Welcome to the Western Cape Wineries - a kiwi's opinion blog

I originally set up this blog to help foreigners have an enjoyable experience when visiting the western cape wineries in South Africa.

I realised that it is very difficult for a tourist to choose where to go and which wineries to visit, when you have 600+ wine producers to choose from.

When I first moved to SA December 2010, my palate struggled to adjust to SA wine, b
ut after living here for a while and after visiting over 100+ wine estates, I have found many wines which I really like and can highly recommend.

Admittingly, when you come from another country it is hard not to compare the wine in SA to what you are used to back home. However, once you realise they are not the same (they have their own characteristics due to the different soil, climate etc) and appreciate their wines for being SA wines, it will improve your opinion and experience of the wines immediately.

If you are staying in SA for a while, don't dispair, your palate will change, and you will soon find yourself liking SA wine over your home countries wine!!

I hope my blog will help wine lovers have an enjoyable wine experience while in SA.

Please note: I am not a wine connoisseur. The comments I write about the wine is mostly for my own benefit of having them on record.



Sunday 28 August 2011

Klein Constantia

This winery is settled in a very nice area, the drive to the cellar door is very nice, the grounds are lovely and I like how the place is kind of hidden.
 

The front entrance to the place is quite simple yet nice.


The water feature at the front entrance is also nice.


On entering this cellar, there is information on the walls along the corridor to the tasting room.


It was quite busy when we got there. There were two ladies serving and due to the # of people tasting all at the same time, we didn't get a lot of information on the wines. Also, with the # of people trying to do a tasting all at once, the experience was not fantastic. It probably would have been a better experience had we come when it wasn't so busy. There was not a lot of space to stand and try the wines and we were all trying to get the ladies attention for our next wine at the same time.


I started with the Sauvignon Blanc 2010 (R110) which was light, fruity, and easy to drink. The Mme Marlbrook 2008 (R146) is a blend of Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay. This was not so balanced and I didn't think much of this wine, I thought it was ok. Next I tried the Marlbrook 2008 (R186) which is smooth, balanced, yet complex. It also had a slightly dry aftertaste.  The Amovilka 2008 (R360) is a blend of Shiraz, Cabernet and Merlot. It was dry. The Vinde Constance (R370) was thick/syrupy, fruity and delicious.

All of the wines were ok, but other than the last wine, nothing stood out. If one's time is limited trying wines in Constantia, I think you can safely leave this winery off your list. Perhaps when it is not so busy it will be better, but even then, the wines were ok and were overpriced in my opinion.

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