Earlier this week Karisa and I were invited to experience a wine tasting at Constantia Glen’s Tasting Room.
Despite being just 20 minutes out of town, Constantia Glen feels like another world. A very, very pretty one. It’s here, overlooking a lush-looking valley full of vines, that you can sip on the farm’s delish-tasting vino while nibbling on one of the best charcuterie and cheese platters I’ve had in ages.
While you can order wine by the glass, Karisa and I were there to indulge in a tasting. It’s a mere R40 and you get to journey through a good six wines; two whites, a rose and three reds.
To start, we tried the farm’s fancier white, Constantia Glen Sauvignon Blanc 2012, and then moved onto a more ‘easy drinking’ blend called Constantia Saddle white 2012. While both were lovely, I adored the latter. It’s crisp and green and just the thing to enjoy on a warm summer’s day. This was followed by another favourite; Constantia Saddle rose which has yummy berry and candyfloss notes. We then finished off with three reds; Constantia Saddle red, Constantia Glen 3 and Constantia Glen 5.
Karisa was most impressed by Constantia Glen 5, the farm’s award-winning penultimate red. A blend of five different Bordeaux variants, it’s smoky, spicy and rich; like a spoonful of decadent Christmas pudding. As for me, I preferred Saddle red and Constantia Glen 3. They’re not as decadent and the kind of thing you could pull out at a braai due to their well-balanced, easy going characters which is exactly what I liked about them.
Wines aside, for us, the real hero of the day was the platter which is only R100; if you’re sharing, that’s R50 a pop. It included a warm, freshly baked crusty loaf, butter that had been smoked over rooibos (so evil! so good!), olives, capers, gherkins and a mix of meat and cheese that included the creamiest, yummiest blue. Oooh! And let’s not forget about the jam. Homemade jam which was the perfect complement to a butter-addled slice of bread topped with cheese and wrapped in a sheath of prosciutto. Heaven in your mouth girls!
In all, this was one of the nicest afternoons I’ve had in ages. The ambiance is tres laid back, the service is super friendly, the food and wine is perfection and getting to indulge in all that on a stoep overlooking a sunny, rustig valley full of vines was like a foot massage for my soul. Driving back, both Karisa and I agreed that we’d most definitely be back with friends. A glassie in the sun at Constantia Glen is now most definitely one of my new favourite things.
Want to pop in yourself? They’re open weekdays from 10 to 5pm and on Saturdays and Sundays from 10 to 4pm. You can check out their website over here or give them a ring on (021) 795 5639.
Love, love
Leigh
