A winemaking position in the Constantia Valley has long been seen as one of the cushiest berths in Cape Wine. Yet in one month, two winemakers have jumped ship – supple Karl Lambour from Constantia Glen is off to Franschhoek and the wine estate/fine dining restaurant/art gallery cum yoga and meditation retreat Holden-Manz (the former Klein Genot) while Adam Mason is leaving Klein Constantia for Mulderbosch in Stellenbosch. His escape up a big oak tree is shown below.

Adam Mason leaves Klein Constantia

All eyes will be on the Constantia replacements as Karl’s Bordeaux-style Glen blends will set new benchmarks while Adam’s unreleased Vin de Constance, maturing quietly in barrels of Hungarian oak in the capacious KC cellars, is perhaps the greatest treasure trove in SA wine. New KC owners Zdenek Bakala and Charles Harman have big velskoene to fill (see above) while Karl’s creepers are among the largest in the Cape and will be difficult to replace.