page_title: History of South African wine
section_title: Founding of Constantia
hierarchical_section_title: History of South African wine / Founding of Constantia
caption_attribution_description: Français&#160;: Muscat - secteur de Beaumes-de-Venise, Vaucluse, France
context_page_description: The early history of the South African wine industry can be traced to the founding of a supply station at the Cape of Good Hope by the Dutch East India Company. Jan van Riebeeck was given the task of managing the station and planting vineyards to produce wine and grapes in the Wijnberg;[1]
  that could be used to ward off scurvy for sailors continuing on their voyages along the spice route.[2][3] In 1685, another Cape Governor, Simon van der Stel, purchased a large 750-hectare estate, founding what later became the world-renowned Constantia wine estate.[4] In the 19th century, South Africa fell under British rule which proved lucrative for the wine industry as South African wine flowed into the British market. This prosperity lasted until the 1860s when the Cobden–Chevalier Treaty signed by the Palmerston government and France reduced the preferential tariffs that benefited South African wine in favor of French wine exports.[3]
  Following the devastation from the phylloxera epidemic in the late 19th century, many vineyards were replanted with high yielding grape varieties such as Cinsaut.
context_section_description: In 1679 Simon van der Stel was appointed to succeed van Riebeeck as governor of the Cape Colony. Against Dutch East India Company regulations he orchestrated a deal for a land grant near Table Mountain for a 750-hectare (1,900-acre) estate – a grant 15 times larger than the Company's normal provision. He named this estate Constantia. Legend has it he named the estate after his wife, although her name was actually Johanna. Other theories are that the name derives from one of the Dutch East India Company ships or possibly in honor of the virtues of constancy and faithfulness. Van der Stel took a keen interest in the wine production of the Cape and recruited more French winemakers to the colony. Around his estate and vineyards he planted rows of European oak trees that would shield the vines from the strong gale–force winds of the Cape Doctor. Records show that van der Stel imported many grape varieties to his estate, among them Spanish Sherry grape Palomino (known locally as "White French"), Chenin blanc (Known as "Steen") and Semillon (known as "Green Grape"). He also had a variety of Muscat grapes planted, including the Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains (which ranged in color from white to brown), Muscat of Alexandria and a red Muscat variety that was most likely Muscat Hamburg.
  Throughout the Cape, van der Stel set high standards for wine production. He issued official decrees that imposed a high penalty on growers harvesting grapes before they were ripe or fermenting wine in dirty barrels. Van der Stel's dedication to quality soon garnered the wines of Constantia – and by association the Cape – a reputation for quality across Europe. Wine expert Hugh Johnson has described Constantia as the first New World wine to enjoy international acclaim. The early tasting notes from Batavia in 1692 remarked that the Cape wines of Constantia were the highest quality that had ever been exported there. In his 1705 work, Description of the Cape of Good Hope, the Dutch writer Françcois Valentijn noted that the red wines of Constantia were on the same scale of quality as the best Persian wines or Lachryma Christi from Italy. He also went on to praise the quality of the Chenin blanc Steenwyn produced at the estate.
caption: The Cape wine estate of Constantia brought world wine to South Africa for their Muscat wines.
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