It’s no secret that the Cape Winelands has among the most unbelievable jewels within the wine trade, so it ought to come as no shock {that a} 200-year-old bottle of Grand Constance has been offered for practically half 1,000,000 rand.
An especially uncommon bottle of 1821 Grand Constance fetched practically half 1,000,000 rand on the Cape Advantageous and Uncommon Wine Public sale in Stellenbosch lately. The label has peeled in components and though stained on the edges, the phrases “Grand Constance1821”, the French translation for Groot Constantia, are clearly legible.
The bottle, which offered for R420 000 to a purchaser from the UK, was anticipated to succeed in a value of R80 000 to R130 000 however exceeded all expectations when the hammer got here down! “This lovely darkish hand-blown bottle with its lengthy neck and crimson wax seal is not only a bottle of previous wine – it represents the wealthy historical past of the South African Wine Trade, with Groot Constantia’s Cloete Cellar on the very coronary heart of it,” says Boela Gerber, winemaker for Groot Constantia and the mastermind behind the recreation of this centuries-old wine. “A uncommon bottle of 1821 Grand Constance is greater than a prized collector’s merchandise, it’s the story of the Cloete Cellar in liquid kind, and a priceless testomony to the legacy of Groot Constantia.”
In 1780 Hendrik Cloete purchased the farm Groot Constantia, which was established by the primary proprietor, Simon van der Stel, in 1685. As an enthusiastic winemaker, he constructed the Cloete Cellar, investing in the most effective gear obtainable to provide wine. In 1794 Hendrik Cloete died and his son took over the Property, persevering with the legacy and the manufacturing of the candy Constantia wine that was extremely prized by European and British the Aristocracy. It’s documented {that a} month-to-month order of Groot Constantia’s Constantia wine was delivered for the unique use of Napoleon whereas he was exiled on Saint Helena Island from 1815 till his dying in Might 1821. Joseph Luson was an area agent of the English East India Firm and was tasked to provision the French contingent at Longwood Home and the civilian inhabitants of Saint Helena. He purchased the wine straight from the Cloete household who owned Groot Constantia. Luson was married to Catharina Maria Cloete, daughter of Pieter Lourens Cloete, the wine service provider of Groot Constantia.
The historic Cloete Cellar continues to be a significant a part of the Groot Constantia Property. Refurbished in 2017, it provides a lightweight ethereal venue for wine tastings and chocolate pairings surrounded by the historical past of the property. Previous carriages add a way of historical past, as do the show instances that home a set of previous bottles sourced from all around the world which have made their means again to their origin. Panel shows inform the tales of the individuals who constructed the Groot Constantia legacy of consistency, high quality, heritage, and sustainability. “Within the Cloete Cellar historical past comes alive if you style the Grand Constance so adored by Jane Austen, Napoleon, Louise Philippe (King of the French) and the who’s who of yesteryear,” says Gerber. “Grand Constance is a candy wine constituted of a mix of crimson and white Muscat grapes. Left on the vines till they’re sundried raisins, they’re fermented of their skins earlier than being pressed and put into the barrels to mature.”
Constantia means “steadfast/consistency” in Latin, and the legacy of the Cloete Cellar and the constant high quality of Groot Constantia’s wines continues centuries on from the Cloete period. The present achievement of a Groot Constantia bottle of wine doesn’t solely belong to Groot Constantia however each South-African ought to take satisfaction on this African achievement”, concludes Jean Naudé, CEO of Groot Constantia.
For extra data go to www.grootconstantia.co.za or join with Groot Constantia through social media on Twitter, Fb, and Instagram @GrootConstantia