Cape Point / Constantia

12 estates in this wine region.

This Region includes:
Cape Point, Constantia, Hout Bay, Noordhoek, Sun Valley, and Tokai

It was once upon a time in 1685, that the first vines were laid down in this now culturally rich area in the South of Cape Town, Constantia. First laid down by Simon Van Der Stel, Muscat de Frontignan became the grape of choice in the region and Simon founded a good reputation with his Vin de Constance. In 1778 the homestead changed hands and flourished even further under the watchful eye of Hendrik Cloete. His unfortified Muscat de Frontignan, Chenin blanc, Muscadel, both red and white, and of course, Pontac, soon became renowned the world over.

Then came an unfortunate bump in the road for the area in the 1800’s, as a bout of the destructive phylloxera louse and powdery mildew spread quickly through the vineyards, laying waste to years of established vines and making it impossible to recover for ages. In fact, it was only in the mid 1990’s that production in the area resumed.

You know the famous saying, “location, location , location”? Well this ward has the perfect co-ordinates. As the peninsula spreads out at a sharp angle over the Atlantic ocean, cool breezes from both sides allow for a long slow ripening period over the summer. Winter temperatures remain moderate with excellent rainfalls. The soil contains high concentrations of loam and granite minerals and all this adds to wines of a distinguished standard. The most planted varietal in the region today is Sauvignon Blanc, with Chardonnay following in at a close second. No matter which one you are drinking, if it´s from Constantia, you really can´t go wrong.

In more recent times, Cape Point which lies in close vicinity to Constantia has also seen its introduction to the vine, much to the delight of connoisseurs and anyone who enjoys the occasional glass. The views in this area are beyond breathtaking and the award winning wines being produced in this new ward can certainly be attributed to not only the superior skills of the wine makers, but the superb terroir.

In Cape Town, both of these areas are no more than a 20 to 40 minute drive away from each other. So go on, enjoy the view, the drive, and world class wines!