Baudelaire's Poem Hunt: Reading Les Fleurs du Mal in the Vineyard

Baudelaire ranked Constantia wine alongside opium and Burgundy in "Sed non satiata" from Les Fleurs du Mal. Jane Austen recommended it for "a disappointed heart." Dickens put it in Edwin Drood's cupboard. Three literary giants, one wine. Find the French original of Baudelaire's poem and read it in the vineyards where the wine was made.

What to do there

3 things to do

1. 1 Find the French Text of 'Sed non satiata' History · Free

   Before you visit Klein Constantia, find Baudelaire's "Sed non satiata" online -- fleursdumal.org has the French original. The line you're hunting: "Je préfère au constance, à l'opium, au nuits." Three of the 19th century's greatest pleasures ranked in one breath. Constantia wine above Burgundy. Constantia wine above opium. In a poem about obsessive desire. Print it or save to your phone. You're going to read it in the vineyard where the wine was made. Public domain, available everywhere.

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2. 2 Read Les Fleurs du Mal Among the Vines Wine · Free

   After your Klein Constantia tasting, ask if you can walk into the Muscat de Frontignan vineyard. Same grape Van der Stel planted in 1685. They'll usually say yes. Stand in the rows. Read Baudelaire aloud in French. The wine Napoleon demanded on his deathbed. The wine Dickens and Austen wrote about. You're reading a 167-year-old French poem where the legend was born. If vineyard access isn't allowed, read it from the terrace overlooking the vines. The view works just as well.

   Log Memory
3. 3 Hunt the Austen and Dickens Quotes History · Free · Optional

   Jane Austen recommended Constantia wine in Sense & Sensibility for "a disappointed heart." Dickens wrote of "the support embodied in a glass of Constantia and a home-made biscuit" in Edwin Drood. Three literary giants -- Baudelaire, Austen, Dickens -- all wrote about the same Cape wine. Search for "Constantia wine Jane Austen" and "Constantia Dickens Edwin Drood" before or during your visit. Print the exact quotes. You've now collected the literary trinity of Constantia wine. If you're lazy, ask Klein Constantia tasting room staff. They love this story and have the quotes on display.

   Log Memory