Uitsteekende Uitsig

The view from the terrace of Constantia Uitsig restaurant (below) is excellent and so too are the wines. So much so, that fully 35% of production from the 30ha of vineyards is sold off the farm – tasting room, River Café, La Colombe and Uitsig proper. A better result indeed for 50% owners Tokyo Sexwale and Mark Wilcox than the ANC’s Mangaung meeting last month. The pair were on the farm last week and some deckchairs on SA Titanic are expected to be re-arranged soonish, especially after Mvelaphanda sold its stake in the Times Media Group to Caxton, kings of community newspapers, one of the few profitable aspects of legacy publishing left. Could another wine investment be on the cards for Tokyo and Mark?

If so, they’ve a wonderful asset in winemaker André Rousseau and marketing manager François Theunissen, who has turned a 5% export profile before he joined into 35%. There has also been a return to making a wooded reserve Chardonnay, a range that was suspended in 2004, shortly after André took over from Nicky Versveld. Coming from Twee Jonge Gezellen, it made sense for André to turn his hand to bubby – something he did with consummate grace.

Uitsig wines are made on neighbouring Steenberg, which brings in a handy two bar for that cellar headed by John Loubser who was so well schooled in Robertson, he recommended unoaked Chardonnay to André. JD Pretorius makes the Steenberg wines and his wedding last month was cause for widespread mourning in the valley. Will single gals now have to rely on baboons for dates as predicted in a memorable Cape Times headline “baboons rampage on Klein Constantia looking for wives.” Or perhaps Mark and Tokyo sold Times Media to buy Independent Newspapers, publisher of the Cape Times.