Klein Constantia
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Klein Constantia is a wine estate in the suburb of Constantia in Cape Town, South Africa.
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[edit] Foundation
Groot Constantia was established in 1684 by the VOC Governor of the Cape Simon van der Stel, and was used to produce wine as well as other fruit and vegetables and cattle farming. Following van der Stel's death in 1712 the estate was broken up and sold in three parts.
[edit] The Cloete family
In 1778 the portion of the estate surrounding van der Stel's mansion was sold to the Cloete family, who planted extensive vineyards and extended and improved the mansion. On the death of Hendrik Cloete in 1818, the estate was split, and the upper portion became the property of Cloete's son Johan Gerhard Cloete under the name Klein Constantia.
[edit] The De Villiers family
In 1913 Klein Constantia was purchased by Abraham Lochner de Villiers, a wealthy draper from Paarl, and his American wife Clara Hussey. The house and its estate were restored.
[edit] Cape Muslim heritage
Klein Constantia is the site of the kramat or grave of a revered Cape Muslim teacher and cleric, Sheik Abdurachman Matebe Shah, who is said to have been one of the three teachers who brought Islam to southern Africa in the seventeenth century.
[edit] Wine production
Klein Constantia is noted particularly for its production of high-quality white wines, including Sauvignon Blanc and Riesling. In 1986 the estate began production of a Constantia dessert wine for the first time since the 1880s: Vin de Constance. June 2007 saw the release (last bottled in 2001) of their flagship red blend, Marlbrook comprising Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet franc, of vintage 2005, which quickly snapped an award, and the second vintage of their flagship white blend Mme Marlbrook, which is made from Semillon, Sauvignon blanc and a dash of Muscat de Frontignan.
