There’s not a pot of gold in the vineyard but there is a stunning view over the landscape, a lush valley and towering mountains. Rainbow’s End Wine Estate is in an exceptional location, in the Banghoek Valley, hidden behind a high mountain range on the edge of Stellenbosch. We have tasted some of their wines and we like them.
If you leave Stellenbosch town and go towards Franschhoek you take the R310 that winds its way up to the pass between the Simonsberg and the very beginning of the Hottentot-Holland mountains. You pass some famous vineyards on your way up, Delair Graff on your right, barely visible from down-below, Tokara and Thelema on your left, to name a few. Just after the last bend and when you start to roll more comfortably down there’s a small road to your right. It is very easy to miss. But if you look closely you can see a small sign pointing towards the Rainbow’s End Wine Estate.
This road takes you into the Banghoek Valley, sometimes called Banhoek Valley. The name is said to come from the Dutch/Afrikaans “De Bange Hoek”, The Scary Corner (think of Franschhoek, The French Corner). Scary because it took courage to get over the mountains and because of the wildlife, elephants, buffalo, lions and leopards, that hid there. (Franschhoek, not far away, used to be called Olifantshoek, the Elephants’s Corner, before the French arrived.)
But that was then, at the time of the settlers. The elephants, lions and buffalo are long gone. I don’t know about the leopards, there may be some still hiding in the bush. But the biggest danger you will run into is that you will fall in love with this hidden but spectacularly beautiful corner of Stellenbosch and will never want to leave.
The four kilometre long and twisting road gets narrower and narrower and almost at the end of the road you come to the Rainbow’s End winery. It is high up on the mountain slope, at 540 metres altitude, but it is surrounded by much higher mountain peaks. You have the Square Tower Peaks at 1126 m and the Twins North Peak at 1494 m.
The land belongs to the Malan family since 1978 but it wasn’t until 2000 that they planted the first vines. They now have 22 hectares of vineyards. Today it is run by two brothers, Anton Malan, winemaker, and Francois Malan, viticulturist. Banghoek is now a so-called “ward” within Stellenbosch.
We recently had the opportunity to taste some of their wines.
Cabernet Franc 2019 Banghoek WO, Rainbow’s End Wine Estate
Fine, intense fruit, mainly dark fruit; hint of oak on the nose. Solid and quite dense on the palate with good ripe tannins and some oak; dark cherries, good freshness and balance with some austerity/structure, a slight dry herbaceousness typical for cabernet franc, delicious wine. 16p
The cabernet franc is planted high on the slope where it is slightly cooler. Price at the winery: 280 ZAR
Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 Banghoek WO, Rainbow’s End Wine Estate
Dark berries and dark fruit on the nose, with a touch of barrel-ageing character, chocolate; good body and balance between fruit and oak, lighter than the cabernet franc, modest but well-balanced tannin, good structure in general, some spices and quite elegant. 16.5p
The cabernet sauvignon is planted on the lower-lying vineyards benefitting from warmer temperatures to assure good ripening. Price at the winery: 230 ZAR
Shiraz 2019 Banghoek WO, Rainbow’s End Wine Estate
Typical syrah aroma with “charcuteries” or slightly burnt notes; more fruit and less oak than the cabernets, good matière (structure), full-bodied with plenty of tannins but good, ripe ones; nice acidity and fresh finish with hints of coffee and chocolate. 16p
Syrah is planted on cooler south and east facing land. Price at the winery: 220 ZAR
Chenin Blanc 2020 Stellenbosch WO, Rainbow’s End Wine Estate
Lots of freshness with exotic fruit, grape fruit, lime; not so obvious chenin, with a floral touch, aromatic; good acidity and pleasant easy-drinking. If you are used to Loire Valley chenin blanc, this is lighter, more aromatic and more fruity.
Price at the winery: 95 ZAR
Overall, a good selection of varietal wines from Rainbow’s End, showing good typicity from the grape variety and with very friendly prices for what you get in the bottle.
Here’s their web site: Rainbow’s End Wine Estate https://rainbowsend.co.za/
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