“The most patriotic thing you can do as a South African is drink Groot Constantia wine!” says Winemaker for Groot Constantia, Boela Gerber. Considering this is the oldest wine estate in South Africa, he’s probably right.
The story of Groot Constantia
Groot Constantia has been in existence for 328 years with wine being produced on the estate since 1685 when Commander Simon van der Stel of the Dutch East India Company (VOC) was granted the land on which the estate stands. Over the years the wine produced on the estate caught the attention of influential people across the world, including aristocracy. The British Royal Family and Frederic the Great of Prussia have appreciated the fine quality of the wine and it is recorded that one year King Louis Philipe of France ordered the entire vintage of Groot Constantia. Napoleon was also a fan of the estate’s cultivars and apparently requested a glass of Groot Constantia wine on his deathbed in exile in St Helena.
Today, this historical wine estate sells an average of 400 000 bottles of wine a year, and is also a National Monument and a living museum.
Treasure hunters and archaeologists find Groot Constantia bottles
Groot Constantia bottles, bottle shards and bottle seals dating from as far back as 1774 have been found in far corners of the world in some unusual circumstances.
One bottle was found at the bottom of the ocean in the archipelago outside Stockholm in the late 1940’s by a diver; three bottles were discovered in the cellar of a castle near Belgium that date to the period 1760 – 1840; a bottle piece featuring the Constantia bottle seal was discovered on a beach in the Delaware Bay and identified by historians to be part of the cargo of the Severn – a ship that was stranded there in 1774. Another find was a very crude example of the Constantia wine seal – evidently far older than all the other examples – which was unearthed in an excavation in Meiningen in Germany.
Details of these finds can be found in the museum and tasting room at Groot Constantia.
Boela Gerber and the new tasting room at Groot Constantia.
Wine tasting and cellar tours at Groot Constantia
The original wine tasting room at Groot Constantia was big enough for 20 people to comfortably enjoy a tasting of the estate’s finest cultivars. But with the City Sightseeing Bus now bringing over seven thousand tourists to the wine estate each month alone, things had to change! So the wine tasting room has been recently revamped to accommodate the growing numbers of wine tasters from home and abroad.
Take a cellar tour and learn more about how they do things at Groot Constantia the old-fashioned way with attention to detail, exacting standards, pure ingredients that are harvested by hand and packaged in bottles labelled with the historical label. Then relax in the new modern and fresh tasting room while sipping on award-winning wines. At the recent Top 100 SA Wines 2013 awards held in April, four of Groot Constantia’s wines achieved Top 100 status. These wines are the Chardonnay 2012, Grand Constance 2010, Shiraz 2010 and Gouverneurs reserve Red 2010.
While you are there, take note of the new label on the Gouverneurs Reserve range of wines. The estate decided to resurrect and re-use an original, historic wine label which prominently features a sketch of the Manor House at the top.
The tasting room is open seven days a week from 09h00 to 18h00 (closed only on Good Friday and Christmas Day) with cellar tours and tastings on the hour. Wine can be purchased from their wine shop, along with paintings by local artists and gifts. Tel 021-794-5128, email [email protected], www.grootconstantia.co.za.
Groot Constantia has fine wine and an interesting history.
Dine at Groot Constantia
Where there is good wine, there is often good food to match and the estate boasts two top-notch restaurants, Jonkershuis and Simon’s.
Jonkershuis is surrounded by ancient oak trees and boasts panoramic views of the peninsula and Constantia Valley. Sit by the fireplace in winter or in the courtyard under the vines in summer while enjoying traditional Cape Malay cuisine and other contemporary favourites. Tel 021-794-6255, email [email protected], www.jonkershuisconstantia.co.za.
Simon’s at Groot Constantia has their own garden where they pick herbs for their dishes and change their menu to make the most of the Cape season. Every meal is prepared using ingredients from producers in Constantia Valley and the Cape Winelands. Dine al fresco on their terrace in summer or join them indoors by the fireplace in winter. Tel 021-794-1143, email [email protected], www.simons.co.za.
Catch the Red Bus to Groot Constantia
Over seven thousand tourists can’t be wrong! Take a Blue Mini Peninsula Tour with the red CitySightseeing Bus and get a free Constantia Valley Wine Tour. The Blue Mini Peninsula Tour takes you to 14 different stops including the V&A Waterfont, Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, World of Birds and Marina’s Wharf in Hout Bay. The Wine Tour Bus includes three wine stops – Groot Constantia, Beau Constantia and Eagle’s Nest. A one-day hop-on-hop-off ticket on the CitySightseeing Bus costs R150 (wine tastings, meals and museum entrances are for your own account).
Tip: Pay R250 for a two-day ticket and go on the Red City Tour (includes Table Mountain, Camps Bay, Two Oceans Aquarium and District Six Museum), Blue Mini Peninsula Tour, Constantia Valley Wine Tour, a Night Tour to Signal Hill and a Canal Cruise.
Contact the CitySightseeing Bus on tel 021-511-6000 or visit their website at www.citysightseeing.co.za.
Whether you pay a visit to Groot Constantia for wine tasting or a meal, or to spend time in the museum or simply relax under the oak trees, you can bask in the knowledge that you are part of South African history and are drinking wine fit for nobility.
Go on a cellar tour, take a stroll and eat at one of the restaurants.
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