Klein Constantia Vin De Constance, Sweet Wine | 500 ml

Product Information

This whimsical wine of yore might feel like a counter to the nation’s new wave, but it’s not so, says Day. “For me, Klein Constantia has always been on the forefront of the movement, but in a completely different way. We might not be as trendy as some of the newer producers, but we like to think the work that we have done with Vin de Constance over the past decade has shown the world that South Africa has the potential to compete with best of the best in the world.”

When you’re responsible for the 21st-century incarnation of one of the world’s most famous wines, the obvious temptation must be to leave well alone; to pay more attention to history than modernity, and to place a higher value on tradition than innovation.Muscat de Beaumes de Venise is one of the best Vin Doux Naturels in France. This is produced by adding grape spirit to the partly fermented must - the best producers, such as Domaine de Durban, produce deliciously sweet wines with rich grapey aromas balanced by fruity acidity.

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. Vin de Constance is regularly tasted alongside and compared to Château d'Yquem and other great dessert wines. However, it's fundamentally different in that it is produced from raisin-like Muscat de Frontignan grapes, ripened and concentrated on the vines, usually with no botrytis. The goal at Klein Constantia with Vin de Constance is to become that great sweet wine of the world,” he says. “I think we’re about 98% of the way there now. To get that last 2% is going to be 100 times harder than what we’ve done in the past. We’re not there yet, but we’re almost there.” The change of ownership signalled an end to the slightly scattergun approach to Vin de Constance, and the beginning of a more systematic reboot of the wine, from vineyards to winemaking and ageing.Please note, whilst the majority of parcels sent on this service are received next day, this is not guaranteed. 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. For Day, it’s about fine-tuning the balance between primary, secondary and tertiary flavours – taste 2014 today and the emphasis is on the tertiary, while 2020 “has just left the primary stage”. 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] At that moment I knew that I couldn’t just write about my experience, I had to experience the wine fully, so am currently planning my second visit to Cape Town in March 2023 to meet the winemaker Matthew Day and his familywho continue to care for the Klein Constantia brand. Klein Constantia’s Vin de Constance produced from Muscat de Frontignan grapes on the Cape Peninsula. Photo: Klein Constantia

The wines of Klein Constantia and Anwilka, including Vin de Constance, are represented in the UK by Mentzendorff. 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. Klein Constantia is noted particularly for its production of high-quality white wines, including Sauvignon blanc and Riesling and is world-renowned for its revival of the famous 18th and 19th century Constantia dessert wine, known today as Vin de Constance. Since 2012, they have been gradually evolving the style, striving for balance and freshness, with increased precision. For Day, the aim is to make “a sweet wine that doesn’t taste sweet”.How, then, did such a legendary wine fall from grace? Economic downturn in the second half of the 19th century, followed by the arrival of mildew and phylloxera in the Cape, and the subsequent dominance of the KWV – the state-run cooperative – saw it vanish.

alcohol. Beautifully aromatic with notes of grapes, lychee and some crystalline citrus, as well as a hint of barley sugar. The palate shows great concentration and sweetness with grapes, honey, spice and a twist of orange peel and apricot. There’s a bit of structure here under the mass of sweet fruit. So impressive: still very primary and sweetly fruited, but with potential for development for many years. 95/100 There are echoes here of Moët Hennessy’s new approach with Château d’Yquem. Coinciding with the release of the famed Sauternes property’s 2019 vintage in early 2022, the company outlined an international by-the-glass programme designed to persuade people to enjoy Yquem young, rather than cellaring it for decades. In May 2011 the Jooste family sold Klein Constantia to Czech businessman Zdenĕk Bakala and Charles Harman from the UK. Both have been regular visitors to South Africa for the past twenty years, and together with their families now divide their time between their respective homes in Europe and Cape Town. [12] Mr Bakala is co-founder of the global diversified investment group, BXR, of which Mr Harman is the CEO. [13]

About this WINE

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.’