On a whim John Loubser decided to produce 2 000 bottles of Cap Classique at Steenberg to (aptly) see in the turn of the millennium. “Nobody could have foreseen the success,” says current winemaker Elunda Basson as she shows me around the cellar. The Constantia estate produces a number of celebrated bubblies. Unusually, they also make a bottle-fermented sparkling sauvignon blanc.
While well-known for excellent Cap Classique – and certainly have a glass or two while here – I invite you to also pull back the curtain on the stories of Steenberg’s Flagship Wine Tasting.
Steenberg marries the contemporary with the traditional: geometric art springs up from verdant lawns; there’s a boutique hotel and a dreamy spa. The tasting lounge features a ‘sculpture’ above the bar, made up of 2 700 individual grapes that seem to float. There are also two restaurants, Tryn for fine dining and Bistro Sixteen82 for more relaxed yet no less delicious fare. For those wanting to get into the swing of things, there’s an 18-hole golf course, too.
Served with stories: what to expect from Steenberg’s Flagship Wine Tasting.
Catharina
A Bordeaux-style blend. Only the very best barrels are selected.
Catharina, who founded the estate in 1682, arrived in the Cape in 1662. Widowed young, she quickly married Hans Ras, a soldier. Their dramatic wedding day included a wagon race and a near-fatal stabbing for Hans, who was later killed by a lion. Legend claims Catharina avenged him by hunting the lion herself. Another husband fell foul of an elephant. She ended up marrying five times.
The Black Swan
This premium sauvignon blanc is a blend of the estate’s best parcels.
Plucky Catharina originally called the estate Swaaneweide, which translates to ‘the feeding place of swans’. The birds however were actually large spur-winged geese, who still frequent the lawns in great numbers.
Semillon
A combination of oak-ageing and tank elevage for a rich yet fresh house style.
Semillon is Steenberg’s secret weapon and is part of the blend of the estate’s top wine, the Magna Carta. The story of Cape winemaking is one of Semillon itself. Planted prolifically in the early 1800s, it was so widespread it was simply called Groen Druif, meaning ‘green grape’.
Nebbiolo
Italian variety aged in French oak for 24 months.
Pioneers of the grape in the Cape, Peter Finlayson (Bouchard Finlayson) and Herman Hanekom (of Steenberg) planted the first vineyard of it in 1993 in the Cape South Coast. Steenberg’s first estate block was planted in 1994 and another one in 2007.
Where is it? Steenberg Estate, Steenberg Road, Constantia Valley, Cape Town.
Why it’s fab? A modern yet timeless design aesthetic creates an elegant backdrop for enjoying the estate’s fine wines.
What you should have? Treat your visit here as a destination: book in for a treatment at the spa, followed by a wine tasting, and then lunch or dinner at one of the restaurants.
The wine to try is… The Semillon.
Star ranking: 4.5 stars
