Honey and ginger jam and goats cheese on homemade bread paired with Cape Point Vineyards Late Noble certainly opened windows for my taste buds at the start of a day of winetasting on Cape Town’s wine farms.
Cape Point Vineyard was the first stop on our Constantia route tasting. We were a group of 14 carted by two shuttles and just about fitted around the boardroom table in their tasting room. The tall ceilings, tapestries and ostentatious chandeliers are in sharp contrast to their simple, easy wines. I’m sure they have a few dramatic items in their range though. Right before the end of the tasting, they whipped out a Noble Late Harvest that changed my perspective on food and wine pairing entirely. Harry Reginald Haddon, our personal wine guru, describes it as a fusion of familiar flavours – with way more words of course.
The second stop was Klein Constantia. Swirl, smell and sip. Sarah exercised her emerging tasting talents, and upon smelling jasmine in their Riesling, along with co-sniffer Zarah, decided then and there to become wine makers. Klein Constantia’s seductive Cabernet Sauvignon was quite memorable too. Smokey on the nose, full on the palate, dry on the tongue but smooth as it makes its way to the back of your mouth.
Buitenverwachting was eventful. After a rather drunken sitting in their sunny tasting room, we found a picnic spot on the lawn outside. After some delicious picnic goodies (don’t forget to book one of Buitenverwachting’s picnic baskets in advance) and lots of Buitenverwachting Buiten Blanc and Chardonnay, we rolled off our picnic blankets and into the winemobile for the last tasting.
By the time we reached Steenberg Estate, the group blew in with boisterous chatter. I can’t say much about their wine because at this point I couldn’t stomach any more, but their décor was to drink to. Perspex grapes the size of my head hung from the ceiling. The tasting bar overlooked a spacious patio fashioned with black stone tiles and tall cream pillars that held shading. The stone tiles lined a path between the pebble pools that bordered the sunny sitting area.
When we got there they lined up some champagne for tasting, and after sipping the fruity fizziness, we chilled in the sun on couches with a bottle of bubbly on the terrace.
Jono, our rock star shuttle driver had us home in what seemed like minutes. Jono Tours & Transfers transported nine of us in a kombi which we named ‘the winemobile’. To hire a driver and a seven to nine-seater vehicle with Jono Tours & Transfers, it costs R900 a day for eight or nine people (or R300 a person a route, minimum of two people) on the Constantia Wine Route, R1100 for the Franschhoek Wine Route, and R1000 for the Stellenbosch Wine Route. Contact tel 021-426-5537, cell 072-969-0493 or email [email protected]
Citi Shuttles took another five of us on the trip. For a Constantia Winelands tour it costs R900 for one or two people and R2900 for nine people. For a tour of Stellenbosch and Franschhoek Winelands (five to seven hours) it costs R1200 for one to two people and R3200 for nine people. Citi Shuttles also does airport transfers, tours around Cape Town and trips to Hermanus and Kleinbaai. Check out other Citi Shuttles routes and rates. Also visit their blog about what’s on in Cape Town. To book a shuttle, call cell 082-707-1135, tel 021-559-5467, or tel 021-820-3887 (after hours), or email [email protected].
Thank goodness for shuttles on days like these, you’d best not drive when taking in a route like this. No matter how many times you do it, Constantia’s wine route is a gem.
