South Africa's premium Cap Classique sparkling wines can offer great quality and amazing value for money, argues Roger Jones but, apart from Graham Beck, where is their visibility in the UK? Taking the ‘red eye’ for breakfast at London’s Hide restaurant, our sparkling wine expert hears from the Cap Classique Producers Association and tastes eight Cap Classiques worthy of your attention.
The Cap Classique Producers Association (CCPA) was established in 1992 by a group of like-minded producers who share a passion for bottle-fermented sparkling wines, made according to the traditional method (Méthode Champenoise). Their version is to promote South Africa's premium Cap Classique wines, as well as the common interests of the producers. They also intend to establish Cap Classique as a generic term to describe these wines, ensuring that it is recognised both locally and in the international marketplace.
Champagne’s controlling body, CIVC, objected to the use of the word 'Champenoise' by other sparkling producers. As a result, Cape producers came up with an alternative name and, in South Africa, became known as Method Cap Classique, and more recently Cap Classique.
The name was derived from the fact that the classic art of winemaking was introduced to the Cape by the French Huguenots, and the first bottle-fermented sparkling wine produced at the Cape was called Kaapse Vonkel (Cape Sparkle).
Cap Classique have to age for 12 months on their lees, this was upped from 9 months in 2023...
To read the full article, click HERE.