Jason Felix
ONE of Cape Town’s historic landmarks and one of the biggest wine farms, Constantia Uitsig, is in the process of being sold – and the Uitsig restaurant will be closing down.
Although the final deal has not yet been signed, sources have confirmed that the buyer of the huge 60-hectare estate is Pepkor MD, Pieter Erasmus.
Uitsig has been on the market for R175 million. The sale has been in process for the last three months but administrative “hiccups” and due diligence had been delaying the final signing.
Constantia Uitsig has three popular restaurants on the property. La Colombe has been consistently rated in SA’s top10 restaurants as well as highly placed in world rankings, and looks set to continue running. Constantia Uitsig is highly rated for its cuisine and setting in the original Cape Dutch manor house, and will close. The River Club, a popular breakfast and lunch venue will remain open.
The estate has 33ha under vines, laid out on highly valuable land in Constantia. There is a hotel with 16 luxury cottages, a private cricket oval and stabling for 30 horses. Additional facilities include labourers’ cottages and offices.
Chairman of Constantia Uitsig Lawrie MacIntosh said the due diligence period had been moved to October 31. “There are things like zoning and liquor licenses and other matters to be finalised.”
He said he was pleased that the prospective buyer is a South African, but refused to disclose a name.
Macintosh said they are currently in the process of restructuring at Uitsig. “We need to get back to profitability. The wine estate shifted more to hospitality instead of wine farming. That will be discussed with the new owner but nothing has been made final.”
Seeff Constantia agent Marie Durr said: “The wine estate has a record of award-winning hospitality and restaurant facilities and the potential to be further developed.”
The farm dates to 1894 when it was acquired by Willem Lategan. It was restored and viticulture reintroduced in 1988.
Constantia Uitsig is a top destination on the Cape’s wine tourism route and is popular with local and international visitors, not only for its wine tasting and gourmet offerings, but as a holiday, wedding and event venue, Durr said.
The estate produces around 140 tons of grapes annually of which around 30 tons are sold to third parties.
According to Minister of Tourism Marthinus van Schalkwyk, wine tourism contributed an estimated R4.3 billion to South Africa’s tourism revenue in 2009.