It was raining when we
arrived at the historic Groot Constantia Wine Estate at lunchtime. We were returning to Cape Town after a wonderful morning exploring the nearby area. Located in South Africa’s wine region, Constantia the Groot Constantia was on our must-see list. Before
visiting South Africa Spaswinefood had asked for recommendations from the #winelover
community. There were many useful recommendations for Stellenbosch, Hemel-en-Aarde Valley and Constantia. In the case of Constantia we wanted to visit the historic Groot Constantia, the oldest wine estate in South Africa. Groot
Constantia was founded in 1685. In fact Groot Constantia Wine Estate is listed as one of Cape Town's "Big 6" must-see sights. So even though it was a rainy day when we arrived at this
historic winery we were so determined to check it out.
We found it useful during our South Africa travels to purchase an international data plan for our cell phone. Access to map applications online helped us find places that we might not be able to find otherwise.
Upon arrival at Groot Constantia Wine Estate we checked the signage.
Soon we found a parking space and then proceeded to lunch. Groot Constantia offers two different dining venues. They are the Jonkershuis Restaurant and the Simon’s Restaurant. We choose the Jonkershuis Restaurant for lunch that day. Because of the rain no one was dining outside at the restaurant when we arrived.
Our lunch began with two fabulous appetizers. The appetizers we selected were Free Range Chicken Liver Pate and Bruschetta of the Day.
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| Groot Constantia Vineyard on a Rainy February Day © Spaswinefood |
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| Enroute to Groot Constantia Vineyard © Spaswinefood |
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| Checking Directions at Groot Constantia © Spaswinefood |
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| Parking at Groot Constantia Estate © Spaswinefood |
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| Jonkershuis Restaurant, Groot Constantia © Spaswinefood |
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| Jonkershuis Restaurant, Groot Constantia © Spaswinefood |
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| Entrance to Jonkershuis Restaurant, Groot Constantia © Spaswinefood |
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| Free Range Chicken Liver Pate, Jonkershuis Restaurant © Spaswinefood |
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| Bruschetta of the Day, Jonkershuis Restaurant © Spaswinefood |
For wine we selected a Constantia Rood 2011.
Our first course selections were Duck Breast and Vegetarian Curry.
The curry came with a side of rice and tasty breads.
The service was great and lunch was delicious. It was a great opportunity for us to sample some Cape Malay Cuisine. You will find reviews of Jonkershuis Restaurant at Tripadvisor. We had hope that the rain would stop however, when we left the Jonkershuis Restaurant it was still raining. Even in the rain we were able to catch a glimpse of some of the historic core of the Groot Constantia Wine Estate.
We did drop by the tasting room on our way out of the estate.
The tasting room was quite busy on a rainy Sunday afternoon. Given it was now raining heavily outside we decided to head back to our hotel. Friends of ours who we visited Groot Constantia a few days before us described their tasting experience as very enjoyable. You will find that visitors to Groot Constantia have commented on their experience at Groot Constantia on Tripadvisor. The historic Groot Constantia Wine Estate is obviously a must-see.
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| Groot Constantia, Constantia Rood 2011 © Spaswinefood |
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| Duck Breast, Jonkershuis Restaurant © Spaswinefood |
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| Vegetarian Curry, Jonkershuis Restaurant © Spaswinefood |
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| Vegetarian Curry, Jonkershuis Restaurant © Spaswinefood |
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| Sides with Vegetarian Curry, Jonkershuis Restaurant © Spaswinefood |
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| Jonkershuis Restaurant, Groot Constantia © Spaswinefood |
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| Leaving Jonkershuis Restaurant on a Rainy Day, Groot Constantia © Spaswinefood |
Even though it was still quite wet I tried to capture some photos of the vineyards at this beautiful wine estate.
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| Groot Constantia Vineyard on a Rainy Day © Spaswinefood |
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| Groot Constantia Vineyard © Spaswinefood |
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| Groot Constantia Vineyard © Spaswinefood |
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| Tasting Room Entrance, Groot Constantia © Spaswinefood |
Lunch at Groot Constantia's Jonkershuis Restaurant was delightful, even on a very rainy February day. I invite
you to join me in my travels in South Africa and elsewhere in search of the best
in Spaswinefood.
Sharon
February 2014
Cape Town, South Africa
© Spaswinefood
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