Last Updated on April 5, 2024 by thecapetownblog
Constantia is a leafy suburb of Cape Town that’s known for its natural beauty, world-class wine farms, and Cape Dutch architecture. It’s actually one of the oldest wine producing regions in the whole of the Southern Hemisphere, and it’s super easy to go wine-tasting here from central Cape Town!
Although towns like Stellenbosch and Franschhoek are more popular for wine tasting, they’re both at least an hour’s drive from Cape Town, whereas Constantia is a mere 25-minute drive from the city centre. And there’s even a hop-on hop-off wine bus you can take to explore, so you don’t need a designated driver!
Constantia is home to some of the best wine farms in South Africa, and I highly recommend exploring this historic wine region. So without further ado, I’m going to give you a rundown of the best wine farms in Constantia in 2024.
1. Beau Constantia
Beau Constantia is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful wine farms in the whole of South Africa.
It offers insane views of the Constantia wine valley from its outdoor terrace, stylish Chef’s Warehouse, and even from the toilets! The first time I visited, I was truly blown away by its beauty. Coming here is always such a treat! Beau Constantia are also quite experimental with their wines and have several different tasting options, so it never gets boring.
The tasting menu changes quite frequently but it usually costs somewhere between R110 and R150 to do a tasting of three to four wines. These prices are on the higher end of the scale for wine tasting, but the staff here are super informative and the views are just beautiful, so it’s worth it.
Beau Constantia is probably the most popular wine farm in Constantia, so you should book in advance! We usually make a booking via their website. The last tastings of the day begin at 4:30 pm, so bear that in mind!
2. Groot Constantia
Groot Constantia is the oldest wine farm in South Africa and I also think it has the nicest wine in Constantia. It doesn’t have the same epic views as Beau Constantia from the tasting garden, but the pretty Cape Dutch buildings and resident ducks make up for it.
The tasting here costs R130 and it includes 5 wines. You get to choose from a pretty generous list with plenty of reds and whites available. Plus, you get to keep your glass at the end!
You don’t usually need to book a tasting at Groot Constantia, and it’s on the wine bus route! It’s open 7 days a week from 10 am, with the last tastings of the day at 4 pm.
3. Constantia Glen
Constantia Glen is close to Beau Constantia, and it’s often overlooked in favour of its more famous neighbour. I think this is a shame, because the views are absolutely stunning, and I love the elegant, old-fashioned style of the tasting room. Beau Constantia is shiny and new, while Constantia Glen oozes old world elegance.
There are five different tasting options to choose from at Constantia Glen, which are priced between R150 and R190. My best friend and I chose the white wine tasting, and we got seven wines for R160. We were a bit disappointed with the way our server rushed through the tasting rather than taking the time to explain the wine, and wine called “Olivia Grace” was, in a word, disgusting. However, I did love the views and the setting, and I think it’s worth visiting.
4. Klein Constantia
Klein Constantia is another beautiful and elegant wine estate where you can spend a happy afternoon sipping wine. It’s one of the most historic wine farms in South Africa, dating all the way back to 1685.
I haven’t actually been here for a tasting, but my friends and I went to a Wade Bales bottomless bubbly event one Friday night and we had a great time. (Well, until certain people started hitting the floor…)
If you want to come here for a tasting, you’re pretty spoilt for choice as they’ve got four different options available:
- The Signature Tasting, with five estate wines for R150
- Anwilka Signature Tasting, which features red wines from the Stellenbosch estate for R150
- The Sauvignon Blanc Story – three glasses for R150. This is probably the one I’d choose because I love white wine!
- Vin de Constance – three glasses of vintage for R1,000
Klein Constantia is open 7 days a week from 10 am until 5 pm, with the last tastings at 4 pm. If you want to do a tasting, it’s best to book, especially during the summer. You can do so easily via the Klein Constantia website.
5. Silvermist
Silvermist is the only certified organic wine farm in Constantia! You could actually spend the entire day here because as well as wine tasting, they have a zipline that offers INSANE views and La Colombe, which is one of the top-rated restaurants in the whole of South Africa. In fact, La Colombe is actually in TripAdvisor’s top 20 restaurants in the world. So if you’re a foodie, you’d better get yourself here, stat.
Silvermist is now on the Constantia wine bus route. You can walk to Silvermist from the Constantia Nek bus stop, which is right outside La Parada restaurant in 5 minutes. You can also walk there from Beau Constantia in 10 minutes. It’s super easy!
I was really keen to check out the tasting room at Silvermist, but to be honest I was a little disappointed. They only had one tasting option, the tasting room felt more like a gift shop, and they only had muffins and sandwiches on offer for food. However, I loved the views and I think that this place has promise, it’s just not quite there yet.
The Drumstruck Show
For something special during the summer, you can book the Drumstruck show, which combines wine tasting with a 2-hour long African drumming show. You’ll need to book in advance, which you can do online. The show takes place at 11 am, so you can even incorporate it into a day out on the wine bus. Drumstruck costs R450 for foreigners and lasts for two hours. It only runs during the summer, so do check the dates ahead of time!
6. Buitenverwachting
Buitenverwachting is another beautiful wine farm with mountain views and Cape Dutch architecture – you know, the standard Cape Town fare.
I really like their Buiten Blanc wine, and my friends and I often order it when we see it on a menu. It’s really clean and easy to drink, which is basically all I’m looking for in a white wine.
The tasting room here is sleek yet cosy, and it’s open from 10 am until 3 pm every day except Sunday. The tasting here is pretty well priced at R100 for 5 wines, and there are tons of options to choose from, including limited releases. You can check out the current tasting menu here.
7. Constantia Uitsig
Constantia Uitsig may be a historic wine estate, but its wine cellar is super modern. It’s made of glass, so you can see the barrels (and snippets of the winemaking process) through the walls!
This is a good wine farm to have lunch at if you’re not in the mood for the classic cheese board or charcuterie. I personally can’t imagine being tired of either of those choices, but there’s a sushi restaurant on site if you want something a bit healthier.
The wine tasting takes place in the on-site wine shop, which is housed inside a pretty Cape Dutch cottage.
There’s also a bike park here so you can rent a bike and explore the trails on the estate, or use the bikes to explore other wine farms. Both Klein and Groot Constantia are a fairly quick bike ride away from Constantia Uitsig, so you could hire a bicycle and visit these three wine farms.
8. Steenberg
Steenberg is another idyllic wine farm in Constantia with a first-class view of Table Mountain, beautiful gardens, a chic tasting room, and a hotel with a gorgeous infinity pool. Sadly, I haven’t stayed here, but one day I plan to take a dip!
They don’t accept walk-ins at the tasting room here, so you do have to make a reservation. They have a bubbly tasting, which I love, where you get to try four different types of MCC.
As a side note, I recommend drinking as much MCC as you can while you’re in South Africa. MCC Stands for “methode cap classique”, which is the same method they use to make champagne. The only difference between South African MCC and bona-fide champagne is where the grapes are grown, because as we all know, real champagne only comes from Champagne… yada yada yada.
A tasting here will cost you between R120 and R220, depending on which one you choose. If you’ve got a group of 11-20 people, you can even book a private tasting in the wine cellar. You’ll get the four flagship wines and a glass of cap classique for R250 apiece. This could be such a cool idea for a birthday or Christmas party!
Important note: Eagles Nest is closed!
Eagles Nest had one of the most beloved tasting rooms in Constantia but they have permanently closed their tasting rooms. They will still make wines (including their amazing viognier!) but you can’t go tasting there anymore. This is a real shame, but there are plenty of other amazing wine farms in Constantia instead.
This was also one of the stops on the hop-on, hop-off wine valley bus, but you can go to Silvermist instead. Check out my guide to the wine bus for more details!
How to visit the wine farms in Constantia
Okay, so obviously drinking and driving is a no-no. Fortunately, since Constantia is close to the city centre, it’s fairly cheap and easy to get around the wine farms without making someone in your group abstain from all of the delicious wine so that they can chauffeur you around.
You’ve got four options here:
The wine bus (best option!)
City Sightseeing runs a hop-on, hop-off bus that can you to several wine farms in Constantia and it is SO. MUCH. FUN.
You can board the bus at the City Sightseeing office by the Aquarium, or at the one on Long Street. The blue route will take you to Constantia, and buses leave every 20 minutes from 9 am onwards (or 8 am during the festive season). We like to start early so that we don’t have to rush and can really enjoy our tastings.
The bus goes to the Constantia Nek stop, and from there you can choose the order you visit the wine farms in, but here’s what I recommend:
- Walk from Constantia Nek bus stop to Silvermist for a tasting (5 minute walk)
- Catch the single-decker “purple” bus to Groot Constantia (10 minute ride)
- Get the bus back to Beau Constantia for your final tasting of the day (10 minute ride) – book a tasting for around 3 pm
- Catch the bus back from Cape Town from outside Beau Constantia. The last one goes at 5:22 pm
You can buy tickets for the wine valley bus online or do it on the day at the ticket office outside the Aquarium. Tickets cost R295 per person and then you’ll also need to pay for your tastings and food at the wine farms you visit. Your ticket comes with a QR code which you can scan to check live bus times, so that you know when the next bus is on its way.
You can check out my full guide to the wine bus here, but basically, I love it and I always take friends who come to visit. It’s a great day out and it’s so easy. Plus, no-one has to be the designated driver and you still get lots of freedom and flexibility.
Click here to book tickets for the Constantia wine bus!
Hire a driver
You can Uber to Constantia and back, but that isn’t the best way to do it in my opinion (I’ll talk more about why in a moment). However, you can hire a driver to take you Constantia, drive you between the wine estates, and wait for you.
I haven’t done this myself, but Howie’s Transport is very highly rated. You can contact them for a quote and they should get back to you pretty quickly! This option is nice because it gives you a lot of flexibility and you can pick and choose your wine farms. So if there are one or two specific ones that you’re dying to visit, you can make it happen.
Uber
You won’t struggle to get an Uber from the city centre to Constantia, but it will probably take quite a while for you to find one that will take you back. Phone signal is not great in Constantia and it’s a pretty quiet, out-of-the-way suburb so there aren’t that many drivers around here. I have Ubered back from Constantia a few times and we have always managed to get a car eventually, but it’s just a little frustrating sometimes. Ubering between wine farms can also be a bit of a nightmare.
If you want to Uber to Constantia and visit multiple wine farms, I recommend heading to Constantia Uitsig and renting bikes from them. From Constantia Uitisg, it’s easy to cycle to both Klein and Groot Constantia, so you could have a great day visiting these three wine farms. (Three wine farms is probably the most you should attempt to visit in one day in Constantia).
Take a private wine tour
A private wine tour takes all of the hassle of driving and navigation out of your day, so you can just sit back and enjoy Constantia’s great wine and glorious scenery.
This premium half-day tour takes you to two or three wine farms, which will be selected on the day. To be honest, they’re all gorgeous so I don’t think it matters too much which ones you end up visiting.
The tour also includes an a la carte lunch (with wine, of course) at one of the wineries, and two tastings. You’ll also learn lots of history about both Constantia’s wine estates and the area more generally from your guide. It costs R3,380 (£147/$193) per person, so it’s not cheap but it’s a nice day out if you want a super classy and well-rounded wine farm experience.
Can I stay in Constantia?
Yes, you certainly can!
There are some very well-rated hotels in Constantia on Booking.com. You can actually stay overnight at Silvermist, which means you’ll have the famous La Colombe restaurant right on your doorstep, and be within walking distance of Beau Constantia, too. Rates start at R3,000 (£128/$160) per night – click here to check availability and book.
Or for something really special, the Villa Lion View boasts insane views and what must to be the most beautiful infinity pool in Cape Town. This kind of luxury is what dreams are made of. Rooms start from R6,000 (£255/$322) per night, which includes breakfast. Click here to find out more!
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