Groot Constantia, an historic wine estate in Cape Town’s Constantia Valley, is commemorating an historic link to French Emperor, Napoleon Bonaparte. It is 200 years since Napoleon died in exile as British prisoner on the Atlantic Ocean Island of St Helena in 1821. According to records, Napoleon consumed about 30 bottles of Groot Constantiia wine per month in his last years.

Rooksana Omar, CEO of Cape Town’s Iziko Museum, says the fact that Napoleon could appreciate wines from the Cape Colony proves that the process of globalisation had already begun.

Jean Naude, CEO of Groot Constantia, says the British decided to serve Groot Constantia to Napoleon after he threatened to say he was not being treated well in exile on St Helena. According to Naude the Groot Constantia trademark was at the time already valuable and well known.