Paarl takes its name from the granite domes that catch the light after rain, glinting like pearls above the valley. It sits inland from Stellenbosch, hotter and drier, with Mediterranean summers that regularly push past 35C. The weathered granite soils are low in nutrients, so vines dig deep and yields stay modest. This is red wine country, sometimes called the Red Route, and it turns out ripe, generous, full-bodied reds that lean naturally toward the Rhone in style.