I was given one chance to prove myself,” Day recalls. Eleven years on, it seems to have worked out. Red wine is where Anwilka comes in – the property that lies 7km from the ocean in Stellenbosch’s Helderberg foothills, and that was merged with Klein Constantia in 2012, bringing the expertise of Hubert de Boüard and Bruno Prats with it.

Klein Constantia: Press Room" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 December 2013 . Retrieved 8 March 2013. 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 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 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. 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.”The wine now is a lot lighter, a lot fresher,” says Day. “It’s a unique sweet wine in that it doesn’t taste sweet. Sugar is just a tool… Sweet wines have become quite boring. We said we’re going to make a style that will go with any meal at any part of the day.” That was more of a marketing ploy than a change of winemaking style (although Yquem 2019 has a historically high 45% of Sauvignon Blanc in the blend), but the principle – that these are wines that can be enjoyed for their vibrancy when young – is the same.

Today, Vin de Constance consistently scores over 90 points in Wine Spectator Magazine and other rating publications like Robert Parker [15] and in September 2012 Neal Martin of eRobertParker awarded Vin de Constane 2007 a 97-point rating. [16] 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.’ Constantia, the first wine farm in Southern Africa, was established in 1685 by the VOC Governor of the Cape Simon van der Stel, and was used to produce wine as well as other fruit and vegetables and cattle farming. Van der Stel, a keen viticulturist, had been the first to recognize the potential of the decomposed granite soil in the sheltered valley facing False Bay and bounded by sea on both sides after he had had soil samples collected from all over the Cape. He chose this area to plant his vines and named it Constantia. Wine Spectator (USA): wines rated 90-plus". Archived from the original on 7 July 2012 . Retrieved 20 March 2012. All three Constantia estates produce a homage to the original recipe, with Groot Constantia being called Grand Constance, "1769" at Buitenverwachting and "Vin de Constance" at Klein Constantia.

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Bush vines are very important,” says Day. “They bring out a lot of natural acidity because they ripen quite early in the season.” We always do our very best to achieve our stated delivery times but please note we can not be responsible for circumstances beyond Tanners control including, but not limited to, adverse weather conditions and supplier and carrier difficulties. Delivery to other areas - additional charges 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. Devoted to Klein Constantia as they were, Clara and Abraham were determined that the farm should remain within the de Villiers family. As they had no children of their own, their nephew Jan, son of Rocco and Annie de Villiers of Paarl, was designated as their heir, and sent to the University of California at Berkeley for two years to study viticulture. When Jan returned to Klein Constantia he remained until Abraham's death in 1930, when he then left for the Transvaal, returning only in 1955 when his Aunt Clara died, whereupon he inherited the property. With the passing of Clara Hussey de Villiers, the era of glamour and splendour came to an end. [8] The Jooste Era [ edit ]However, with no grapevine insight, no trained sommelier and truly low-grade service, this was surely going to leave a bad taste in my mouth. Now, a decade on, the importance of this shift is shining through. Being a “legacy winery” used to be “what got us in the door”, Day explains – but Klein Constantia is no longer trading on its past.