Plenty of wine history within a stone’s throw of the Mother City. The Constantia Wine Valley artfully blends centuries-old winemaking culture, quality winemaking and ultra-modern boutique wineries against a beautiful backdrop of fruit on the vine and verdant hillsides.

Winemaking started in Constantia back in 1685, making it the oldest wine producing region in the Southern Hemisphere. This is an area that’s steeped in history, from the Cape Dutch architecture to the old-school winemaking techniques and age-old recipes. Napoleon Bonaparte himself is said to have quaffed Constantia reds back in the 18^th Century along with various European royals. The region’s award-winning farms are situated just 15 short minutes from Cape Town’s CBD and whilst it’s super convenient for time-poor travellers, it is also well worth a look for those with more time to spare.

Location, location, location! Constantia is sandwiched between the Table Mountain range and False Bay – and the resulting micro-climate produces some outstanding wines. No visit to Constantia could be complete without a stop off at Groot Constantia, the oldest wine farm in all of South Africa. This unassuming farm, complete with historic manor house, has been producing wines for more than 300 years. It all started when the grounds of the estate were granted to Simon van der Stel from the Dutch East India Company.

Expect to unearth passionate local producers, artisans and chefs with innovative menus.