The original sweet wine which made Groot Constantia one of the world's iconic wine producers during the 18th and 19th centuries has been re-launched in an elegantly classical and historically true bottle to celebrate the Estate's 325th anniversary.
Groot Constantia's iconic sweet dessert wine, which was praised by the likes of Napoleon, Charles Dickens and Jane Austen, is named Grand Constance, a brand used by Groot Constantia in its early years of existence. Like its illustrious predecessors which were served at the European courts of royalty, the Groot Constantia Grand Constance is a blend of red and white Muscat de Frontignan grapes picked during the latest stages of ripeness, barrel-fermented and then matured in old French oak barrels.
According to Boela Gerber, cellar master at Groot Constantia, historical research and interesting discoveries led to the re-launch of the Estates Grand Constance in a bottle based on those used in the 18th century.
The story of this new bottle for our classic sweet wine began, of all places, in the American state of Delaware, says Gerber. In 2004, an American citizen picked up a piece of glass on the beach at Lewes, Delaware, on the east coast of America. The piece of glass had the inscription "ConstantiaWyn" on it and American historians traced this artefact to a ship that had been stranded in the Delaware Bay in 1774. The ship was a British supply ship named the Severn, which sank in the Delaware Bay after being hit by a storm. The wreckage was only discovered in 2004.
Unfortunately the bottle of Groot Constantia wine was broken during the storm and except for the engraved inscription ConstantiaWyn, the bottle offered no other clue as to the nature of the contents. According to Gerber, it could only have been one of the sweet wines that Constantia was known for at that time.
Through meticulous historical research combined with elegant styling, IDESO was able to create a wine bottle that captures the true essence of the wine's history, as is evident in the demand for the commemorative bottle exceeding supply.
IDESO is a leading Cape Town based, product design consultancy, with the ability to take ideas from concept all the way through to manufacture.
For competitive advantage through professional design, contact Marc Ruwiel on (021) 914 8444
