Groot Constantia

Groot Constantia is the wine farm where Cape wine began. The land was granted to Simon van der Stel in 1685, and the estate has been making wine more or less ever since. It sits in the Constantia valley in southern Cape Town, over the hill from Hout Bay, and since 1993 has been run by the Groot Constantia Trust. Come for a tasting with a side of history, since few farms put the two so close together.

What to expect

The tasting room and wine shop are the centre of a visit. Cellar tours take in both the modern production cellar and the old Cloete Cellar, whose pediment was designed by the sculptor Anton Anreith. The estate is known today for red wines such as Shiraz and Merlot, and since 2003 it has again made Grand Constance, a dessert wine that had not been made here since the 1880s.

There are two restaurants, Jonkershuis and Simon’s, and picnic baskets can be ordered through either of them with 24 hours’ notice. The Manor House museum, run by Iziko Museums, stands in the same grounds and is worth adding on.

Practical details

The estate is on Groot Constantia Road, Constantia, Cape Town, and is open seven days a week. The tasting room and shop open 9am to 6pm, with the last tasting tickets sold at 5pm, while the estate’s general hours are 10am to 5pm. Telephone +27 21 794 5128 or email enquiries@grootconstantia.co.za. The City Sightseeing hop-on hop-off bus stops here, which solves the problem of who drives after the tasting.

Good to know

This is one of the busiest wine farms around Cape Town and fills with tour groups at peak times, so come early in the day if you want a quieter tasting. Book the restaurants ahead in summer. Several other Constantia estates are a few minutes away if you want to make a day of the valley.

Last updated 6 October 2026. Sources: Groot Constantia, Wikipedia.