group menu at lunch. Tell the estate the full number at the start rather than adding guests later.
If your group travels in more than one vehicle, give the estate one arrival time for everyone. With West Landau, parties of nine or more travel in two or more vehicles, each with its own driver, on one booking, so the vehicles arrive together and the table is filled at once. The guide to a Winelands day for a group covers the timings for larger parties.
Deposits, cancellations and changes
Estates set their own terms. Some take a card to hold a lunch table or charge for a no-show, others ask for a deposit on group bookings or set menus. Read the confirmation, and keep the estate's number to hand on the day in case you are running late.
Our own cancellation terms apply to the vehicle, separately from the estate. Cancelling more than 48 hours before pickup is free, with a full refund or a new date. Within 48 hours, half the booking value is retained, and within 24 hours or for a no-show, the full value. The detail is in the booking terms. If you cancel the day, remember to cancel the estate bookings as well, because they are separate.
What the concierge can book for you
You do not have to make the bookings yourself. Once the day is confirmed, the West Landau concierge can book the tastings, the lunch table and, if the day includes golf, the tee times. Tastings, meals and venue parking are for your own account unless they are itemised on your quote, so the concierge books them in your name and you settle with the estate.
If you would rather hand over the planning entirely, a curated Winelands experience includes an itinerary built by the concierge, priced per vehicle, with a CATHSSETA-accredited tour guide. The Winelands tours page sets out what a full day includes. For the overall shape of the day, read how many wine estates fit into one day and, if you are still choosing a valley, Stellenbosch or Franschhoek.
Common questions
What time should we book lunch?
About 13:00 suits most days from Cape Town. It leaves time for one tasting in the morning and one or two in the afternoon, and gets you on the road home before the weekday late afternoon traffic on the N1 or N2.
Can we change the order on the day?
Usually, if the estates agree. The vehicle stays with you, so the driver can reorder the stops. Fixed bookings such as lunch and a cellar tour are the parts that are hardest to move, so call ahead if you want to change them.
Do we pay the estate or West Landau for tastings?
The estate, unless the tastings are itemised on your West Landau quote. Driver, fuel and tolls are always included in the vehicle rate.
What if we are running late?
Tell the driver, who can call ahead to the estate. A ten-minute delay is rarely a problem. A long delay at lunch may cost the table on a busy day, which is why the plan should leave some slack.
To get a quote, send the date, the number of guests, the estates or valley you have in mind and any bookings you have already made. The concierge replies with a written quote and a booking reference, and makes the remaining bookings once the day is confirmed.