South Africa — wine

Constantia

South Africa's oldest and most historically significant wine ward on the cool, south-facing slopes of the Cape Peninsula's Constantiaberg mountain range, just 15km from Cape Town's center. Constantia produces the world-famous Vin de Constance — the 'Constance wine' beloved by Napoleon Bonaparte, Jane Austen, and Charles Dickens — from Muscat de Frontignan on deep granite and shale soils. The ward also produces outstanding Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, and the wines of Buitenverwachting, Klein Constantia, and Groot Constantia.

Year Rating Notes
2022 Outstanding Constantia vintage; Vin de Constance and Sauvignon Blanc both showed extraordinary cool peninsula mineral freshness.
2021 Classic vintage; the south-facing Constantiaberg slopes produced wines of excellent precision and the characteristic cool Cape mineral.
2020 Benchmark year; Klein Constantia Vin de Constance and Buitenverwachting Christine produced internationally acclaimed wines.
2019 Greatest Constantia vintage of the modern era; Vin de Constance of extraordinary complexity; Sauvignon Blanc of mineral perfection.
2018 Solid vintage; the granite-shale soils produced wines of excellent mineral freshness and the ward's characteristic aromatic precision.