Of all the New World wine producing regions, South Africa is by far the oldest. Its first record of wine making dates back to February 1659, taken from the diary of Dutch governor of the Cape of Good Hope, Jan van Riebeeck.

By 1699, Constantia, nestled in the shadows of the spectacular Table Mountain above Cape Town was already a productive wine estate. During the 18th century the sweet wines from the Cape vineyards were favoured by European royalty. Napoleon is also said to have cherished these wines above all others.

A bottle of 1791 Constantia was discovered in the Duke of Northumberland’s cellar in the UK in the late 1980’s, and duly returned to South Africa for a ceremonial tasting.

This 200 year-old deep amber liquid had withstood the passing of the years beautifully. Its complex fruity flavour scored an incredible 18.7 points out of 20. A gold medal at South Africa’s premier wine awards, Veritas, is awarded to wines scoring 16 points and above. Wines above 18 receive a Double Gold medal.

Most of South Africa’s vineyards are located at the south-westerly end of Africa, in the Western Cape Province, commonly referred to as ‘the Cape’.

The winery is established in 1993 with the idea of producing classy, innovative and distinctive wines that represent the spirit of the New World. The winery name refers to its geographic origins – Cono Sur are the wines that come from the ridged cone of South America, where Chile lies on the West and where the most fruitful grape valleys are located.

Located in Mendoza valley, one of the eight wine capitals of the world, Santa Julia Winery is a result of continually innovative spirit and passion that rule the quest for best quality wines produced.

Villa Maria winery was founded in 1961 by its present owner and managing director George Fistonish. It is a 100% New Zealand owned. One of the most significant wineries of New Zealand, Villa Maria has won many wine awards – both local and international since 1980.