1 half-bottle per lot
Details
RARE CONSTANTIA
Lying at Christie's
Grand Constantina--Vintage 1821
Damaged wax capsule. Label states "Grand Constance 1821, Decante en 1883". Level base of neck. Characteristic straight-sided bottle with tall, swelling neck. Short cork. Height 9.5 inches
Constantia, from the Coastal vineyards of South Africa became well-known during the 18th century and subsequently was recognised as one of the classic "first-growths" of the day.
Produced from Muscat grapes; the vineyards of "Groot Constantia" being established by Simon vander Stel, governor of the Cape of Good Hope, in 1679. By 1711, South African wines were becoming known, the improvements in quality partly due to the arrival in the region of French Hugenots. A traveller in the early 1700s wrote of "world-famed Constantia wines" which were then being produced at Wynberg. In 1805 the English took possession of the Cape, and because of the Napoleonic Wars, promoted the export of South African wines to Great Britain. By 1826, trade with Britain was flourishing and wine groweres and merchants invested considerable capital in the industry. This British influence is borne out by the anglicized version of the vineyard name seen on this label.
A similar bottle (dated circa 1750) tasted in 1987 by Michael Broadbent was noted as being "distinctly spicy, gingery, rich, tangy....very high acidity, almost burning finish".
1 half-bottle per lot
Lying at Christie's
Grand Constantina--Vintage 1821
Damaged wax capsule. Label states "Grand Constance 1821, Decante en 1883". Level base of neck. Characteristic straight-sided bottle with tall, swelling neck. Short cork. Height 9.5 inches
Constantia, from the Coastal vineyards of South Africa became well-known during the 18th century and subsequently was recognised as one of the classic "first-growths" of the day.
Produced from Muscat grapes; the vineyards of "Groot Constantia" being established by Simon vander Stel, governor of the Cape of Good Hope, in 1679. By 1711, South African wines were becoming known, the improvements in quality partly due to the arrival in the region of French Hugenots. A traveller in the early 1700s wrote of "world-famed Constantia wines" which were then being produced at Wynberg. In 1805 the English took possession of the Cape, and because of the Napoleonic Wars, promoted the export of South African wines to Great Britain. By 1826, trade with Britain was flourishing and wine groweres and merchants invested considerable capital in the industry. This British influence is borne out by the anglicized version of the vineyard name seen on this label.
A similar bottle (dated circa 1750) tasted in 1987 by Michael Broadbent was noted as being "distinctly spicy, gingery, rich, tangy....very high acidity, almost burning finish".
1 half-bottle per lot