Wine Tasting @ Groot Constantia | South Africa

As we planned our trip to Johannesburg last October, we decided that it was a must that we try to spend at least 48 hours in Cape Town, which we were thankfully able to achieve.

Mission Accomplished. Here are we in C T with the breathtaking views, the amazing landscape with of course the 7th world wonder also known as Table Mountain, you name it, Cape Town has it all.

Since it’s no secret that I (yours truly) am a wine lover, with a preference for white wine to be specific; it was hard not to get excited about the prospect of a wine tour (which of course includes Wine Tasting) in Cape Town.

That being decided and our time being very limited, we didn’t randomly choose any wine estate in South Africa, but the oldest: Groot Constantia.

Located 20 minutes away from the City, Groot Constantia dates back to 1685.

Can you believe it? They have been producing wine for over 300 years!!!

Our visit was both educational and entertaining especially since we went there with the City Sightseeing bus (purple route) which I definitely recommend as a must-do activity for tourists.

The wine tour bus takes you past two other wine estates which are Beau Constantia and Eagle’s Nest with the possibility of also hoping off at these destinations.

What should you expect?

Although the tour itself does not take very long, I do recommend that you plan on spending at least one complete morning or afternoon there (it’s really up to you).

All smiles, we headed into the wine tasting room, noticing the white brick walls and paintings in the hallway.  Rather quickly, we savored the 5 different wines we were entitled to :).

Red for her & White for me.

The following were poured into our different glasses: Shiraz 2013; Constantia Rood 2013; Pinotage 2013; Cape Ruby 2013 & Merlot 2013 (the Red ones) & Blanc de Noir 2015; Sauvignon Blanc 2014 & Chardonnay 2014 (the White ones).

I stopped at my 3rd glass of white. My personal favorite surprisingly was the Cape Ruby 2013, a red wine – hence the surprise (which I had to try after my partner in crime simply said: “foodie, you will love this one.”)

The Cape Ruby 2013 is a dessert wine; a dark ruby colored port that shows complex aromas of raisins, plums, blackcurrant, raspberries and chocolate.  It has a rich yet sweet flavor any lover of sweet wines (red or white) will enjoy.

All set, we rushed back to the bus stop with our bottles of Pinotage for our special ones at home.

Although we did not want to miss the bus (or our flight for that matter), the stunning scenery made us slow our pace and eventually stop.

We smiled and thought to ourselves “What an amazing adventure this trip has been”; we were grateful, extremely grateful.

THE END.

[Useful Information]

Groot ConstantiaThe Website

– Daily tastings of five different quality wines : R45.00 per person | estimated at $3.00 or 1800 F CFA

– A cellar tour with wine tasting experience: R60 per person | estimated at $4.00 or 2400 F CFA

– Chocolate and wine pairing : R80 per person | estimated at $5.35 or 3200 F CFA

The City Sightseeing busThe Website

– The purple route takes you past two other wine estates which are Beau Constantia and Eagle’s Nest with the possibility of also hoping off at these destinations.

– 1 day ticket : R180 per person | estimated at $12.00 or 7200 F CFA

– 2 day ticket: R280 per person  | estimated at $19.00 or 12000 F CFA

Our recommendation: You should make time to explore Groot Constantia and why not spend the day or at least one complete morning and end your visit with a delicious lunch at one of the restaurant.

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