Cape Town’s Big Six: The Constantia Valley (4/6)
As a city, Cape Town’s known for its “Big Six” attractions – meet them all through SA Logue’s Cape Town Big Six tag!
The Constantia Valley
Far from being a second-choice desitnation for wine lovers who visit Cape Town, the Constantia Valley is just about the perfect starting point for getting a taste of African terroir. It’s close to the Cape Town CBD – ideal for those on a limited visit here – and, more to the point, features some of the region’s top wines.
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A typical visit to the valley involves a stop at a few of its wine estates for tastings – but there are also many places to stay and eat, and the area has a calendar loaded with events.
The valley’s wine route comprises five estates, each with their own particular attractions: Buitenverwachting, Constantia Uitsig, Groot Constantia, Klein Constantia and Steenberg.
Of these, Groot Constantia is the best place to go for a dose of history with your wine (it has a splendid, open Cape Dutch manor house museum), Constantia Uitsig the best place for an elegant dining experience (there are three highly-rated restaurants on the estate: the River Cafe, La Colombe, and a third with the estate’s name), Steenberg is best for golf (the estate is right next door to the Steenberg Golf Club), and head to Buitenverwachting and Klein Constantia for the best wine tasting in the valley.
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It’s easy to guess which of the five estates I normally head off to – those with the best wine tasting! I love the warmth and beauty of the Buitenverwachting and Klein Constantia estates, along with the intimacy of their wine tasting set-ups. The actual tippling, meanwhile, is a treat beyond words. Both estates craft elegant, challenging wines: the Buitenverwachting merlot is a special treat, while the Klein Constantia Sauvignon Blanc and its Vin de Constance are in a class all their own. (The Vin de Constance, a revelatory sweet wine, has been memorialized, in centuries past, by the likes of Jane Austen and Baudelaire.)
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Constantia Valley Links:
- Constantia Valley Homepage
- Constantia Valley Maps
- Cape Town Big Six (official site)
Stay in Constantia: