A spot of wine tasting

After lunch, we began the tourist route with a guided walk through the production and maturation facility. Our guide was very knowledgeable and appreciated that we were asking intelligent questions as we were going round. It was just Mark and I and a couple from Massachusetts. The guide said she normally gets through the tour in about 30 minutes because most people just want to taste the wine! Our tour lasted close to an hour!

Founded in 1685 by Simon van der Stel, Governor of the Cape of Good Hope, Groot Constantia is the oldest vineyard in South Africa. Van der Stel built the manor house on the estate. It later burnt down, but it has been fully restored, so the house you see when you visit today is pretty much as he designed it. He imported vines from Europe and started producing wine. After his death in 1712, the estate was broken up and sold in three parts – Groot Constantia, Klein Constantia, and Bergvliet. All three remain successful wine producers today.

In 1779, Groot Constantia was sold to the Cloete family who owned it for the next century. They extended and improved the vineyards and added a cellar. Under their tenure, Groot Constantia wines gained an international reputation for quality. Their customers included French royalty, Charles Dickens, and Jane Austen. Their Constantia dessert wine was considered to be the best in the world.

In 1993, the estate passed into the ownership of the Groot Constantia Trust. They continue to produce high-quality wines, particularly reds. Their flagship pinotage wins international awards every year, as do their Gouverneur’s Reserve blended red and white. In 2003, they began production of a Constantia dessert wine, called Grand Constance, for the first time since the 1880s.

At the tasting after the tour, our guide invited us to taste the reserves and the dessert wine, as well as five varietals that were included in the price of our ticket. All of them were exceptionally good. It was a real treat! We didn’t buy any as they were all a bit out of our price range, but we were given the tasting glasses to take away with us. The whole visit cost us less than £5 each – fantastic value for a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon.Read more