South Africa 's Wine Magazine annual reader poll reaffirms the position of Stellenbosch's wineries and wines as leaders in the local wine industry, reports www.wine.co.za .

The readers' poll, which attracted audience of over 600 responses this year, posed various wine-related questions on estates, wines and wine styles, says the Wines of South Africa (WOSA) website. Out of the five wineries adjudged to be the best in the country, four are in Stellenbosch. They are Vergelegen, Thelema, Rustenberg and Kanonkop, with Vergelegen topping the list with 34% of the votes.

Asked what is deemed as being South Africa 's best emerging winery, three Stellenbosch venues were named in the top five: Ernie Els Wines, De Toren and Tokara, the former leading the number of votes. Does South Africa have an icon wine? The Wine Magazine poll sends out an unequivocal message: It does. Three wines led the field, headed by Stellenbosch products, Meerlust Rubicon and Kanonkop Paul Sauer.

And last but not least, polled on what was reckoned to be South Africans favourite local wine region, 47% of all respondents chose Stellenbosch.

According to Nina le Roux, CEO, Stellenbosch American Express® Wine Routes, the area's popularity is due to its diversity as a tourist destination and as a wine-producing region. "From a tourism point of view, the excellent reputation of our wines ensures that tourist offerings - especially in terms of service - are pitched so as to reflect the quality of the product," says Le Roux. "The two cannot be split: quality of wine and quality of the tourism experience go hand-in-hand."

Le Roux says Stellenbosch is fortunate to have access to some of the best winemakers, viticulturists and hospitality industry experts in South Africa . "Stellenbosch producers market themselves well collectively and have been successful in ensuring that the area is perceived as the premium wine growing region," she says.