wein.plus
Attention
You are using an old browser that may not function as expected.
For a better, safer browsing experience, please upgrade your browser.

Log in Become a Member

Constantia

In 1685, the Dutch governor Simon van der Stel (1639-1712) acquired an approximately 750-hectare plot of land southeast of Cape Town in what is now South Africa, which he named "Constantia" (perseverance) after the virtue he valued (not after his wife - as one often reads - because her name was Johanna). He was not the first, however, as a vineyard had already been founded there three years earlier, which still exists today under the name Steenberg. Stel developed the property into a princely estate and was involved in fruit-growing and especially viticulture. He attached great importance to hygiene. He experimented with different grape varieties such as Palomino (which he called Fransdruif), Sémillon (which he called Wyndruif), Chenin Blanc (called Steen in South Africa) and Pontac (Teinturier du Cher). The white variety Muscat de Frontignan (in South Africa for Muscat Blanc) was used to produce a sweet wine, some of it fortified, which gained legendary fame worldwide and was supplied to all the ruling houses in Europe. At the time, there were white, amber and red varieties.

Voices of our members

Roman Horvath MW

wein.plus is a handy, efficient guide to a quick overview of the colourful world of wines, winegrowers and grape varieties. In Wine lexicon, the most comprehensive of its kind in the world, you will find around 26,000 keywords on the subject of grape varieties, wineries, wine-growing regions and much more.

Roman Horvath MW
Domäne Wachau (Wachau)

The world's largest Lexicon of wine terms.

26,379 Keywords · 46,983 Synonyms · 5,323 Translations · 31,713 Pronunciations · 202,091 Cross-references
made with by our author Norbert F. J. Tischelmayer. About the Lexicon

EVENTS NEAR YOU

PREMIUM PARTNERS