Purchased at Sotheby’s in 1974 and stored at the Tabernacle since.

A similar bottle was sold by Christie's in 2018 for $4 900

Strauss & Co has sold a single bottle of Grand Constance 1821 for a record R967,300 including commission in 2021, which also hails from this collection of historic sweet purchased at Sotheby’s in 1974.

‘However, extremely high prices for Constantia wines are nothing new. When the Dutch East India Company (VOC) put 36 leaguers of Constantia on the Amsterdam market in 1762, the White sold for up to £190 per leaguer while the Red fetched over £333 per leaguer – a massive profit for the VOC, given that it was only paying the two Constantia producers £12 per leaguer of white and £16 per leaguer of red (a leaguer having been equivalent to about 575 litres; Red Constantia having been made from the ripest red Muscadel grapes blended or at least coloured with Pontac).’ – Joanne Gibson Winemag.co.za

South Africa’s wine history stretches back to Jan Van Riebeeck in the 1650s, although sweet wines dominated until the widespread establishment of vineyards in the 20^th century. Unlike the deep wine heritage of Europe however, few bottles of very old South African wine remain today. This is suspected to be a sweet wine from Constantia, confirmed by tasting when recorked. Information passed on with the bottle suggest it to be 1791 or 1890, but due to the colour and aromas, we believe it to be the former.

This wine has been checked and re-corked by Amorim cork under supervision of auction curator Higgo Jacobs, assuring provenance, quality and long life. Seal code WS-466136 can be traced on Amorim Recorking Directory