Jordan Wine Estate

Duck is one item you won’t find on the menu at Jordan. ‘ Our ducks are our pets,’ says owner Gary Jordan, who has been making world- class wines here since 1993. ‘ But that’s not all. They patrol our vineyards, eating all the snails and other pests.’ Located at the head of the Stellenbosch Kloof, along what was once the main thoroughfare between Cape Town and Stellenbosch, the farm has panoramic views of Table Mountain, False Bay and Stellenbosch, and the vines are planted on slopes that face in every direction – north, west, south and east ( no other Stellenbosch wine estate can claim this). ‘ Unique by nature’s design’ is how the Jordans describe their farm, which spans 164 hectares, and where ‘ nature’ is the operative word given that over 60 hectares have been set aside for conservation and the enjoyment of visitors taking a 4×x4 wine safari ( R350 pp) through the estate, spotting wildlife ranging from porcupines and duikers to a family of Cape foxes. The farm is also home to an abundance of Cape dwarf chameleons. ‘ A team from National Geographic once came to study them,’ says Gary. ‘ They counted 42 in a minute.’ Appropriately, Chameleon is the name of Jordan’s pocket- friendly range of fruit- driven blends, and the proceeds of sales go towards the tuition and research costs of a PhD student to boost chameleon conservation. At Jordan Restaurant, top chef George Jardine’s focus is on locally sourced, seasonal ingredients, including many from the kitchen vegetable and herb garden, as well as wild produce