Only 20 minutes from the bustling city, the oasis of Constantia hosts 9 different wineries.
On our second day in Cape Town after a morning of working up a sweat on Lion's Head and a dip in the pool, we decided to take a short drive inland from our hotel in Camp's Bay to check out some of the Constantia wineries.
All we'd heard about so far on our trip from fellow travelers was how incredible the Stellenbosch wine region was, but nothing had really been said about Constantia. Stellenbosch is over an hour drive from Cape Town and is the leading wine area of South Africa with over 20 wineries. Constantia is much smaller and is nestled in the suburbs of Cape Town. Since the GPS estimated Constantia as a 20 minute drive and we wanted to do something relaxing, this seemed like the logical choice for the afternoon.
As we drove inland away from the coast and dropped into the valley, we were amazingly transported into a completely different setting. More reminiscent of the vineyards of Malibu than Napa, the beautiful and dramatic hills covered in vines and stretched as far as the eye could see.
We chose Constantia Glen as the first winery to visit. We elected to do a tasting and were seated outdoors in a gorgeous patio with vines all around us. The wine tasting menu had a choice of five different tasting options - I went for the Constantia Glen Flagship Tasting which had one white and three red wines while Drew went for the Red Wine Tasting which had five red wines. The tastings ranged from 40 Rand to 75 Rand ($2 to $5 USD). Oh how I miss South African prices!
Our next stop, and unfortunately final vineyard of the day was Beau Constantia which was just a short few minutes down the road from Constantia Glen. As the afternoon was coming to a close, we snuck in a quick tasting before closing time and got to stretch out on the grass overlooking the vines. There was one tasting choice and it came with four wines for 55 Rand - one white and three reds.
Beau Constantia had two features that made it a standout. First - all over the property were quirky signs that made us laugh - check these out in the photos below. The second feature was the restroom! Both restrooms had a one way glass window that looked out onto the vineyards - with the toilet facing straight out! Best view from a toilet that I'll ever have.
Know Before You Go
We didn't get to dine in Constantia, but there are many well renowned restaurants at each vineyard and surrounding town. Reservations recommended.
If you love wine and want to spend more time in Constantia, consider basing yourself here during your time in Cape Town as it's only 20 minutes from the city center.
Resources
Location
Both wineries in this post are in the Cape Town suburb of Constantia. Both can be found along Constantia Main Road.
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