Groot Constantia Gouverneurs Reserve 2018

Country: South Africa

Region: Constantia

Grape: Cabernet Sauvignon 38%, Cabernet Franc 32%, Merlot 24%, Petit Verdot 6%

Volume: 75cl

ABV: 14%

Vintage: 2017

Suitable for Vegans: No 

Suitable for Vegetarians: No

Food pairing: Venison ragu would be incredible next to this but any big game dishes would be perfect for this South African Bordeaux blend.

History tells us that in 1679 Simon van der Stel was appointed by the Dutch East India Company to govern the Cape of Good Hope. After years of loyal service, he requested land from the Company. He periodically sent out riders to collect soil samples in order to explore. In 1685 he fell in love with the soil and chose 891 morgen (about 763 ha) situated behind Table Mountain for its wine-growing potential and magnificently beautiful scenery. Over the years the wines produced on the estate caught the attention of influential people across the globe – due to its impressive quality.

Groot Constantia’s rich history shows how one man’s love of wine established South Africa’s first wine farm more than 330 years ago and how those 891 morgen of land formed the origins of the commercial South African wine industry, with Emperors and Kings such as Frederick the Great of Prussia  and Louis Phillipe (King of the French) buying ‘Constantia Wyn’ at auctions across Europe.

South Africa’s oldest wine became so celebrated globally, that it appears in Jane Austen’s novel ‘Sense and Sensibility’ as a cure for a broken heart to be drunk to lift a character’s spirit as in ‘The Mystery of Edwin Drood’ by Charles Dickens.