Groot Constantia

Groot Constantia is a historic Cape wine estate at Constantia, in the Cape of Good Hope area of South Africa. It was established on a grant of roughly 763 hectares that Simon van der Stel, Governor of the Cape, selected for its wine-growing potential. Production and cellar facilities were expanded during the Cloete family era, between 1778 and 1885. The estate is owned today by the Groot Constantia Trust NPC RF.

The site was picked for wine before anything was planted on it: van der Stel chose the roughly 763 hectares specifically for their wine-growing potential. The estate was working at real scale early on, and by 1709 it cultivated around 70,000 vines, producing roughly 5,630 litres a year. The Cloete family later expanded both production and the cellar facilities between 1778 and 1885.