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, but 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.

Monday, 1 August 2011

Constantia Glen

This was the first of three wineries we visited on Sunday. It was such a nice start to the day, driving up to the cellar door and being greeted by a lady on the porch where there was outdoor seating and a lovely view to soak up while trying the wines. The sunny day definitely added to my liking for this place!!

While over looking the vineyards, and enjoying a cheese platter, we tried the four wines for tasting. We started with the Sauvignon Blanc 2009 (R100 a bottle). This was not your typical sharp, crisp Sauvignon Blanc, it had a completely unique characteristic, which was nice. It started off smooth and then finished with an acidic, sharp taste, adding complexity to the wine. It was interesting.


The Rose Constantia Saddle 2011 (R50) was my favourite. It wasn't too sweet and wasn't dry, it was very nicely balanced. This Rose is made from Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot grapes. The skin is in contact for 2 hours which gives it a beautiful light pink colour.


Next was the Constantia Glen Three 2008 (R150). This red wine is made from Cab Sauv, Cab Franc and Merlot.  It has a very nice smell, has a smoky taste, is smooth, light and not a dry red.

The last wine we tried was the Constantia Glen Five 2007 (R245). On the first sip this wine took my breath away, it was amazing!!! It was amazing the amount of different flavours you could taste on the first sip. I was impressed. I was a bit sad to find that as I kept drinking it, all those individual tastes were mixing as one and it became yet another red for me. Having said that, it was a very nice red and I am sure many red wine drinkers would enjoy this wine.

A tasting at this winery is R30. If you buy a bottle it is waivered.



I hope I have done this winery justice with this review as it was definitely one of my most liked winery experiences. Sitting on the stoep drinking wine and looking out over the vineyards was an amazing experience and I would highly recommend this winery to everyone!!!
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3 comments:

  1. Karl Lambour1 August 2011 at 23:53

    Hi Chrissy,

    Thank you for your comments about our wines and our wine tasting venue. We are quite chuffed with our position and achievements of our wines - all 4 1/2 stars in the Platter Wine Guide.

    A few notes on your comments: our Rose is absolutely dry with a residual sugar of below 2g/l. The concentration of the wonderful red fruits helps to fool the palate into believing the wine is sweeter than it really is.

    The Constantia Glen Three 2008 is also dry - and a very new release for us having only had it for sale for a few weeks now. Best decanted for a couple of hours before enjoyment!

    I am so glad you found the Constantia Glen Five 2007 so complex. It is our flagship wine and the wine we refer to as our "no compromise" wine as we lavish it with oodles of attention.

    Our 2010 Sauvignon blanc has just recently been released and is a cracker so I urge you to return to savour the wonderful growing conditions of 2010 in this wine.

    I do hope you'll visit us again soon as the future holds a few surprises, like a delicatessen, in the pipeline.

    Kind regards,
    Karl Lambour
    Winemaker - Constantia Glen

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous5 August 2012 at 06:06

    Thank you very much for this review. You've convinced me to visit Constantia Glen.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Unknown5 August 2012 at 13:02

    I am glad to hear that. I hope that you can write a comment after you have visited, it's always nice to get another persons opinion!!

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