Napoleon's drink of choice
· 1 min read
Groot Constantia’s Grand Constance 2013 won a platinum award for the Best South African Sweet Wine at the 2016 Decanter Asia Wine Awards. Wine has been produced on this farm since 1685 and Grand Constance, the French translation for Groot Constantia, is a brand from the Napoleonic era. Napoleon had 30 bottles of this wine shipped over to St Helena every month to ease his exile. Recently Groot Constantia purchased a 195 year old Grand Constance in an online auction on Catawiki and returned the bottle to the Cloete Cellar where it was produced nearly two centuries ago.
More from
Markets, business and trade
Does Government know what it’s costing you?
A decision made in Pretoria can change the way a wine business operates. But who makes sure the people making those decisions understand what happens on the ground? South Africa Wine’s Jordyn Goeieman takes us inside the often unseen work of influencing the policies that affect the industry.
All roads lead to Wine Paris
With professionals from more than 169 countries attending Wine Paris in 2026, the exhibition has become an increasingly important meeting point for the global wine trade. Nicolas Cuissard, Director of Wine Paris, speaks to WineLand about the exhibition’s growing international influence, opportunities for South African producers and what it takes to turn participation into business.
Before you bottle it, can you sell it?
A good wine and an attractive label are not enough to build a sustainable business. South Africa Wine’s Phil Bowes explains why finding customers, testing assumptions and understanding the numbers should come before committing to a new wine brand.