Klein Constantia - Vin de Constance Klein Constantia - 50cl White wine ● Constantia

Klein constantia - vin de constance 2013klein constantia is located in constantia, above cape town in south africa. The 146-hectare estate was originally part of constantia, a vast estate created in 1685 by simon van der stel, the first governor of cape town. The first vines were planted in 1652, and in 1659, constantia was one of only three wines from the southern hemisphere to be listed among the 44 greatest wines in the world. The first international export of constantia took place in 1726. It soon became a favorite of European nobility, including the Prussian emperor frédéric le grand, whose cellar contained 409 bottles of « capp constancia » in October 1777. in versailles, the cellar of louis xvi and marie-antoinette contained 2,634 bottles of capp constancia in november 1782. Lambertus johannes colyn took over the estate in 1798 and had a vast knowledge of the vinification of sweet wines; in his diary, he describes everything from soil preparation (one basket of manure is used for four vines) to pest control to fining (each barrel with a basin of sheep's or goat's blood). Napolé bonaparte, in exile on the island of sainte-hélène, enjoyed up to a bottle of vin de constance a day. He reportedly even asked for a glass on his deathbed, refusing all other food and drink offered to him. However, in 1872, constantia vinification ceased, due to the shortage of manpower caused by the abolition of compulsory pilotage;abolition of slavery, the arrival of oleum, and the fact that the taste of the wine market was changing from sweet to dry. In 1980, duggie jooste bought klein constantia and decided to restore the farm to its former winegrowing glory. From 1986 onwards, klein constantia produced its first modern sauvignon blanc and cabernet sauvignon, followed by the famous vin de constance in 1990. Lasting changes were made in 2003, and the estate was sold in 2011 to Czech investor zdenek bakala and British businessman charles harman. In June 2012, renowned Bordeaux wine personalities bruno prats and hubert de boüard merged their stellenbosch-based farm anwilka with klein constantia.vin de constance is made from muscat de frontignan grapes. The grapes are hand-picked in several batches, ranging from bunches of ripe berries with high acidity to individual raisins with intense sugar concentration. The grapes are then macerated and fermented, each batch being separately preserved and processed to achieve the perfect ratio of sugar, alcohol and acidity. Cold maceration of the skins can take up to 2 weeks. Each batch is lightly pressed in 500-liter barrels for fermentation, which stops naturally and without intervention; this takes from 6 months to a year. After fermentation, the wine is matured on coarse lees in a combination of new French oak, Hungarian oak and French acacia for at least 3 years. No racking or movement of the wine takes place until the final blend is reached."Aromas of citrus marmalade and frangipani abound on the nose. Full-bodied and complex, a good sugar/fruit ratio combined with high acidity ensures the wine's balance.page: 100% muscat de frontignan