On a small corner of the original land, David van Niekerk has restored ‘High Constantia’ to its former winemaking glory. He is planting stocks and producing from the cellar – a structure that is reminiscent of High Constantia’s original home for wine – wines that, while they echo the gracious past of the former estate, give new life to the subtle flavours born of the mystic inter-relationship between earth and climate in the Constantia valley.
High Constantia began its history in 1693 as an outpost for the Dutch East India Company and was initially called Wittebomen because of its many Silverleaf trees. In 1806 a section of this property, bordering on Groot Constantia to the north was granted to William Duckitt, British Agricultural adviser. The property was bought by Jacob van Reenen, son of Sebastiaan Valentijn van Reenen (Snr) in 1813. It was Sebastiaan Valentijn van Reenen (Snr) who masterminded the wine-farming venture on High Constantia. He was convinced that the soil must be the same as Groot Constantia’s and that the climate of the hillside gave the wine its particular flavour. ConstantiaValley
