Riebeek-West and Riebeek-Kasteel are not your typical Swartland towns – wine, olives, fruit and dining attract the tourists

Riebeek Valley in the Swartland is a popular destination for lovers of wine, olives and dining, and many folks from surrounding towns such as Malmesbury, Paarl, Wellington and Moorreesburg go there for lunch on weekends. Even Capetonians are less than an

At the end of summer, the Swartland can look quite bleak. After months of scorching temperatures and not a drop of rain, the veld and the fields of wheat stubble are dry and drab. Every living thing appears tired, especially when the southeaster sweeps through on its mission to blow decent rainfall to the north of the country. (It’s also the southeaster that deposits a thick layer of smoke here when the Boland is burning.)

This is not, however, the case on the Malmesbury side of the Riebeek Valley. Here, at the hem of Kasteelberg with its belly full of water, the world still has colour. The grapes have been harvested and the vines are starting to develop a rusty hue. The olive trees, their branches heavy with fruit, glimmer grey-green. Autumn – harvest time – has arrived and the annual Olive Festival is just around the corner.

But the most colourful of all are the two towns in the valley and their residents: Riebeek-West and RiebeekKasteel, only 5km apart.

On the one side there is Kasteel, a bohemian artist who loves to party until late. Here you find countless (good) restaurants, bric-a-brac shops, galleries and breweries. And West? Well, she is pure farmgirl. Also beautiful, but down to earth and practical, and she goes to bed early. She is the one with the co-operative, the Pick n Pay, the Checkin, the lorries in the main street. And only a few eateries.

Surprisingly, residents will tell you that many Capetonians have never even heard of these two... > This view from Bothmaskloof Pass, 12km from Malmesbury after turning onto the R46, greets Capetonians less than an hour’s drive from the city. Below are Kloovenburg Wine and Olive Estate and the town of Riebeek-Kasteel. Riebeek-West is out of sight, to the left.