“Richard Holt - our inhouse wine fanatic/fundi and Travel Concepts Director recently visited Constantia Glen wine estate. This is what went down - according to him!”

Richard Holt – our inhouse wine fanatic/fundi and Travel Concepts Director recently visited Constantia Glen wine estate. This is what went down – according to him!

The Constantia Valley, just 20 minutes south of Cape Town is famous for its colonial history, its beauty, style and affluence. It’s a place where people enjoy the finer things in life.

Of course it’s also famous for its wine with some of the most historic wine estates in South Africa. There are also a couple of new boutique wineries making a name for themselves and high on the slopes above Constantia village one of them, Constantia Glen is producing wine that almost reflects the personality of the valley itself.

I had read that estate owner Gus Allen and winemaker Karl Lambour were focusing on quality wines for wine lovers, so living just ten minutes down the road I decided to give them a call and drop in for a tasting. The estate itself is the highest winery in the area and offers stunning views over the length of the beautiful Constantia valley and out over the sea to the mountains in the distance. Itself almost worth the visit just for the views

However when I arrived I soon realised this was to be a real little and large affair.

I had to look twice as I entered the estate office to be met by Karl who is one of the tallest men I had ever met and who quickly joked that he is the of  tallest wine makers in one of the smallest of vineyards! Gus followed that the vineyards are only 60 hectares in size; one of the smallest around, but location and climate makes it an exceptional piece of land on which to produce wines of the finest quality.

Their focus is also on “small is beautiful” producing just three wines and a limited release of each one, only using the best grapes and real attention to detail to ensure maximum quality. You won’t find large volumes of average drinking wines here; these guys are aiming for the best.

And so to the tasting and everything here was large, huge in fact, wines with big personality, great depth and bold flavours. The Sauvignon Blanc was excellent and is already winning many accolades as one of South Africa’s finest. I totally agree and I also loved the Constantia Saddle a red blend named after the summit of the hill just behind the vineyards. But the best, the absolute very best was the Constantia Glen a 2007 vintage just released. A Bordeaux blend of five varietals Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot it was simply awesome and for anyone who likes good wine this shouldn’t be missed. The good news is that in October the estate officially opens for tastings in the old stable block currently being renovated.

So as I drove away in love with a new wine and ready to bore anyone who would listen, I thought to myself if this wine really did reflect the personality of the valley itself, what would it look like as a “Constantia Man”? Prada shades- certainly, Gucci watch- absolutely,  a jumper around the neck and Italian loafers most probably! Ah the good things in life.