On the Southen slopes of the Table Mountain range and it's world-renowned floral kingdom lies the historic Constantia Valley, the cradle of winemaking in the Cape. Rooted in ancient soils, the vineyards climb up the East-facing slopes of the Constantiaberg, where the vines benefit from cool sea breezes blowing in from False Bay. The ward receives about 1,000mm of rain per year, making irrigation unnecessary, and has an average February temperature of 20.6 degrees Celsius.
The soils of Constantia originated from 200 million year old granite, with Table Mountain sandstone higher up against the slopes. The well-drained decomposed granite with a high clay content ensures good water retention. The majority of the route consists of Hutton, Avalon, Oakleaf, Tukulu and Glenrosa soil types.
The average age of the vines in Constantia range between six and fifty years. Vineyards are planted at altitudes between 55 and 420 meters above sea level.
The Wine Route member properties, combined with independent Constantia farms, comprise a total planting of 421 hectares of vine for the ward. This amounts to 0,44% of the total plantings in South Africa. A terroir motivated 63,58% of white varietals lead the production in this area.