THE ORIGIN
The Latin meaning of Constantia translates to constancy or steadfastness, attributes Simon van der Stel. Groot Constantia’s revered history tells us how a man’s love of wine established the first wine farm in South Africa and by going back 330 years, we come to understand how 891 morgen of land created the origins of the South African wine industry and how every owner thereafter contributed to what we know as Groot Constantia today.
THE VINEYARD
Agricultural activities at Groot Constantia include viticulture. In 1709 there were 70 000 vines on the farm and Van der Stel produced 5,630 litres of wine. Through, the years ownership of Groot Constantia changed, but the legacy and supremacy of the wines produced remained.
The tour aims to make your day a memory to treasure.
Take a step back in time and experience how the wines are made. Enjoy a 45-60 minute guided tour through the modern cellar, followed by a wine tasting and audio visual screening.
Operational Days: Every hour from 1000hrs until 1600hrs (7 hours a day)
Daily Tours: 7 Days a week except Good Friday and Christmas Day.
AWARDS
Both in 2012 and 2013 Grand Constance walked away with a top award from the “Monde Selection International Wine Contest” in Brussels. The Gold Award that was presented by the Monde judges to Groot Constantia’s Grand Constance. The award is issued to products that obtain an average result of between 80% and 89% - meaning an indisputable guarantee of quality to the consumer.
Adding to this success, In 2013 Grand Constance was also selected as one of the Top 100 SA Wines in 2016, and also named as best in its class.
Grand Constance is South Africa’s oldest wine and is the finest example drunk by Emporers and Kings, from Frederick the Great of Prussia to King Louis Phillipe of France all vied for their share. Charles Dickens celebrated it in Edwin Drood, Jane Austen's character recommended it as a cure for a broken heart to heroine Marianne Dashwood in Sense and Sensibility and Charles Baudelaire compared Constantia wine to his lover‘s lips in his most famous volume of poems, Les Fleurs du Mal (The evil flowers). Before his death in 1821, Napoleon Bonaparte had 30 bottles a month shipped over to St Helena to ease his exile.