Friday's event was a ride on City Sightseeing’s Red Bus tour to Constantia. We started from outside the Aquarium with some of Klink’s staff, other media and Klink fans. www.winetourismsouthafrica.co.za/klinkawards/
After a late start, we headed off on the bus through the southern suburbs to Constantia Nek where we were served a lovely cold glass of Steenberg’s MCC (this is NOT part of the normal tour!) before boarding the Wine Bus, which ambles through this leafy suburb and takes you to visit several wine farms. We ended up at Groot Constantia, where a special event had been set up for us. You, too, can enjoy this tour; it is a great way to see our city if you don’t want to drive – http://www.citysightseeing.co.za/tour-timetables.php
The best pick
up point is outside the Aquarium in the V&A Waterfront
Boarding our
special bus
Our friendly
and very competent driver, Mampe
Monika Elias, publisher
of Wine Tourism South Africa and the Klink Awards, tells us about the planned
trip
On De Waal
Drive - the best place to sit is right in front, for the view. You are given
earphones for a tour commentary along the way, pointing out all the important
and historic landmarks
We arrived at
Constantia Nek where the Wine Bus was waiting for us. This has been nominated
for a Klink award this year and you can vote for it - the first time a tour bus
has been nominated for an award
Jenny Prinsloo,
CEO of Franschhoek Wine Valley gets a welcome glass of Steenberg Sauvignon
Blanc MCC from Caroline van Schalkwyk, Steenberg’s Marketing Manager
Lots of takers
for this lovely wine, including Grant Newton, Groot Constantia Sales & Marketing Manager
There were
choices. Steenberg has been nominated for a Klink Award
Monica reads
us the itinerary
Vincent is the
driver on the Wine Bus
Mandi Jarman, Sales & Marketing Manager of City Sightseeing, makes sure we are all on board
Arrival at
Groot Constantia
We all walk
down the avenue to this historic landmark
and pause for a group photo
The event, put
on by the Constantia farms nominated for Klink awards, was held in front of the
historic winery behind the manor House. Here Thinus Botha of Buitenverwachting pours a glass of their lovely Hussey's Vlei Sauvignon blanc. Their Restaurant has been
nominated in the Fine Dining category
Chef Edgar Osojnik
had produced a lovely selection of biscuits and petit fours for us
The Groot
Constantia Valley stand had Chanette le Roux, dressed as Napoleon, and a
chocolate and wine pairing, always available in their tasting room, which has been nominated
Chef Edgar
also produced a lovely stacked vegetable canapé, much appreciated by the hungry
mob of journalists and bloggers ...
and was happy
to help with pouring the wine
Lynne tasting
and chatting to Justin van Wyk, who makes the wine for both Constantia Glen and
Beau Constantia
Jenny Prinsloo
with Gus Allen of Constantia Glen
Beau
Constantia’s Pas de Nom (translation is Without a Name), but these wines are
certainly not without character!
The stands set
up in front of the historic wine cellar
The team from Constantia Glen
Caroline offered us cheese platters with the Steenberg wines
Back on the
bus and time to go home. The wine bus drops you back at Constantia Nek, where
you re-board the Red bus which goes via Hout Bay and follows the Atlantic coast
all the way back to Cape Town, a lovely scenic trip
One of Lynne’s
favourite views from the bus, of Llandudno, where her family used to live
© John &
Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2014
