Vin de Constance – A Legend is Reborn

Constantia is the cradle of South African viticulture. The unique terroir nestled between the slopes of Table Mountain and the waters of False Bay soon produced wines of international acclaim. Constantia is still home to wine estates that are rich in tradition and produce wines of superior quality. The most famous wine to come out of Constantia was recently reborn. Find out how a sweet desert wine wowed 18th century Europe, demised after a century and has now been resurrected with much acclaim.

The first wine was produced in the Cape Town area as early as 1659. It was on February 2nd that Jan van Riebeeck wrote: “Today, praise be to God, wine was made for the first time from Cape grapes.” The first person to fully realize the potential of the Cape’s terroir was Simon van der Stel. The Governor of the Cape Colony identified what is now Constantia as the best place to grow wine and established his own wine farm in 1685. Van der Stel’s Vin de Constance soon enjoyed a good reputation, but the sweet desert wine truly began to flourish when Hendrik Cloete bought the homestead in 1778. Cloete perfected Vin de Constance, a wine that was celebrated at Europe’s royal courts, ordered by Napoleon for his exile in St. Helena and even mentioned by Jane Austen in her novel Sense and Sensibility, where it is praised for its “healing powers on a disappointed heart”.

Vin de Constance was an international success until well into the 19th century. By the late 19th century, however, phylloxera and mildew put a halt to the international success of the sweet treat that was made of a blend dominated by Muscat de Frontignan. The valley of Constantia recovered as a wine making area, producing quality red and white wines, but Vin de Constance had died out for many years.

The Jooste family bought the wine farm of Klein Constantia as recently as 1980. After redeveloping the land, Vin de Constance was reintroduced in 1986 and once again is a roaring success credited with many international awards.

The valley of Constantia has several wine farms, all of which produce wines of superior quality. A wine tour in Constantia is not only rich in history and tradition, its proximity to the city of Cape Town also makes it very accessible. Constantia is a quiet haven only 20 minutes from a cosmopolitan city and a great place to spend a week or two. Accommodation in Constantia at the Southern Light Country House gives you the opportunity to relax completely with all the amenities of a modern city just around the corner.

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