Klein Constantia Vin de Constance 50cl

Description

Klein Constantia Vin de Constance is a dessert wine made by Klein Constantia Estate. It is one of the world’s most famous sweet wines. Vin de Constance is available to buy now at Fareham Wine Cellar.

A Dessert Wine with Historical & Literary Connections

Klein Constantia in South Africa is the oldest, most enduring vineyard region in the Cape, first producing wine in 1689. Klein Constantia’s philosophy is founded on quality rather than quantity, reflected in the wines regularly inviting accolades, both locally and internationally. It became a favourite of European kings and emperors, such as Frederick the Great and Napoleon, who had it ordered from his exile on St Helena. It is also mentioned in Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility, in which Mrs. Jennings recommends a little Constantia for “its healing powers on a disappointed heart”.

The Modern Era

The modern era for Klein Constantia can arguably be said to start when Duggie Jooste bought the estate in 1979 and decided to revive the farm to its former winemaking glory with the help of Professor Chris Orferr of Stellenbosch University. In 1985, Klein Constantia released the first new vintages for commercial sale in over a century. Most recently,y the Jooste family sold the estate to Zdenek Bakala and Charles Harman in 2011. In 2012, the estate merged with Anwilka and gained two new shareholders in the form of wine world heavyweights Bruno Prats and Hubert de Boüard.

Klein Constantia Vin de Constance Winemaking

Klein Constantia Vin de Constance is made from Muscat de Frontignan (muscat blanc á petits grains). To make this sought-after wine, the shrivelled grapes are late harvested by hand with bunch and berry selection. The wine is fermented and then aged in a combination of 50% new French oak, a small amount in Acacia barrels and some in large oak foudres. It is aged for 3 years in barrel on the lees, before racking out, the portions are blended and then the wine is left to rest in tank for 6 months before bottling.

The residual sugar for the 2019 vintage is 166 g/L. The combination of residual sugar and alcohol levels has a well-known preservative effect on bottled wine. This wine is capable of ageing for many decades, if not generations, from release.

Vin de Constance in Fifty Shades of Grey!

The 2004 Vin de Constance made an appearance in the second book of the 50 Shades erotic trilogy at a masked ball attended by the novel’s protagonists, Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele!