VIN DE CONSTANCE
2022 Klein Constantia
| Grapes | Muscat |
| Origin | South Africa, Western Cape |
| ABV | 13.5% |
The 2022 vintage stood out for its intensity and precision, shaped by a late start and a condensed harvest window. Warm, dry conditions dominated the season, with minimal rainfall and increased sun exposure contributing to excellent ripening. The growing season brought some pressure due to wind and heat, but balanced canopy growth and careful vineyard management delivered fruit of exceptional quality. Temperatures remained steady through harvest, avoiding the intense spikes often seen in late summer. The 2022 harvest will be remembered as one of exceptional quality across the Cape, marked by a warm, dry growing season and a notably late, condensed harvest. In Constantia, this resulted in a compact yet precise picking period from 9 March to 8 April, completed in 18 passes through the vineyard. Each batch was handled individually, with most grapes undergoing two weeks of skin contact before pressing. Fermentation stopped naturally, preserving purity and balance. The wine matured for 18 months in 500L French, Hungarian and Austrian oak barrels (50% new), followed by an additional 20 months in large-format wooden foudres. Only the finest barrels were selected for the final blend—capturing the vintage’s intensity, elegance, and layered complexity. L&S (Sept 2025)
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DELIVERY SERVICE
We offer free nationwide delivery on all orders over £150 (excluding Highlands & Islands). Express Delivery options also available.Power and precision in the flavours, a touch of tar, rosebuds, pink grapefruit, preserved citrus, star anise, just a ton of flavour and character and grip, it stretches out through the palate, peach pit, with energy and power. Just such a consistently great wine. Matthew Day winemaker, 90ha estate, 18 months in 50% new 500L Hungarian and French oak barrels, followed by 16 months in large oak casks, 168g/h residual sugar. Rating: 97 Jane Anson, www.janeanson.com (Sept 2025)
Klein Constantia
Vin de Constance comes from the Klein Constantia estate founded in 1695, just 20 miles from Cape Town at the foot of Table Mountain. Most unusually for a ‘New World’ wine, it was big news in Europe throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Napoleon is said to have shipped over bulk quantities of Vin de Constance to St Helena, to allow for about a bottle a day to see him through his exile there, but he was not alone, Louis XVI, Frederick the Great and the discerning gastronomes that made up the Russian Royal family were all more than partial too. Our own dear Jane Austen recommends it in Sense and Sensibility to sooth a broken heart and the more effusive Frenchman, Monsieur Baudelaire, suggests that only the ‘lips of a lover were more heavenly sweet...’ Following its early success the estate’s fortunes changed in the mid nineteenth century – the dreaded Phylloxera devastated the vineyards and the estate went in to rapid decline. Not until 1979 did life get breathed back in to Klein Constantia when a local family picked up the pieces, planted new vines and started the revival of this once illustrious wine estate – the revival has continued as new owners took the reins in 2010, with deep pockets and huge ambition. You can read David Porter's latest blog piece on the recent 2008 Vin de Constance Tasting with Matt Day the Winemaker Here
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