A Modern Twist for Constantia Wine Route - 333 years
Can you believe that the Constantia Wine Route is celebrating 333 years this year? The celebration of this heritage brings about the launch of a very exciting and modern twist! Be amongst the first to explore each wine farm through a 360 degree virtual tour, on the Constantia Wine Route website.
Constantia Wine Route History
Constantia was founded way back in 1685, when a well to do Governor decided to plant a garden in South Africa. This garden happened to be planted on his land, all 2400 hectares of it. He was not just any Governor but also a viticulturist and so turned this fabulous 'garden' into vast vineyards that produced some of the world's finest wines. This garden? Constantia. And the man? Simon van der Stel. I mean, somehow my primary school teacher knew I needed to be part of the inter-sports named after him, because WINE! Isn't it funny that finally, at almost 33 years of age, I now realise who Van der Stel was. 
Constantia Wine Route Wine
Within a few decades the garden, known now as Constantia, and the wines produced here were already being enjoyed by royalty and nobility, and written about by the likes of Jane Austen, Charles Dickens and Baudelaire. 333 years later, the wines of Constantia are still enjoyed around the world: a proud heritage of the country, and in fact is the Southern Hemisphere’s, oldest wine producing region.A warm summer's day in Constantia will reach around 28˚C, and so due to the Atlantic cool breeze, temperatures rarely go over 30˚C during the summer. "This has a big impact on the style of wine we produce in Constantia." Says Boela, Winemaker at Groot Constantia. "The other big climatic influence is the high rainfall. Constantia gets about 1100 mm of rain per year (long term average). To put things into perspective: That is more than the annual rainfall of London!" 
Explore The Constantia Wine Route Wineries
The Constantia Wine Route has 9 wineries and potentially a 10th or so I hear. Steenberg, Groot Constantia, Klein Constantia, Constantia Uitsig, Eagles Nest, Beau Constantia, Silvermist, Buitenverwachting and Constantia Glen. Now what's really exciting about modern technology is that the Constantia Wine Route has launched a VIRTUAL TOUR of each vineyard.Now you can enjoy all the beauty that the Constantia Wine Route has to offer by experiencing a virtual tour by the click of a button. The latest incredible photographic footage showcases the scenic beauty of the Constantia Wine Route and all that the Constantia wine estates have to offer. Simply click on a wine farm and navigate to the virtual tour on each of the wine pages.