Did you know that Constantia is one of the oldest wine-producing regions in the Southern Hemisphere? So they surely know how to make fantastic wine out there and the Constantia Uitsig Estate is a perfect location for a day out with the family.

One could say that the estate is divided into five different areas. You’ll find the Heritage Market, Blockhouse Kitchen with a marvellous kiddies playground attached, La Grotto Ristorante, Wine Tastings and the Bike Park. But let’s start from the beginning.

Heritage Market

Whenever we visit Constantia Uitsig, we always start our time there at the Heritage Market. Why? Because of Kristen’s Kick Ass Ice Cream. The kids love to get their ice cream scoop first and then munch it away with an amazing view over the grapevines. Parents won’t be disappointed either. They’ll have a difficult choice to make between delicious craft beer, single-origin coffee, deluxe fine chocolates and cases and yummy sushi. The various small vendors have a lot to offer and you can just wander along the heritage buildings and get a taste of everything. Here you’ll find an overview of all the shops at the Heritage Market: VENDORS

Blockhouse Kitchen

Next stop for us is the Blockhouse Kitchen. Here we often enjoy a delicious lunch while the kids can play at the shaded playground directly attached to the restaurant. So you can enjoy your food and watch the children play right next to you. They do offer a kiddies menu, high chairs and excellent food. They aim to use the freshest produce from sustainable and local South African growers and farmers while also following ethical practises. They like using animals, fish and vegetables in their entirety – ‘Nose to Tail, Root to Leaf.’

They are open Tuesday to Saturday for breakfast (09:00 – 11:30), lunch & dinner (12:00 – 21:00). On Sunday and Monday you can enjoy breakfast (09:00 – 11:30) and lunch from 12:00 – 17:00

La Grotto Ristorante

This is a new addition to the Constantia Uitsig Estate and we haven’t tried the restaurant yet. But according to the website, you’ll find hearty and flavourful authentic Italian food there, made by hand and using organic ingredients. Their menu ranges from pizzas, pastas, seafood and veal. They only serve the Constantia Uitsig wine and customers are not allowed to bring their own beverages.

The La Grotto Ristorante is closed on Mondays. From Tuesday to Saturday, they serve lunch from 12:00 – 15:00 and dinner from 18:00 – 22:00. On Sundays, you can enjoy lunch from 12:00 – 17:00.

Wine Tastings

You can taste and buy the famous Constantia Uitsig Collection from Wednesday to Sunday (11:00 – 18:00). Tasting the full range of wines is by appointment only and they also offer exclusive vertical tastings in their cellar.

Bike Park

The bike park, which was designed by Downhill World Champion Chris Nixon, is open 7 days a week from 09:00 – 18:00 and features a variety of pump tracks for all experience levels. All ages are welcome to ride along the beginner jump lines all the way to expert drop-offs, rock gardens, a wooden berm, rollers and a suspension sky bridge (that tracks the canopy of the trees) ending in a corkscrew exit. There is also a cozy hideout, a pitstop with bike repair facilities, a dual slalom race track and bike party hire facilities! So get your BMX’s, mountain bikes and cyclocrosses out and experience this fun pump track totalling a length of 2.8km.

The entry fee is R65 (or R850 per year) with a special R40 off-peak charge between 8-9am daily. In case you’re out of money, you’ll find a card machine on-site.

General Notes

Smoking is not permitted on the entire Estate and unfortunately, there are also no dogs allowed on the premises. They also charge a R10 parking fee which can be paid for at the Shops, the Restaurants or the Paystation. For the first 30 minutes, parking is for free.