Vin De Constance – The Legendary Wine
There are wines – think engineered wine in a box. There are so-so wines – think inexpensive bottles. There are great wines – think expensive Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne, and Napa. Then there are legendary wines – think history!
Vin de Constance from Southern Africa is one of those wines immortalized in poetry and prose, and you may never hear of. It was a must-have wine if you were royalty in the 18th and19th century. It was preferred over Sauternes now believed to be the best dessert wine in the world. Kings and queens like it over previous long time darlings Tokaj and Madeira. The legendary Vin de Constance still may lay forgotten in the cellars of Europe’s great wine collectors.
It still might have ruled the sweet wine category today. But at the end of the 19th century, the dreaded disease “Phylloxera” made its way from Europe to Africa. Phylloxera killed the vines and caused devastation of the vineyards and lead to bankruptcy amongst winemaking families of South Africa. As a result, the production of the famous dessert wine ceased for over a century.
Thanks to the redevelopment of 300-years old Klein Constantia Estate in the 1980s, the famous sweet Constantia wine was reintroduced to the world in 1986.
So what is Vin de Constance? Why was royalty so hooked on it?
Vin De Constance: History and Winemaking Process
Vin de Constance is the natural dessert wine from the Cape Cod area of South Africa. In the process of bringing it back, the old records were studied, and vines were found, which, in all likelihood, came from the original stock used in Constantia 300 years ago. So, in a sense, we get to drink the same wine kings and queens were drinking over a century ago. That’s a royal history in a glass for you.
Besides history, what else makes Vin de Constance irresistible?
It starts with a long harvest process that sometimes stretches for up to three months in the best vintages. Throughout the season, grapes harvested in batches from the riper berries that have high acidity to the raisin-like for sugar concentration. So as the grapes ripen crew will go through and harvest only ripest bunches. Then they take a break and repeat. Every time they’ll get berries that are riper and sweeter. As the clusters hang on the vine, they start losing water, shiver, and turn into raisins – those are the sweetest – harvested last.
The magic continues in cellars. These batches form the perfect ratio between sugar, alcohol, and acidity, which allows the wine to stop fermentation naturally and without intervention. Vin de Constance wine is the culmination of great attention to detail, form bunch and berry sorting to barrel aging and cellaring.
Vin De Constance 2013
We introduced the members of our wine club to this royal wine with 2013 Vin de Constance.
Season:
In 2013 prolonged winter and cool spring delayed the growing season, but Ideal conditions prevailed. Moderate daytime and cooler nighttime temperatures helped to maintain the acidity. Dry season ensured for perfect ripening and raisining of the Muscat de Frontignan.
In the cellar:
The wine was aged in a combination of 60 % new French oak, Hungarian oak, and French Acacia. It was left for 3 years in barrel on the gross lees (sediment) before racking out and blending. It spent a further 6 months in tank before bottling for the flavors to marry.
In a glass:
In a glass 2013, Vin de Constance is a vivid golden color. The aromas of honey, tangerine marmalade, orange blossom, yellow plum preserves, and quince seduced us with a first whiff. It was creamy and yet refreshing. Our taste buds were dancing the Viennese waltz to the decadent flavors of honey-dipped quince, apricot and caramelized orange with gingery zing. All that rich density is balanced by refreshing acidity, allowing you to taste all the complexity of this wine and its long persistent finish. Hey, that’s why the royalty was after this legendary wine!
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So next time, when you are in Napoleon’s mood or feel as bright as Bismark or as important as English Prime Minister, the Vin de Constance is perfect for the occasion.
I think I’m having Prime Minister moment right now. Honey, where’s that 2013 Vin de Constance?