Wine Dine and Play: Constantia Uitsig

Constantia Uitsig



Constantia, South Africa
Constantia Uitsig Winery was the last stop on my list after visiting several wineries in the Constantia Valley including Constantia Glen, Eagles Nest, and Steenberg. I had made reservations that evening at La Colombe,  where a few friends and I would be having dinner. La Colombe is the restaurant on the vineyard property, and has been rated one of the top restaurants in all South Africa, it was on the San Pellegrino 100 list of the world’s best restaurants back in 2009.
 http://www.constantiavalley.com/vineyards/

Trending wines:
Kamen Estates,Sonoma         
Napa Wine Company             
World’s Top 100 Restaurants:
Alinea, Chicago                      

Follow Wine, dine, and Play:

https://www.facebook.com/WineDineAndPlayhttp://www.pinterest.com/winedineandplay/boards/https://twitter.com/WineDinePlay  https://plus.google.com/101959252647459500827/postshttp://www.stumbleupon.com/su/1ovEUh/winedineandplay.blogspot.com/http://www.tumblr.com/blog/winedineandplaybloghttp://www.flickr.com/photos/114404072@N02/http://digg.com/submithttp://instagram.com/winedineandplay#




Wine Dine and Play’s ratings for wine:
96 – 100
Extraordinary  
90 – 95
Outstanding 
80 89
above average    
70 – 79
below average               
60 – 69
poor/appalling/ “Cac”
Review basics:

Wines Produced

Red: Heritage, Meritage, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Pinot Noir, Sangiovese, Syrah, Malbec, Shiraz, Grenache, Burgundy, Petite Sirah, Red Blend, Barbera, Zinfandel, Bordeaux Blend (aka Meritage), Summation, Barbera, Super Tuscan, Dolcetto
White: Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Chablis, Sancerre, Pinot Blanc, Gewürztraminer, White Blend, Rose, Pinot Bianco, Sémillon, Muscadelle du Bordelais,
Dessert: Vin Santo, Moscato, Port, Madeira, Sauternes,
Other: Olive oil

Grape Blends
Red: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc
White: Sauvignon blanc, Sémillon or Muscadelle du Bordelais
Current Vintage for 2013
Reds: 2010
Whites: 2012
Wine, Dine, & Play’s Rating
87/100
Platters wine guide
5 of 5 stars for Constantia Uitsig Semillon 2012
Region Map
Constantia Wine Region
Regulatory
ABV %
13.5 to 14% depending on wine
Barrel Types
New/old French or American Oak, cast iron
Barrel Aging
7 – 36 months depending on the wine, see tasting notes
 
South African wine Quality Standards:
Unlike some European countries, South Africa does not have any requirements for the process of making wines in a particular region—for instance, allowing only certain trellising methods or varietals. However, there are certain quality requirements.  For a wine to be labeled as a particular varietal or as coming from a particular region, estate, or vineyard, it must also not display any “unacceptable quality characteristics,” which means the wine may not be turbid, contain excess sediment or crystals, have faulty/insufficient color, or display undesirable flavor characteristics. Among the several characteristics listed as unacceptable, a wine may not be overly tannic, thin or watery, or oxidized. For a wine to be labeled as coming from a particular area, 100% of the grapes used to make the wine must have been grown there, and producers may only label their wines using officially-recognized geographic areas.  In addition to designating a particular geographic unit, region, district, or ward, a producer may also designate the wine as coming from a particular estate or may label it as a “single vineyard wine.”  However, to do so the producer must first register the area where the grapes were grown with the Wine and Spirit Board.  Single-vineyard wines must have been made from a single varietal that is produced in the area registered with the board, and the area registered may be no larger than 6 hectares.  Estate wines must be made entirely—including bottling—in the registered area where the grapes were grown.  Also, if a particular varietal—or “cultivar” as the law defines it—is listed on the bottle, at least 85% of the grapes used in making the wine must have been of that type. This same 85% rule applies to designating a particular vintage year.
Cases Produced:                                          
Per Year:
                                                                                               
Semillion 2011
 1165
2012 Reserve Chardonnay
1165
Muscat d'Alexandrie, (N/V)
1165
2012 ‘Constantia’ White Blend
1165
2009 Constantia Red
1165
2012 Sauvignon Blanc
1165
                       
Price chart:
$ -                    Under $50.00 USD
$$ -                  Over   $50.00 USD
$$$ -                Over $100.00 USD
$$$$ -              Over $200.00 USD
$$$$$-             Over $400.00 USD
Bottle prices:

Wine Selction:
Currency:
Country:
Price Chart :
2011 Semillion (750 ml)



R145.00
ZAR

$13.21
USD
$
£7.93
GBP
£
€9.64
EUR
¥80.85
CNY 
¥¥
2012 Reserve Chardonnay (750 ml) 



R90.00
ZAR

$8.20
USD
$
£4.92
GBP
£
€5.98
EUR
¥50.18
CNY 
¥
Muscat d'Alexandrie, (N/V) (750 ml)



R285.00
ZAR

$25.97
USD
$
£15.59
GBP
£
€18.95
EUR
¥158.91
CNY 
¥¥
2012 ‘Constantia’ White Blend (750 ml)



R140.00
ZAR

$12.76
USD
$
£7.66
GBP
£
€9.31
EUR
¥78.06
CNY 
¥¥¥
2009 Constantia Red (750 ml)



R130.00
ZAR

$11.85
USD
$
£7.11
GBP
£
€8.64
EUR
¥72.49
CNY 
¥¥¥
2012 Sauvignon Blanc (750 ml)



R90.00
ZAR

$8.20
USD
$
£4.92
GBP
£
€5.98
EUR
¥50.18
CNY 
¥¥¥

Visit these sites to get up to date currency rates:
 www.xe.com

Or visit:



Cost of wine tasting in USD (p/p):
Tasting Flight:
$3.00
Formal flight:
$6.50

                                                                       
Scroll down below to the main review to read the tasting notes

From vineyards home page:
Constantia Uitsig, known until 1940 as Constantia View, was the home of the Lategan family for five generations. Their ancestors arrived in this country in 1735. Constantia Uitsig had been a portion of Simon van der Stel’s original grant of Groot Constantia. In 1894 Willem Lategan married Antoinette Bredell of Schoemanshoek, and with her inheritance he built the present homestead of Constantia Uitsig. In 1988 the farm was purchased by David and Marlene McCay. Together they have restored the farm to its former glory, and Constantia Uitsig now boasts award winning wines, three world-renowned restaurants, a private cricket oval, Spa and a 16-roomed luxury hotel. In 2006 fifty percent of the wine estate was bought by a consortium. Just 20 minutes from the heart of the city, Constantia Uitsig is truly Cape Town’s own Vineyard. The breathtaking rural beauty of a valley, where vineyard rows stretch up the mountainside, is unique in today’s overcrowded world.
Main review:
The Constantia Uitsig tasting room sits in a group of building just to the left of the main entrance, and the restaurant La Colombe is further up the main road, with the vineyards on either side. The tasting room was designed almost in a Spanish, Moorish, or old Roman Architectural style with arched doorways and wooded frames around the windows. Of course in the roman times they never bothered to bottle up the wine, and kept it in casks for the nobles to drink, or gave the rotten wines to the soldiers on their conquests. 
There were several tables and a bar in the tasting room with seven wines on their tasting menu (listed below) ranging from the Methode Cap Classique (Sparkling Wine), to red and white blends, and their Muscat D’Alexandrie (N/V), the best wine I had from the tasting. Though all the wines had good character and taste, and with having dinner at La Colombe, I would have their wine again by the full glass, the Muscat reigned supreme for me, which is rare considering I am not a big fan of sweet late harvest wines, and am more of a dry red wine man. That alone says a lot about their Muscat, especially if you read some of my previous Napa and Sonoma County reviews were I ripe sweet wines to little shreds not giving them good reviews at all.
As an American visiting South Africa, the tastings in both Constantia and Stellenbosch were an experience within themselves, much different to the tastings in Napa and Sonoma, California. Most tastings in California, Washington State, New York, and Oregon starts at $25.00-$40.00, so when I found out the cost for the tastings in South Africa I was shocked. The average is $4.00-$6.00, Constantia Uitsig being $3.00 (ZAR30.00). This was a wonderful experience, and I still would be eating dinner eating at La Colombe, which rated very high on some of the best restaurants I ate at in South Africa, and other parts of the world.

This or these wines remind me of:
Constantia Uitsig was a wonderful property, consisting not only of the tasting room and vineyards, but also two restaurants and a hotel, reminding me of a few French Château that did the same like Chassagne-Montrachet. The tasting and quality of their white wines were on par with the white wines tasted at Castello di Amorosa, Napa, and Pillitteri Winery, Niagara Wine Region, Ontario, Canada. The Constantia Uitsig reminded a lot of the quality of the of 2008Sparkling Cabernet Ice wine, from Pillitteri that won the Effervescents Du Monde, Compition in France back in 2009, which I feel the Muscat will be a contender for very soon.

Bouquet & Palette:

Wine & Grape:
Nose:
Palette Experience:
Intense, upfront aromas with flavors of nectarines and citrus fruits.
Subtle wood spice flavors. This wine shows exceptional balance of fruit and oak with a long, lingering finish. Drink until 2019.
This un wooded Chardonnay shows complex aromas and flavors of white fruits and pears
Beautiful zest and nuttiness on the palate. The wine has a soft tannin structure with perfect balance between acid and fruit with a long, lingering finish.
Muscadel finesse and a particularly pure, floral sort of grapiness.
Typical muscat character, this desert wine is soft on the palate with a lingering aftertaste, well balanced acid and integration of fruit and wood
60% Semillon, 40% Sauvignon Blanc. Intense, complex flavors of nectarine and dried apricot with hints of lime and minerality
The wine has an elegant balance between fruit and subtle wood integration with a long, lingering finish. Drink until 2022.
This wine captures the essence of a cool climate blend with complex aromas of cigar box, spices, plums, cherries and herbaceousnous with hints of mint following through to the palate.
A medium to full-bodied wine with soft fruit tannins and a lingering finish.
A typical cool climate wine that is well balanced. It shows complex, upfront aromas and flavors of granadilla and gooseberry, with underlying minerality and herbaceousness.

                                                                                                
Vineyard Owner:
Constantia Uitsig Holdings Pty Ltd

Viticulturist:
Andre Rousseau

Tasting room address:          
Spaanschemat River Road
 Constantia
 Cape Town 7848
 South Africa
  http://goo.gl/maps/v5jt2 http://goo.gl/maps/v5jt2
            
34° 02.45 minutes 28 seconds south
18° 25.12 minutes 55 seconds east
Cross streets:
Nirvana Way & Barbary Way
Contact Information:

Tasting room:
+27  (0) 21 794 4480
Fax:
+ 27 (0) 21 794 7605
Winery:
+ 27 (0) 21 794 6500
Website:
Email:
Hotel Reservations
https://www.facebook.com/ConstantiaUitsig
https://twitter.com/ConstUitsig

Hours of tastings:
Mon – Fri: 09h00 – 17h00
Sat, Sun & Public Holidays: 10h00 – 17h00
S. African Standard Time (GMT +2:00)




 https://www.facebook.com/WineDineAndPlay



Review by:
Chef Sean Overpeck (CFE) at La Colombe Restaurant, Constantia uitsig













Chef Sean cooks for soldiers in Afghanistan, 2012:


 
“I like cooking with wine; sometimes I even add it to the food.”
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...

You may also like:

View my food journey on Zomato!

Popular Posts: