Groot Constantia Pinotage 2019

Groot Constantia Wine Estate is situated about 20 minutes’ drive south of the centre of Cape Town in one of the older wine producing regions of South Africa, the Constantia Wine Appellation.

Blessed with much history in terms of the popularity of its wine in. Found in the great Royal Halls of Europe, the homes of Prime Ministers, written about by famous British and European authors, and consumed in generous quantities by Napoleon while in exile on St Helena.

Boela Gerber, Winemaker at Groot Constantia, in the Barrel Cellar

Today the winemaker’s mantle lies on the shoulders of Boela Gerber, much awarded for his wines while the Vineyardist “Flo” Beukes ensures fine quality grapes from the Estate Vineyards which climb up the slopes of the Constantia Mountain. Once hand harvested, the grapes were destemmed and crushed and then fermented, during which time, there were pump overs four times a day to extract as much colour and flavour as possible. The wine was matured for 14 months in French Oak Barrels, 40% were new barrels, and the balance was made up of 20% in 2nd and 20% 3rd and 20% 4th fill barrels. The Wines are then blended and prepared for bottling,

Vineyardist “Flo” Beukes

Pour

From a Bordeaux shaped bottle, closed with natural cork. The label, very elegant and reminiscent of a French Chateau bottling, has an enchanting etching of the Estate’s Manor House. In the glass, the wine is a gembright bloodplum at the heart and pales out to ruby at the edges. The aromas and the palate segue one into the other, everything so typical of Pinotage, red berry fruits, plums, black cherries. Nodding more to its Pinot Noir parent. From entry the wine has a wonderful raspberry acidity line which runs through into the long aftertaste. Lovely undertow of oak with its concomitant spice and vanilla. A truly impressive glass. The wine has all the assets required for a couple of years of cool cellaring to reward you with something greater and more harmonious.

My Tomato Bredie – photo by Mike Robinson

Pair

The Groot Constantia Pinotage 2019 is an excellent sipping wine in the evening as you wait for the braai fires to simmer down. As a food recommendation, the grape being totally South African, I would suggest a South African Dish, Tomato Bredie for which I have an excellent dish HERE.