Klein Constantia Vin De Constance, Sweet Wine | 500 ml

Product Information

a b "Klein Constantia Vin de Constance". Archived from the original on 31 July 2010 . Retrieved 20 March 2012. Vin de Constance is a naturally sweet wine, made with unbotrytised raisined grapes. It’s matured in oak barrels and is unfortified. Attention to detail is meticulous. The grapes are brought in in several passes, with low-sugar, higher-acid grapes first, then the super-sweet raisined berries. Barrel ageing has been reduced to three years on average. Beautifully perfumed with sweet citrus, marmalade, grapes and honey. Spicy and intense with great freshness, sweetness and complexity. Nice spicy, raisiny notes with lovely focus and complexity. So fine, pure and complex. Has great acidity, and some tannin, balancing the sweetness beautifully. So fine. 97/100

The modern era for Klein Constantia's 146 hectare estate really began in 1986, when production of sweet Muscat de Frontignan wine – now known as Vin de Constance – was revived. Alongside this iconic wine, a range of elegant Estate wines are produced, with a particular focus on the variations of Sauvignon Blanc which can be achieved from differing parcels of vineyard. A recent renovation of the winery and cellar allows winemaker Matthew Day to concentrate on attention to detail, making cleaner, fresher wines that could only hail from the inimitable Klein Constantia terroir.In June 2012, Klein Constantia merged with Stellenbosch-based vineyard, Anwilka (formerly co-owned by Lowell Jooste, Hubert de Boüard and Bruno Prats) and Klein Constantia welcomed two new shareholders in de Boüard, of Château Angélus and Prats, formerly of Château Cos d'Estournel. [14] Wine production [ edit ] a b Klein Constantia. "History". Klein Constantia. Archived from the original on 14 April 2012 . Retrieved 4 April 2012. Viticulture in the Cape region of South Africa dates from 1651 when the first vines were planted by Dutch settlers. Wine was produced from these grapes for the first time in 1658, and in 1685 Constantia was established by Simon Van der Stel as a growing region between False Bay and Hout Bay. Van der Stel planted the first Muscat de Frontignan grapes in the Constantia Valley, thus beginning the legacy of the famous sweet wine of Constantia, best known today as Vin de Constance. Matt Day, head winemaker at Klein Constantia since 2012, presented four decades of the estate’s wine at the Institute of Masters of Wine in September 2019. Day’s intention was to demonstrate his philosophy of balance and his mission to increase the freshness of the wine. Achieving balance is the goal of every winemaker, and Day discussed this holy grail in the simplest terms. ‘You need to make a sweet wine that almost tastes dry, so that you can drink it at different parts of a meal.’

The original Constantia estate was huge, and a long time ago was split into a number of different properties. Since Klein Constantia released their Vin de Constance, neighbouring estates have joined the game: Groot Constantia followed in 2003 with their Grand Constance, and Buitenverwachting have their 1769. It was under the Cloete family ownership that Constantia's sweet dessert wine "Vin de Constance" made primarily from vine-dried Muscat de Frontignan grapes reached the height of its fame. [2] Napoleon Bonaparte had as much as 1,126 liters (297 gallons) of Constantia wine shipped in wooden casks each year to Longwood House, his home in exile on St Helena from 1815 until his death in 1821. The Count de las Cases reported that, on his deathbed, Napoleon refused everything offered to him but a glass of Constantia wine. [3] In Sense and Sensibility, Jane Austen's character Mrs Jennings recommends a little Constantia for "its healing powers on a disappointed heart". [4]

The estate is owned by a number of businesspeople, including Zdeněk Bakala and Charles Harman, who acquired it in 2011. The following year, Klein Constantia merged with Stellenbosch’s Anwilka Estate. The latter’s Bordelais owners Hubert de Boüard (of Château Angélus) and Bruno Prats (formerly of Cos d’Estournel ) became shareholders as a result. In 1778 the portion of the estate surrounding van der Stel's mansion was sold to the Cloete family, who planted extensive vineyards of mostly Frontignac, Pontac, red and white Muscadel and a little Steen ( Chenin blanc) [2] and extended and improved the mansion. On the death of Hendrik Cloete in 1818, the estate was split, and the upper portion became the property of Cloete's son Johan Gerhard Cloete under the name Klein Constantia. The modern era for Klein Constantia can arguable be said to start when Duggie Jooste bought the estate in 1979 and decided to revive the farm to its former winemaking glory with the help of Professor Chris Orferr of Stellenbosch University. In 1985 Klein Constantia released the first new vintages for commercial sale in over a century. Most recently the Jooste family sold the estate to Zdenek Bakala and Charles Harman in 2011. In 2012 the estate merged with Anwilka and gained two new shareholders in the form of wine world heavy weights Bruno Prats and Hubert de Boüard.