Opened in 2018 in the centre of downtown Hermanus, the Wine Glass is the perfect space for enjoying wine with friends: huge, bright and airy, with exposed beams in the vaulted ceiling and large glass windows that open out onto the street when the weather is warm. The bar stretches the length of the restaurant and the walls are decorated with local art and wine bottles.

The Wine Glass offers a whole new approach to drinking wine for Hermanus visitors and residents alike. The restaurant carries more than 100 wines, all available to order by the glass. This is unusual enough, but even more unusual is the fact that every single wine on offer at the Wine Glass is locally produced in the Overberg.

This innovative model allows wine-lovers to sample all of the different wine farms and cultivars from this unique, cool-climate wine region without having to travel throughout the area. In another innovation the Wine Glass offers “horizontal wine tastings” in which customers can sample a flight of six different glasses of the same cultivar — Chardonnays, Pinot Noirs, Sauvignon Blancs, Chenins, etc. — from different farms, to figure out which ones they like the best. The Wine Glass also serves food, mostly small plates, prepared with locally sourced ingredients.

The Wine Glass hosts its own wine club, “Grape Expectations”, every Wednesday and Saturday evening. Each evening centres around a different Overberg wine farm and includes a talk by the winemaker on his or her story and philosophy. The Wednesday wine evening includes a two-course menu plus wine and dessert for R195, and the Saturday evening includes a three-course menu plus wine and dessert for R395. These events are extremely popular among both locals and tourists, and must be booked in advance.  

The Wine Glass is at 2 Harbour Road, Hermanus. Open Monday through Saturday from 8:00 a.m. until late and Sunday from 11:00 a.m. until 9:00 p.m. Call 082-082-0007 or email info@thewineglass.guru.