Astrom: Vin de Constance deserves to be better known

Hans Astrom, managing director of Klein Constantia, has spoken of his desire to see fine wine enthusiasts take more notice of Vin de Constance.

Speaking to the drinks business, Astrom said he wanted collectors and fine wine buyers to “keep track of” the sweet South African wine.

He said that although the dry wines in Klein Constantia’s portfolio were still improving, “Vin de Constance is already at the top level.

“It’s incredibly good value, it has good ageing potential and it’s very pleasant to drink,” he added.

He admitted though that there was still not quit enough of it on the secondary market and that it, like many other sweet wines, was, “still not sexy enough” for most buyers.

Part of the problem, he lamented, was that the estate was so neglected between the late 19th century and 1979 when its new owners began to restore it to its former glory.

“If it had been well managed imagine the kind of vintages we could open today,” he said.

“I wouldn’t say we would be as high as the likes of Yquem but we’d be in that league.”

To help promote the idea of Vin de Constance as a collectors’ item, Astrom reported that the latest vintage, 2008, would also be released in magnum.

Just over 1,500 will be released next February while there are also other, as yet unconfirmed plans, to raise more awareness of the brand next year.