Double decker wine tour

Cape Town’s Red Bus is a unique way to experience the city and its urban vineyards. Geared with a camera and brochure, I set off to experience the hop off, taste, hop on trip first hand.

With my car’s service overdue, I could not resist the gap to put public transport to the test for a day of wine tasting, without the fear or fret of drinking and driving in the process. After dropping my car for a service in Paarl, I quickly popped in at the office to show off my tourist gear, before taking the train to town.

I hadn’t been on a train for a few months, so I was thrilled to take a seat in a carriage packed with people. On-board entertainment included the ‘train vendor’ and the occasional one man show buskers, who jumped from one carriage to the other, singing old gospel tunes as the people in the carriage hummed along harmoniously.

After an hour, I arrived in Cape Town and hopped onto the next available taxi to the V&A Waterfront. As we wove our way through red traffic lights, I offered to collect the fare for the taxi driver, so that he could focus on the road. “It should be R80 in total, make sure everyone pays,” he said, chewing the life out of his bubble gum. Finally, we got to the Waterfront, where I was welcomed by the ever smiling Jarryd, administrator at the Waterfront stop.

He energetically guided me through the ticketing process and showed me where I had to queue for the Blue route bus. Okay? Did he just say blue? Yes, the blue route on an unmistakable, striking red bus. Five minutes later our bus arrived, I introduced myself to the driver and told him that I was a journo camouflaged as a tourist. He insisted that it better be a good story, before directing me to the capable hands of Alex, a seasoned guide on the bus, who was working with a young intern, Lwazi.

As we manoeuvred through Cape Town’s tourist trail, Lwazi urged me to try the onboard commentary, offered in 16 languages. Whilst in deep conversation with my headphones, we reached our first stop, Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, where a group of tourists got off and another group got on. We headed for Constantia Nek where my wine journey started, I got off the Blue route bus to join the Purple wine tour bus.

Papa Lennox is one of the shuttle drivers up and down the Constantia route. The two shuttles on this route arrive at 20 minute intervals. The wineries with City Sightseeing stops are Groot Constantia, Eagle’s Nest and Beau Constantia. I opted to start from the bottom up, with Groot Constantia as my first stop.

Having worked there as a winemaker intern, I was excited to visit my old employer as a ‘tourist’. As I walked past the Jonkershuis, my old colleagues were happy to see me and quipped about how much weight I had gained since switching from winemaking to wine writing. The reception was filled with tourists waiting for the cellar tour.

Charles Collins, tasting room manager at Groot Constantia, welcomed me to the tasting lounge and insisted I taste the 2013 Chardonnay that just scooped the Chardonnay-du-Monde award. Tourists listened in awe as he commenced with the process to change them from visitors to ambassadors.

My second stop, Eagle’s Nest, offered a different experience, with fewer tourists. The lawn complements the peace and tranquillity of the estate. Pressed for time, I tasted their Merlot and Sauvignon Blanc and then moved on to Beau Constantia, where the view from the urban chic tasting lounge stretches across the Constantia valley to Muizenberg and beyond.

The city sightseeing concept is a self-guided tour, the emphasis being on direct interaction with the client, rather than scheduled tours where the guides repeat the same thing over and over. Talking to a few internationals, I got the feeling that most tourists enjoyed taking the red bus, because it is affordable, hassle free and safe – and one can explore Cape Town without getting off the bus.

The whole tour took me three hours and I just got a glimpse of what the valley has to offer. Most of the passengers are return clients, who agree that one day is just not enough to fully appreciate the city and its surrounds. As the commentary says, “Life is slow in Cape Town and we prefer it that way in the Mother City”.


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