Klein Constantia

During the 18th and 19th centuries Vin de Constance was the most famous wine from the Southern Hemisphere. It seduced the Kings and Queens of Europe, featured in the novels of Charles Dickens and Jane Austen and consoled Napoleon in exile. However the estate went into serious decline in the early 20th century and Klein Constantia was virtually derelict when purchased by Duggie Jooste in 1980 and had not produced any wine in the previous 50 years.

The vision of Duggie Jooste combined with the talents of viticulturist, Ernst Le Roux and winemaker, Ross Gower, have thrust this beautiful estate into the front ranks of Cape producers. Their coup de grace has been the resurrection of the sweet Vin de Constance which is produced from 100% Muscat de Frontingnan, siblings of the original vines imported by the Cape's founder, Simon van der Stel, in 1656. The first vintage was produced in 1986. An arbitrary EU regulation, forbidding the sale of unfortified wine with a potential alcohol of over 15%, was scrapped earlier this year enabling this wine to be offered in the UK for the first time in over half a century