Amares Wines

A tiny Idas Valley cellar on Hymettus Farm

Amares Wines is a micro Stellenbosch story rooted on Hymettus Farm, Rustenburg Road, Idas Valley, in the Greater Simonsberg ward. Public directories describe a five-hectare pocket surrounded by Rustenberg vineyards — a 1920s ceding to honey expert Hugh Cooper, who named the farm after Mount Hymettus near Athens, famous for legendary honey. The slope looks toward the Simonsberg, whose sunset colour the old marketing copy likened to “red nectar.”

This page exists because Amares appears on Greater Simonsberg farm lists — but online information is thin, partly stale, and does not support a confident walk-in tasting plan in 2026. Do not confuse Amares Wines (Stellenbosch) with Terras de Amares or other Portuguese producers that share a similar place-name.

What we can say about the wines

Directory and cellar-tracker records point to a small artisanal red programme, historically associated with winemaker Neville Koudstaal. Varieties repeatedly listed:

• Cabernet Sauvignon (Simonsberg-Stellenbosch vintages appear on CellarTracker from the late 2000s into around 2010)
• Syrah / Shiraz (vintages similarly clustered in the late 2000s–2010 era; some community scores recorded)
• Chardonnay also appears in CellarTracker searches for later years (e.g. 2012, 2014)

Taglines in local business listings called the wines “fine artisanal wines made with love.” There is no richly documented current range, technical PDF library, or active e-commerce storefront confirmed during research for this update. Treat bottle finds as allocation- and vintage-scarce rather than as evidence of a busy visitor centre.

Contact and hours — treat as unverified

Older listings (including wined.co.za, last updated 16 May 2016) published:

• Telephone: +27 21 887 9414
• Cell: +27 82 820 8597 (alternate mobiles appear on some business directories)
• Email: info@amares.co.za
• Website: http://www.amares.co.za
• Postal: PO Box 7253, Stellenbosch, 7599
• GPS: 33°54'30.30"S 18°53'27.21"E
• Trading hours claim: Monday–Sunday 09:00–17:00; public/religious holidays closed

The same wined page shows “No activities” and “More info to follow” under cellar tour, wine sales and wine tasting — a strong signal that even when the listing was current, visitor products were not fully specified. Local business indexes have since noted that amares.co.za is unavailable. Fetches of the domain during research failed to return a working public site.

Conclusion for travellers: there is no confirmed public cellar-door tasting as of 2026-09-07. Phone numbers and hours above are archival leads only; do not drive to Idas Valley expecting an open tasting room without a successful, recent reply from the owners.

Greater Simonsberg context

Idas Valley and the Rustenberg Road corridor sit in classic Simonsberg-Stellenbosch country — deep red-wine reputation, mountain backdrop, and neighbours that do run established hospitality. If your day is built around Greater Simonsberg Cabernet and Syrah, schedule verified open estates (Rustenberg and other active Simonsberg cellars) and treat Amares as a curiosity / collector footnote unless the owners confirm a private appointment.

The honey-farm origin story remains one of the charming micro-histories of Stellenbosch: a five-hectare gift to a beekeeper, named for a Greek mountain, later carrying a boutique wine label in the shadow of a famous neighbour. That narrative is worth preserving even when the visitor offer is dormant or private-only.

How to approach Amares honestly

• Search CellarTracker or specialist retailers if you specifically collect Amares Cabernet or Syrah
• Email or phone only if you accept that channels may be obsolete
• Do not list Amares on a public wine-route itinerary as a guaranteed stop
• Prefer neighbouring Greater Simonsberg farms with live websites and booking tools for tastings and lunch
• Distinguish clearly from Portuguese “Amares” wine tourism offers when searching online

Visit tips

• Historic address: Hymettus Farm, Rustenburg Road, Idas Valley, Stellenbosch
• Historic GPS: 33°54'30.30"S 18°53'27.21"E
• Status: No verified public tasting / cellar door (2026-09-07)
• Domain: amares.co.za reported unavailable
• Winemaker (historical listings): Neville Koudstaal
• Pair verified Simonsberg estates for an actual tasting day
• Keep expectations at “micro private label,” not “wine estate campus”
• Ideal portal role: honest thin-listing page, not invented hospitality

FAQ

Can I taste at Amares Wines?

Not confirmed. No reliable public tasting offer or working website was verified as of September 2026.

Where is Hymettus Farm?

Rustenburg Road, Idas Valley, Greater Simonsberg, Stellenbosch — a small holding historically surrounded by Rustenberg.

What did they make?

Primarily Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah/Shiraz, with some Chardonnay appearing in collector databases.

Is this the Portuguese winery?

No. This entry is the Stellenbosch Amares Wines on Hymettus Farm, not Terras de Amares or other Iberian producers.

Why thin listings still matter on a wine portal

Greater Simonsberg is dense with famous names; micro-farms like Amares are easy to drop. Keeping an honest page prevents two failures: (1) travellers chasing a dead website after seeing the name on an old map, and (2) search results that invent hospitality the farm never reliably offered. Better to say “five hectares, honey-farm origin, Cabernet and Syrah in collector databases, no verified tasting” than to fabricate picnic lawns or award walls.

If the owners ever reopen a bookable cellar door, this entry can be updated with hours, fees and a live URL. Until then, neighbouring Simonsberg estates carry the visitor load, and Amares remains a footnote for people who care about Idas Valley’s small-parcel history.