The Nuy Valley is one of the Western Cape’s lesser known wine-producing areas, which most people speed past on Route 60 between Worcester and Robertson. The annual Nuy Valley Feast, held in May, has brought some attention to Nuy’s wine and olive farms, with a tractor shuttling quaffers between venues. Now, the Nuy Winery’s stunning new tasting room and restaurant, an airy wood and stone structure on a rise alongside Route 60, is set to draw more people down the valley.

Opened in December, the contemporary building is a wonderful surprise in this rustic area, with its open-plan, high-ceilinged interior and stoep overlooking the vineyards. Choose between a dining table and a sofa on the veranda with views of the Langeberg range, or hit the deli and picnic on the lawn while the kids enjoy the jungle gym. Nuy Winery has created both an impressive showcase for its wines and an appealing oasis on Route 60; cyclists are also catered for, with a new mountain bike route and a washing station.

Nuy on the hill’s menu offers casual bistro food, including a long list of tapas dishes and platters, from Bobotie spring rolls and Boerewors kebabs to tempura prawns and chicken liver pate. There is a focus on local ingredients and South African flavours throughout the menu, which features a good selection of burgers, breakfasts, steaks and wood-fired pizzas. Dishes such as the Roosterkoek burger, featuring traditional grilled bread, the biltong pizza and the breakfast jaffle, a pie-iron sandwich, offer creative tastes of the rainbow nation. Banting dieters have a choice of dishes such as pizza with a cauliflower and parmesan base, and speciality dishes include beef Espetada with sweet peppers. Road trippers heading for Route 62 can refuel on organic coffee and decadent cheesecakes.

While at Nuy on the hill, do stop for a tasting. Nuy Winery launched a new range in conjunction with the restaurant, featuring a new label combining Worcester and Robertson’s coats of arms with a depiction of the restaurant. Its Inspiration, Mastery and flagship Legacy ranges include all the popular reds and whites (cabernet sauvignon, shiraz, pinotage, sauvingnon blanc, chardonnay, chenin blanc and so on) as well as bubblies and a pot-still brandy. You can also taste four craft beers made locally by the Mountain Brewing Co.