Aside from Table Mountain and the beautiful stretches of coastline, what sets the Western Cape apart from the rest of the country is its established wine industry. Although small in scale in comparison with many other viniculture regions around the world, its impact is profound, with many South African wines being voted the best in their category worldwide.

Anyone worth their weight in property investment portfolios would recognise the appeal in making their home in the Cape Winelands, given its beautiful vistas of mountains, vineyards, fynbos and Cape Dutch architecture.

Indeed, over the last couple of years the Cape Winelands has seen a burgeoning harvest of residential wine estate developments taking shape.

Tara Whiting of Acquire Africa, a property buyer's agency specialising in luxury residences for international clients, says the demand for wine- and other estate properties is on the rise.

'The biggest advantage of wine estate living is that you have the benefit of the land around you without actually owning or having to maintain it. Currently there is a surplus of plots for sale on wine estates, most of them at large discounts. I believe in a few years we will wish we had bought these now, as there are some good deals around,' she says.

Dawn Arendse, a property consultant at Diemersfontein Wine and Country Estate in Wellington, says living on a wine estate gives you all the benefits, without the stress of maintaining and working the land.

But if your inner winemaker needs attention, you'll find that many estates allow you to engage in the winemaking process, whether it's harvesting the grapes, bottling the wine or just creating your own label. The perks of living on a residential wine estate are many. A big drawcard is that there is more privacy and less density than on any other kind of estate.

Esther Provoyeur of Devonvale Golf & Wine Estate in Stellenbosch explains, 'A wine estate, by definition, needs large tracts of vineyards, which of course means less space for development, resulting in a feeling of spaciousness with beautiful views.'

This means that these homes are also exclusive. Easy access to world-class wines is a big advantage of living on a wine estate. This culture ties in closely with the culinary character of the Cape Winelands.

Corius Visser of Croydon Vineyard Residential Estate just outside Stellenbosch says it best: 'The romance of drinking your own wine on your stoep as you watch over your vineyards is a dream for wine lovers and appeals even to non-drinkers.'

It is this lifestyle that most wine estates pride themselves on. The sense of belonging to a vine-growing community is also important to many of these estates, which are essentially little villages. At Croydon this is enhanced by the fact that owners of land or property on the estate are not only residents but also co-owners of the farm and its produce.

'At Croydon we bring people closer to wine and their vineyards. Residents are entitled to a yearly quota of 72 bottles of wine under the Croydon label, to enjoy themselves or to present as gifts. Not to mention the options of participating in winemaking activities, guided educational walks in the vineyards, grape stomping evenings and pruning days, even if they're not experts. All of this contributes to shaping a community that lives side by side and in harmony with nature,' says Corius.

This closeness to nature plays a big part in creating the overall pastoral ambience of wine estates, in that every day you can watch the vines change, and you get to really appreciate the transformation from vine to bottle. It gives a whole new meaning to knowing where your food comes from!

But a major environmental concern has now arisen because of the rising number of residential wine estates being developed in the winelands. Prime agricultural land, rich in minerals and nutrients, is being developed and zoned for the exclusive residential use by those who can afford this romantic lifestyle.

Ryk Neethling is the marketing director for Val De Vie Wine and Polo Estate, where in addition to its two 25ha wine farms there are also vines growing among the houses, along the roads and in the public areas.

Ryk believes that it is going to be exceptionally difficult from now on for wines estates to be zoned for residential development, because of the environmental concerns. Tara agrees: 'This is a highly sensitive issue and I believe fewer developments will get approval because of it. The spin-off is that existing properties on wine estates will increase in value.'

Benguela Cove Wine Estate just outside Hermanus is an example of such exclusivity. It is located on the Botrivier Lagoon, which is part of the extended Renosterveld Nature Reserve.

According to Flora Drummond, the director of the estate, only 6% of the land will have homes built on it. It's a double edged sword, because the main incentive for wine farms to develop land for homes is to create income for the running of the farm.

Tara explains, 'Many wine farmers are finding the current environment difficult to operate in, and being able to develop a few houses on their farm is often the only way that they can maintain the agricultural operation.'

That's why many wine estates also offer other activities, such as golf or polo. Steenberg Estate in the Constantia Valley is a wine and golf estate and, says Jacques Marais of Steenberg Property Sales, this is one of the things that set this established estate apart.

'Steenberg offers all the advantages of living on a wine estate as well as having a golf course facility and being located within the Cape Metropole. Val De Vie, just outside Paarl, has a polo club and fields, and stables for the horses of residents and non-residents.'

The question then is what of the first edge of the sword, the environmental impact of these kind of estates? Both Steenberg and Val De Vie have noteworthy eco-credentials. Jacques says Steenberg Estate has many measures in place, from recycling facilities and the greens' being watered with grey water to indigenous gardens and battery-operated vehicles.

Val De Vie also takes an impressive green stance towards its operations.Prior to the establishment of the estate, part of the land was a clay quarry with rich soil, most of which was mined out and the rest relocated to the vineyards.

When the development of the estate began, most of the land was sterile, and the Berg Valley, which is surrounded by the Cape Floral Kingdom, a World Heritage Site, was littered with alien plants and in a bad state after the clay mining.

The developers put in place a biodiversity initiative to preserve the local flora and fauna, and extensive water saving and water recycling strategies especially for keeping the polo fields green. There are also glass and paper recycling plants on the estate, and the pesticides used contain the minimum of harmful ingredients.

'We produce 80 000 to 100 000 bottles of wine a year,' says Ryk.Our polo facility and property development initiative are all run as separate entities. We developed all the promised amenities, such as the clubhouse, restaurant, gym, tarred roads, wine cellar, polo fields and dams at the beginning, and that, coupled with Val de Vie's being a primary residence estate, helped us in times when other estates really struggled.' There is more building activity going on at Val De Vie than at any other residential estate in the country, and 48 new homes are in the pipeline, he adds.

The only thing to whine about, then, is that soon this dreamy lifestyle will be exactly that – a dream for those who don't wake up now. If you're in the market, then you should give serious consideration to living on a wine estate. Go on, fill your glass.

With thanks to ...

Acquire Africa, +27 (0)78 211 5923, acquireafrica.com

Benguela Cove Lagoon Wine Estate, +27 (0)21 671 5417, benguelacove.co.za

Croydon Vineyard Estate, +27 (0)21 701 3227, croydon-estate.co.za

Devonvale Golf & Wine Estate, +27 (0)21 865 2199, devonvale.co.za

Diemersfontein Wine & Country Estate, +27 (0)21 864 5050, diemersfontein.co.za

Steenberg Estate, +27 (0)21 713 2244, steenbergproperty.com

Val De Vie Wine & Polo Estate, +27 (0)21 863 6100, valdevie.co.za

Words: Genevieve Fisher