Shiraz

A meaty curry bean casserole, pepper steak, springbok, chilli biltong or mature cheddar cheese.

Vineyards are trained on vertical shoot position trellis systems. Vineyard actions like pruning, canopy management and harvesting are done by hand. Pest control is done biologically, and soil health and weed control are managed by a selected mix of winter cover crop. Mediterranean climate with cool breezes from the Atlantic Ocean, with an average maximum temperature in summer of 26˚C, and an average night-time low in winter of 8˚C. The long-term average rainfall is 1100mm per year.

The wines were matured for 12 months in 25% new, 25% 2nd fill, 25% 3rd fill barrels and 15% 4th fill 500 litre French oak barrels, with 10% in 2700 litre foudre.

The grapes were handed picked at 24 - 25º Balling. The biggest component was fermented in stainless steel tanks with regular pump-overs, and 40% was fermented whole bunch in open fermenters with manual punch downs.

In 1679 Simon van der Stel was appointed by the Dutch East India Company to govern the Cape of Good Hope. After years of loyal service he requested land from the Company. He periodically sent out riders to collect soil samples. In 1685 he chose 891 morgen (about 763 ha) situated behind Table Mountain for its wine-growing potential and magnificent scenery. Over the years the wines produced on the estate caught the attention of influential people across the globe – clearly due to its impressive quality. Global aristocracy made sure that they had enough stock of this acclaimed and precious product. Our founder named his farm Constantia after the Latin word for constancy or steadfastness. These attributes he valued greatly and today we follow in his footsteps to uphold his enduring legacy of perfection at Groot Constantia.