Though Stellenbosch and Franschhoek are by far the most famous there are a lot of wine producing areas around Cape Town. We only made it to two, Franschhoek and Constantia. This post will focus on Constantia.
One of the reasons Cape Town was our favorite destination on The Trip is because we did a lot. Even a slow day included the beach and a playground. But one of the reasons we did so much is, about halfway in, we decided to get the Cape Town City Pass. Me being me, when it comes to things like this, I was all about maximizing. Which is why we did our wine tours through Hop On, Hop Off.
This worked for us because we chose not to rent a car. In part because we didn’t want to carry a car seat throughout our trip. Not that such things seemed to matter much in South Africa. Even if we’d had one, we wouldn’t have wanted to use it for wine tasting. However, most of our Uber drivers also hired out their services for full day excursions. So that’s definitely an option. Especially if you have a specific region, route, or winery in mind.
The tour bus has many stops throughout the city with the one nearest us being about two blocks away. The bus is reasonably comfortable and equipped with wifi. The guide is more there for the rules and to remind everyone that if they miss the last bus they are sol. There is a running commentary you can plug into if you are truly interested in the history of the area.
For our first wine tour we took the purple line through Constantia. We got there for the first pick up and stayed until the last which allowed us to spend time in all three wineries on the tour. Even so, we wish we’d been able to stay longer at each. Constantia is quite close to Cape Town, about twenty minutes up the mountain. This would be a good one to hook up with an Uber driver.
We started our morning at Groot Constantia, the oldest of the wineries and the only one of the three in Cape Dutch style. There are several versions of the Cape Town City Pass. We had the multiday pass with included some of the Visitors Route. This covered entrance into the Cape Dutch Manor House and tour but did not include the wine tasting. Our guide here was quite knowledgeable and by far the most entertaining we encountered. We did not eat here, though the food looked delicious. If I had to do it again, I’d choose this one for lunch time.
For the wine tasting we picked five different wines from an extensive list. We shared a tasting at each winery, which is a good thing as the pours are generous. Five glasses add up to about half a bottle. Plus the fact that South African wins tend to have a higher alcohol content by the end of the day our cheeks were rosy. We had a rose, a sauvignon blanc, a pinotage, a cab sav, and one more I do not remember.
Groot Constantia is a stunning spread. Between each glass we would feed the ducks with LB. I used to be ABC, all but chardonnay, when it comes to wine. But I have since learned that it is the bold, oaky, California style of chardonnay that I find so off putting. French chardonnay can be lovely. The chardonnay here is award winning and I very much wanted a taste, as recommended by our guide. Unfortunately, the bottles are in short supply.
Next, we went to Eagle’s Nest. At this point I lost all track of what wines we were tasting. Our young server was on the fifth day of the job and seemed to be enjoying himself. It is here that we ate, enjoying a platter of spreads, cheese, bread, fruit, and meats. Even LB ate her fill. From what we could observe it looked like there was a nice pathway through the woods. Sadly, we didn’t have enough time for a short hike and an additional winery.
Our third winery, Beau Constantia, was my husband’s favorite. We were sat out on the deck and enjoyed spectacular views of the vines as well as of the Stellenbosch and Helderberg Mountain ranges. Probably one of the best bathroom views in the world. Our server was knowledgeable about the wine and indulgent with LB. Though we did not eat, here again the food looked amazing. If we ever make it back to Cape Town we will absolutely be looking this place up again.
Constantia is the oldest wine making region in the country, established in the late seventeenth century. The tasting route is fairly short and includes historic to new age wineries. Surprisingly, LB enjoyed herself as well. Affluent and lush, if you are based in Cape Town the wineries of Constantia Valley are definitely worth the short drive.