Signal Gun Wines

Signal Gun Wines: Wilde Vy Bistro, Die Stal and Hooggelegen wines

Signal Gun Wines is based on historic Hooggelegen Farm, Hooggelegen Road, Durbanville—a De Wit family property for over six generations and one of the older family-owned wine farms in the valley. The visitor experience today is led by Wilde Vy Bistro dining under a wild fig tree, wine and craft-beer sales, and Die Stal as the tasting venue referenced for MCC Friday specials. Official site: signalgun.com. Address: Hooggelegen Road, Durbanville, 7550.

Plan this stop as a food-and-wine destination first. A standard priced tasting flight is not published on fetchable official HTML as of research date; guests who want a formal education-style flight should phone reception before assuming walk-in tasting menus like neighbouring Diemersdal or Nitida.

Why “Signal Gun” and the Hooggelegen terroir

Official About page: the VOC installed more than fifty cannons on hills around the Cape as a signal-gun chain calling the Burgher Militia—from Signal Hill via Durbanville toward inland outposts. Hooggelegen still holds the original Signal Gun and fires working cannons on joyous occasions—heritage colour that matches the brand name without turning the visit into a museum tour.

Farm scale (official): about 220 hectares, of which 95 hectares under vine. Most vineyards face east for late-morning and midday sun with cooler late afternoons; Atlantic summer breezes slow ripening; the Cape Doctor south-easter reduces disease pressure. The single-vineyard Sauvignon Blanc block for Sea Smoke Sauvignon Blanc sits at 455 m—described as the highest vineyard in the Durbanville Wine Valley—on rocky, loam-rich soil with high water retention and cooling properties.

In 2010, M.J. de Wit and Estani took over management from parents Ryk and Elmi with a plan to open the farm as a family-friendly food-and-wine destination. The Signal Gun wine brand, restaurant, tasting room, and Hoogeberg craft beer range followed. Tertiary directories note MJ began Signal Gun wines as a hobby around 2006; confirm current winemaking credits (directories have listed MJ de Wit and Riaan Oosthuizen) when buying cellar exclusives.

Wines and Hoogeberg beer (sales focus)

Homepage range includes:

• B.Loved MCC — light, pear and peach notes
• Sea Smoke Sauvignon Blanc — green fig, pear, asparagus, mineral finish
• Gun Smoke Merlot — multi-layered food wine
• Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Blanc de Noir, Pinotage, Rosé

Hoogeberg beers: Ystervark, Lager, Hefe Weiss. Online shop pricing appears on the wines pages. Production is boutique relative to vineyard size—Wined directory copy historically cited roughly 6,500 cases from a portion of the harvest. Buy bottles to drink with Wilde Vy dishes or to take home after lunch.

Wilde Vy Bistro (verified dining)

Wilde Vy Bistro at Signal Gun / Hooggelegen serves small plates, grill, vegetarian and desserts around the fig tree; late breakfast Sat–Sun; Chef’s Sunday Roast; kiddies menu. Chef Jürgen Snyman leads the kitchen (wildevybistro.com biography). Not pet-friendly—stated clearly on the bistro site.

Sample breakfast prices on the Signal Gun Wilde Vy page: Signal Gun Breakfast R85; Hash Brown Breakfast R79; Klein Kanon Stack R49; French Toast R59; Poached Egg R79; Health Crunch R59 (breakfast served 09:00–11:00 on that menu block).

Published specials on the official Wilde Vy page:

Hours (official contact + wildevybistro.com):

• Tue–Fri: 12:00–21:00 lunch & dinner
• Sat: 10:00–21:00 late breakfast, lunch & dinner
• Sun: 10:00–17:00 late breakfast & lunch

Book: +27 21 976 0770 / reception@signalgun.com; reservations@wildevybistro.com / +27 64 643 9766. Contact page notes email replies may take up to 24 hours—call for reservations.

Die Stal tasting venue — verify carefully

Official About narrative: after the restaurant opened, a tasting room and Hoogeberg beer range followed. MCC Friday pairings are explicitly “Only Available at Die Stal.” The official site invites guests to enjoy Signal Gun wines with meals but does not publish a standard tasting fee, named flight list, or Die Stal timetable in fetchable HTML.

Tertiary Wined directory lists Die Stal hours Tue–Sat 09:00–17:00, Sun 10:00–16:00, closed public/religious holidays—and still mentions older restaurant name Ke-Monate alongside Die Stal (outdated versus current Wilde Vy branding). Treat Wined hours and naming as unverified vs official and phone +27 21 976 0770 before a tasting-only visit. Older third-party notes of temporary tasting suspension were not confirmed on signalgun.com; do not assume either suspension or a free flight without asking reception.

Practical approach: book Wilde Vy for lunch or a Thursday Pizza & Wine / Wednesday Meat Me / Friday MCC at Die Stal; buy Sea Smoke or Gun Smoke from the shop; ask reception on arrival whether a current tasting flight is offered that day. GPS on Wined: 33°49'13.26"S 18°36'40.32"E (used in portal metadata).

Opening hours summary

• Wilde Vy Bistro: Tue–Fri 12:00–21:00; Sat 10:00–21:00; Sun 10:00–17:00 (official)
• Die Stal tasting: not confirmed on official HTML—Wined Tue–Sat 09:00–17:00 / Sun 10:00–16:00; confirm by phone
• Contact notes child/family friendly, wheelchair friendly, Wi-Fi

Practical Durbanville tip

Do not list Signal Gun as a guaranteed walk-in tasting farm in the same breath as Diemersdal or Nitida. Sell it as Hooggelegen dining with estate wines and beer, with Die Stal MCC Fridays as the clearest published “tasting” product. Combine with a farm that publishes flight prices if your group’s priority is education-style pours; come to Signal Gun when the fig-tree bistro and a Sea Smoke bottle are the goal. Monday is typically closed for the bistro (Tue–Sun schedule).

FAQ

Is there a priced wine tasting? No standard flight fee on the official site—phone reception; MCC Friday pairing at Die Stal is the priced pairing on the Wilde Vy page (R90 / R170).

Pets? Wilde Vy is not pet-friendly.

Contact: reception@signalgun.com · +27 21 976 0770 · https://signalgun.com/