Title	The Winelands Explorer
Author	Ursula Stevens
EAN	978 0620310840
Publisher	Wanderlust
First Published	November 2003
2nd Impression	November 2008
Size of book	200mm x 138mm
Cover	Paperback, gloss, full colour on 230gsm
Text	224pp on 115gsm gloss
Illustrations	Black & white with colour insert section and wine route maps
Binding	PUR
Retail Price	South African Rand R125 + P&P

An illustrated guide to the Boland vineyards and towns of the Cape winelands, Stellenbosch, Franschhoek, Tulbagh, Paarl, Wellington and Somerset West, exploring their historical, cultural and economic growth.

Soon after the landing of the Dutch at the Cape in 1652, the boundaries of the young settlement expanded and new villages developed. Stellenbosch, Franschhoek, Paarl, Wellington, Tulbagh and Somerset West became the home of pioneering farmers, French Huguenot immigrants and entrepreneurial businessmen. The Winelands Explorer vividly describes their story, traces the development of Afrikaans, the growth of education at all levels, religious instruction, architecture, the development of the fruit and wine industry, the building of mountain passes, charming homes and magnificent manor houses.

The reader is taken to the farms, vineyards, cellars and towns of the winelands with the help of detailed maps and route descriptions.

Reviews

"Enticing guide to our Wines", Vivien Horler - Cape Argus 5 December 2003

It does wonderful things for the old ego when a chance remark results in a book. Well that's what Ursula Stevens kindly said when she sent me 'The Winelands Explorer'.

German-born Stevens takes people on walking tours of Cape Town, which led her to write 'Cape Town on Foot' (since translated into German). Then she produced 'The Cape of Good Hope,' a book designed to be used as your own personal guide as you drive yourself on the Cape Point Tour. That was such a terrific book, full of useful and anecdotal information that I said in a review that I thought she should write another, perhaps focusing on the Winelands. Well she was probably planning to anyway, but she's done it, and it's great.

The Winelands Explorer looks at Stellenbosch, of course, as well as Somerset West, Franschhoek, Paarl, Wellington and Tulbagh. It starts with some historical background and looks at the early whitewashed and gabled farm architecture which has given the Western Cape much of its distinction. There is also an article on the growth of the wine industry.

Then Stevens gets down to specifics with a detailed walking tour of central Stellenbosch, a guide to the estates of the area and a look at Somerset West and Vergelegen. Her description of Franschhoek includes a chapter on the production of deciduous fruit introduced after the Phylloxera bug devastated the vineyards. The chapter on Paarl, birthplace of Afrikaans, includes information on the development of the language as well as a look at the graceful Taal monument which has among its soaring pillars a rectangular stone monument to the Malay languages. Paarl's massive rocky domes are the 2nd largest granite outcrop in the world-rising to between 600 and 700 metres above sea level.

The Winelands Explorer, compact but surprisingly heavy because of the quality paper on which it is printed, boasts regional and town maps, colour pictures and elegant sketches of buildings featured. There is also a useful index featuring the addresses, telephone numbers and opening hours of wine estates, a bibliography and a decent index. This is a jolly useful book and a fine complement to the Cape of Good Hope volume. What next - The Garden Route or the West coast.

The Cape Odyssey Dec 2003

The scenic beauty of the winelands, matched by its great wines, attracts many thousands of visitors throughout the year. Visitors come to relax in the towns, villages, and on the farms where the haste of daily live is past by; where life seemingly stands still. The grandiose combination of mountains, valleys and rivers make the region uniquely attractive.

For connoisseurs of adventure, history and wine Ursula Stevens has released a new publication entitled the 'The Winelands Explorer'- a wonderful guide to the winelands of the Cape. The book is presented in a handy A5 soft cover format and focuses on the stories of the towns and farms. The reader will travel with folk who, long ago, ventured out to tame the land where today natural splendour, quaint thatched roofed homes, pleasing residences and magnificent estates sometimes stand side by side with drab buildings or impoverished communities.

The 225 page publication gives the background of numerous routes to the many farms, estates and cellars and covers the early history from the Khoi, the Settlers and Slaves. The book is more than adequately supported by sketches, photographs and maps. The book is available at all leading bookshops.

Veld & Flora March 2004, Dave Mc Donald - Deputy Director Botanical Society

Ursula Stevens has written a neat guide to the Cape winelands, 'The Winelands Explorer', published by Wanderlust. With 224 pages in slightly smaller than A5 format, this paperback contains a wealth of facts, mainly historical about the winelands area and the wine estates found there. It is not a guide to the fine wines of the Cape but a worthwhile companion on any excursion into the winelands where it offers a quick guide to the main towns of the Boland including Stellenbosch and Paarl, the estates and surrounding nature reserves.

"Delightful Cape Meanderings", Lesley Byram - Cape Times 8 April 2004

This is Ursula Stevens' fourth book on Cape Town and surrounds, covering Stellenbosch, Somerset West, Franschhoek, Paarl, Wellington and Tulbagh. With charming sketches by Renate Stitfall dotted throughout, this 224-page handbook not only provides maps to our most well known wine farms but also little bits of interesting historical information one inevitably wants when visiting the area

Wine Tourism News-Dec/January 2005

A handy and complementary companion to books such as the John Platter guide. The book focuses on the towns, farms and people of the winelands giving background history to the areas covered. It is available at most bookshops. The Winelands Explorer will definitely enrich your journey into the winelands.

Winescape issue 5 of 2005-LB

This book is a real labour of love, representing a huge amount of meticulous research, a keen eye for the history of the Cape and including a full index, bibliography and business index with contact details. The maps are clear and the pages enlivened with beautiful sketches and some photographs.

The serious tourist with a real interest in the background of what they see as they drive around-particularly strong on the reasons why events at the Cape shaped the way the land looks now. Useful for those tat want to know what the farm names mean and where they came from(some are easier to guess in advance than others). I would visualize this being read aloud to the driver in cars all over the winelands-and, although rather heavy-going for children, it is full of bits of information that would help to pass the traveling time for younger visitors to the Winelands who don't have such a vested interest in getting to wineries. I also visualize myself reading it at home, while sipping a glass of Rustenberg wine-maybe their Stellenbosch Chardonnay(while reading about Rustenberg on page 137 in this excellent little book).