A few weeks ago my boyfriend and I where given the opportunity to try out the new  Wine Tour leg of the Blue Mini Peninsula Tour. Living in the City Bowl we decided to take advantage of the conveniently located bus stops and strolled down to stop 7 which  is  situated close to the Mount Nelson Hotel and Company’s Garden. While waiting for the bus we admired the great view of Table Mountain.

View of Table Mountain

After a short wait we hopped on the bus and where on our way. Swapping buses at Constantia Nek we soon arrived at our destination, Groot Constantia wine estate

One of the advantages of heading to Groot Constantia with Cape Town City Sightseeing is the option to use one of their great guide devices to experience a self paced tour of the Manor House and vineyards. Plugging your complimentary red earbuds into the device allows you to hear commentary on the history of the estate and other points of interest much like you experience while on one the red buses.

Oak lined path at Groot Constantia

After a stroll down the oak lined avenue we visited the museum comprising the estate’s manor house and original wine cellar. There you can see  pieces of period furniture, paintings and other household items as well as vintage wine making equipment and horse drawn buggies.

Manor House

By this time we where quite hungry and keen to have some lunch. If we had thought ahead we could have ordered a picnic basket a few days beforehand and eaten it on the lawns under a shady oak. In the end we settled on a table in the courtyard at the Jonkershuis restaurant where we sampled some of their traditional Malay dishes.

Tasting plate from Jonkershuis Restaurant

After a delicious lunch we thought it would be fitting to taste some of the estate’s wines. For R30 you can taste four of the eight wines (four white and four red) available for tasting.

Wine tasting at Groot Constanita

By this time it was quite late in the afternoon and time to hop on the bus to head back to the city. But not before taking in the sights travelling through Hout Bay, over the Suikerbossie pass, along the coast through Camps Bay, Sea Point and Mouille Point and finally ending at the V&A Waterfront.

We spent so much time on the estate that we had no time left to visit any of the other stops on the Blue Mini Peninsula Tour. But still, a day well spent exploring all that the Groot Constantia wine estate has to offer and a great addition to the Cape Town City Sightseeing experience.

Good to know: the Wine Tour is a free extension on the Blue Tour.
Buy your tickets online.
Read more about the City Sightseeing hop on hop off  wine tour here.

About the blogger:

Hi I’m Nicola. Capetonian, food geek, lunch box packer, software developer and more. Follow me on Twitter to see what I get up to in this lovely city of ours.