Groot Constantia Grand Constance

The blend of white and red Muscat de Frontignan gives this dessert wine a beautiful amber colour. The bouquet shows caramel and toffee with dried fruit like apricot and peach, as well as a hint of orange blossom. The caramel and dried fruit follows on the palate, and the fresh vibrant acidity balances the sweetness, to leave a more-ish finish.

In 1685, during an annual visit to the Cape, Hendrik Adriaan van Rheede tot Drakenstein granted the grounds of Groot Constantia to Simon Van Der Stel, the VOC (Dutch East India Company) Governor of the Cape of Good Hope. Van der Stel built the house and used the land to produce wine as well as other fruit and vegetables, and for cattle farming. Following Van der Stel's death in 1712 the estate was broken up and sold in three parts: Groot Constantia; Klein Constantia; and Bergvliet. The wine cellar was added by Cloete in 1791. The house remained in the possession of the Cloete family until 1885, during which period the estate became famous for its production of Constantia dessert wine. Over the years the wines produced on the estate caught the attention of influential people across the globe – clearly due to its impressive quality. Our founder named his farm 'Constantia' after the Latin word for constancy or steadfastness. These attributes he valued greatly and today we follow in his footsteps to uphold his enduring legacy of perfection at Groot Constantia.