JUDGES at the 2023 International Wine Challenge in London were impressed by South African entries in a variety of classes, but the Chardonnay especially. Six of the 15 gold medals that went the way of Cape wine producers were for Chardonnay, with the 2021 vintage of Paul Cluver’s Seven Flags given 97 on the scorecard… Days after the names of
Read moreALMOST EVERYBODY who’s anybody in the vineyards of Constantia was on the billboard of exhibitors expected to be serving their Sauvignon to wine lovers at Workshop 47 in Rosebank JHB in the first of two evening events this May. The notable no-show being Constantia Uitsig, an estate that’s not a member of the local wine route although one of THE
Read moreWHO SAW that coming! With Chef Johannes Richter in charge of the kitchen, The Livingroom at Summerhill Guest Estate outside Durban has been named Restaurant of the Year at South Africa’s 2022 Eat Out Woolworths Restaurant Awards. Best in the Cape winelands? La Colombe at Silvermist in Constantia Nek, where Chef James Gaag orchestrates the food offering. Eat Out Chef
Read moreALMOST just as interesting as who is included on the A-list of South Africa’s leading restaurant guide, is who is left off. Of the 42 establishments Eat Out have applauded with star ratings in 2022, there are 12 in the Cape winelands, i.e. among the vines, near the cellars (see below), with quite a few more on the high streets
Read moreWHO WAS CELEBRATING most after the 2019 Eat Out Mercedes-Benz Restaurant Awards? Chef James Gaag of La Colombe at Silvermist Estate in Constantia, voted the top restaurant in South Africa, Bertus Basson of Eike and Overture at Hidden Valley in Stellenbosch who was judged Chef of the Year, or Ivor Jones of Chefs Warehouse at Beau Constantia who was considered No. 1
Read moreWHERE TO EAT on the Constantia Wine Route, on a farm, among the vines? And which wines to seek out, what has been highly recommended by the panels of experts? For lunch, you could consider the new venues: Steenberg’s Tryn (main dining area pictured above) has various general indoor, outdoor and private fine-dining spaces, a bar and a menu
Read moreIT’S DIFFICULT to accept that of South Africa’s Top 30 restaurants in 2019, according to the critics and followers of the Eat Out restaurant guide, only five are located outside Cape Town and the surrounding winelands! Only one in Johannesburg? Only one in Durban? None in Bloemfontein, nor in Port Elizabeth? None at the country’s nature conservancies, game reserves, resorts? Oh
Read moreA GREAT restaurant by all accounts: awards aplenty, word of mouth and Cape chefs’ favourite – see here. Special food and amazing view from up on high. Although there aren’t many of South Africa’s top restaurants that require a deposit of R250 per person when making a reservation… So, the meal at Chefs Warehouse Beau Constantia will set you back
Read moreWATERKLOOF on the Sir Lowry’s Pass Road outside Somerset West has been ranked No. 1 in South Africa at the 2018 Eat Out Mercedes-Benz Restaurant Awards. The restaurants on three other Cape wine farms were also included in the country’s Top 10, with five more nominated for consideration. The winners were decided by a team of foodies led by top chef Margot
Read moreWHO SAID the Constantia wine route was mostly about Sauvignon Blanc?! There’s some good Semillon, several fine white blends, a couple of very good Shiraz, and what about the decent Chardonnay, respectable Bordeaux-style red blends and those lovely dessert wines! Beau Constantia Constantia Nek Tel: +27 (0)21 794 8632 Email: winesales@beauconstantia.com Web: www.beauconstantia.com Owners: Pierre & Cecilly du Preez Restaurant: Chefs
Read moreHOWZAT! In a survey conducted by The Inside Guide, 38 of the best chefs in South Africa were asked where they like to eat in Cape Town and surrounds when taking a break from their own restaurants. Voted ‘favourite winelands experience’ experience was Overture at Hidden Valley on the slopes of the Helderberg in Stellenbosch, with the nod for ‘best
Read moreNOTWITHSTANDING Commander Jan van Riebeeck’s modest vineyards first in the Dutch government’s gardens up the road from the castle and then in Bishopscourt and Wynberg, it was in Constantia that South Africa’s wine industry really got going… History books have it that the first wine for which Van Riebeeck claimed credit was made in the 1650s but that the country’s
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