May the new year bring you peace, joy and happiness. Groot Constantia can provide you with everything else: fabulous views, mouth-watering food, and award-winning wine. What else could you ask for to celebrate 2022 in Cape Town?
Cheers to 2022 in Cape Town
Groot Constantia is South Africa’s oldest wine-producing farm and one of the must-see Cape Town Big 6 attractions. Take a stroll through the vineyards, and in addition to an exciting wine tasting, grab a bite to eat at one of the two restaurants.
How to get to Groot Constantia and buy tasting tickets?
Groot Constantia is where the past and present meet, in the beautiful city of Cape Town.
Groot Constantia is only a 25-minute drive from Cape Town’s city centre. Better still, for those who want to relax and savour the award-winning wines, you can catch the double-decker City Sightseeing bus. The open-topped bus will take you to Constantia Valley and Groot Constantia. Enjoy the beautiful scenic drive — and later the bus will return you to the city.
You can purchase tickets for the wine tasting on the farm at the Tasting Hall, Manor House, Production Cellar, and Cloete Cellar. However, if you prefer planning ahead, go online and purchase your tickets from Webtickets.
Step into late Dutch Renaissance architecture
Visiting the Manor House is an integral part of the Groot Constantia experience, it adds to your appreciation for the wine, and brings the rich history to life.
Make your way through the beautiful and decorative Groot Constantia Manor House. Groot Constantia Wine Estate was established in 1685 by Simon van der Stel. He named it Constantia, after the Latin word for ‘consistency.’ The manor was his home, designed in the late Dutch Renaissance style.
The tour of the Manor House transports you back in time, to see how so many who came before us lived.
Furthermore, you can experience the detailed exhibition of paintings, furniture, and various other rooms. The grand dining hall, bedrooms, and a kitchen, all bring the 18 and early 19th-century style to life.
Take your time to examine the many paintings and cabinets filled with fine-china and decorative items. The rooms are large and the furniture is minimal and spaced out.
When exiting the Manor House, you leave through a glass doors framing the distant Cloete Cellar. Take a moment to simply feel the sun on your face and the sounds of a wine farm.
Celebrate 2022 in Cape Town with a pairing of wine, chocolate and history
Enjoy an elegant chocolate and wine pairing at the Production Cellar. You can also sit outside, under the trees arched over the tasting tables, forming a canopy of leaves.
While waiting on your wine, soak up the Groot Constantia energy: peaceful, relaxing, and liberating. The tasting team work together, to provide a magical experience of the wine-making history of the farm.
Experience a wine pairing guided by Nombulelo, a knowledgeable wine connoisseur from Groot Constantia Estate. She advises guests to first sniff the wine, then sip it, and finish with a bite of the chocolate. This allows the rich tastes and textures from the wine to blend with the delicious chocolate bringing out the subtle flavours.
The tasting offers five wines, each paired with a unique chocolate created to complement the Groot Constantia varietal.
First is the sauvignon blanc paired with pear, biscotti and cinnamon white chocolate. The sauvignon blanc has beautiful layers of fruit, from guava and passion fruit to pear and melon.
In addition, there is an elegant chardonnay, a fruity pinotage, a peppery shiraz, a beautiful rosé, and a smooth Gouverneurs Reserve red. The chocolate which accompanied each was just as amazing, and the heavenly combination left your tastebuds singing.
After walking through the Manor House and enjoying the wine tasting in the Production Cellar, it feels like coming full circle. You truly get to immerse yourself in a land before your time. Tasting a wine that was made by someone who then came home, and cooked food on a fire, soaked in a deep bath, and slept in a luxurious four-poster bed.
Good to know
Groot Constantia is open daily from 09h00. The Cloete Cellar and Production Cellar are open from 10h00 – 17h00, with the last tour at 16h00 and the last tasting at 16h15. The tasting room at the entrance to Groot Constantia is open from 09h00 -18h00, with the last tasting at 17h15.
Cheers to 2022 in Cape Town!
Stepping into the new year can be scary, but Groot Constantia can help soothe those fears. Definitely celebrate with a toast to the future at Groot Constantia!
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ONE DESTINATION, SIX UNFORGETTABLE EXPERIENCES
There is no one way to explore all of the Cape Town Big 6, and much of what makes each of them so special is the variety of things to see and do at each. So if possible, take your time to explore each of the city’s most visited tourist attractions in as much depth as possible – as any local will tell you, you can spend a lifetime at each of the Big 6 and still not tire of them. Find the 3 and 4 day itineraries and tips here.