Klein Constantia is an iconic and historic wine estate located in the suburb of Constantia in Cape Town, South Africa.
History
Dating back to 1685 and described as one of the world’s most beautiful wine estates, Klein Constantia is set amidst ancient trees on the upper foothills of the Constantiaberg, with views across False Bay. The perfect location for cool climate wines, Klein Constantia produces some of South Africa’s top wines, including one of the world’s best natural sweet wines, Vin de Constance.
Prized by leaders and aristocracy throughout 18th Century Europe, Constantia’s Vin de Constance soon became part of the literature of the 19th century. In Edwin Drood, Charles Dickens tells of "the support embodied in a glass of Constantia and a home-made biscuit,” while Jane Austen recommends that her forsaken heroine try a little Constantia for “its healing powers on a disappointed heart.”
Following devastation in the vineyards, caused by Phylloxera at the end of the 19th Century, the wine was revived by Klein Constantia in 1986, reaffirming this unique natural sweet wine’s place in history. Since being re-introduced, Vin de Constance has consistently appeared in lists of the world’s top wines. The 2007 vintage was awarded 97 points by Neal Martin of Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate, making it the best rated South African sweet wine in history.
Today, Klein Constantia continues to make wines that reflect the cool Constantia climate, as well as their historic tradition under the watchful eye of talentented winemaker Matthew Day.
Philosophy
Klein Constantia is custodian to some of the most historic vineyards in South Africa and, indeed, the world. The unique location, climate and soils of their estate call for the making of terroir-driven wines, and they're deeply committed to this principle.
Simple winemaking techniques are used to extract the best from grapes grown in expertly nurtured vineyards with the aim of making consistently excellent wines. They strive to produce wines of high quality that express elements of elegance, minerality and balance.
As a WWF Conservation Champion their vision aligns with that of the World Wildlife Fund. Klein Constantia aims to unite conservation and agricultural development in a complementary, mutually beneficial manner. They continually strive to produce wines in more environmentally responsible and biodynamic ways.
Their wine range includes a top quality Estate range, a second label KC range, and the flagship revival of the famous Constantia sweet wine, Vin de Constance. They also produce limited volumes of Perdeblokke Sauvignon Blanc (a premium single vineyard Sauvignon Blanc), Metis Sauvignon Blanc, Méthode Cap Classique Brut, Riesling, Chardonnay and an Estate Red blend.
