Klein Constantia Estate Red 21

Described as one of the world's most beautiful vineyards, Klein Constantia is set amidst ancient trees and lush greenery on the upper foothills of the Constantiaberg, with superb views across the Constantia Valley and False Bay. Its history dates back to 1685, when an enormous tract of land was granted to the Dutch East India Company's tenth commander at the Cape, Simon van der Stel. He had specifically requested this property on the undulating foothills of Table Mountain's backbone not only for its beauty, but also for its decomposed granite soils on slopes gently cooled by ocean breezes - the perfect conditions for quality winegrowing. It was about 15 times the size of a normal land grant and he named it Constantia, perhaps signifying his intention to make the Cape his constant or permanent home. By the time of his promotion as governor in 1691, Van der Stel had 10,000 vines planted at Constantia, and when the first small cask of his wine was shipped to Dutch East India Company headquarters in Batavia in 1692, the feedback was good: "The wine from Constantia is of a much higher quality than any sent out so far, but obviously only obtainable in small quantities."