There's bubbly and there's BUBBLY...

The Panel gets serious about tasting wines for the FRIVOLOUS FESTIVE SEASON

BY IRINA VON HOLDT CWM

It’s that time of year when we instinctively reach for the bubbly. Summer’s in full swing, the holidays are upon us, the bubbly’s well chilled and we don’t even need a corkscrew. Napoleon understood these things, although he didn’t bother to wait for summer. Instead, on Champagne he had this to say, “In defeat I need it, and in victory I deserve it!” So he drank a lot of it.

We’re always revved up for the bubbly tasting—lots of smiles, lots of anticipation. And a welcome surprise—we’re confronted with 99 of them! Way too many for a single tasting so we have to taste over two sessions to sort through the impressive number, and impressive the wines are too.

Right now bubblies are riding high with wine lovers, hence the high number. Cellars have spotted this new market, so many of the bubblies are new—untried and untested. It does show, however, because those producers with years of experience deliver beautifully nished wines with poise and polish. e others will nd that it takes many vintages to get all the little details right.

So there’s bubbly and then there’s bubbly— and not all are created equal.

In defeat I NEED it, and in victory I DESERVE it!

SPARKLING CONTENDERS First up are the bubblies that are made in bulk and carbonated, same as ginger ale or cola. ere was a time when they were somewhat coarse with bubbles the size of golf balls, but no more. Modern carbonisation is slick and gives wines with millions of tiny, busy bubbles, sometimes a bit zzy, and that’s how to tell the dierence. In a Méthode Cap Classique or MCC the bubbles are less explosive and better controlled, never zzy. “ese are quite fun, obviously not expensive. Oh, and serve well chilled,” says Winnie.

Dave: “Loved them.” Greg: “It’s ne to use non-classic varieties here, and they can work.”

Christine: “M-mm, just look what you can do with Sauvignon Blanc.”

Next we get into the vexing question of sweet bubblies.

Margaret is quick o the mark: “Normally I don’t like sugar, but it’s just ne in these wines. ere’s certainly a market for it.”

Greg: “Oh yes, they’re great for party venues. eir biggest seller is sweet sparkling.”

Oh dear, what would Professor Noakes say?

NON-VINTAGE MCC BLENDS ese are the entry level MCCs, and very good they are too. It’s a good place to start because they are young and lively, not too challenging and are guaranteed to give a li whether you’re at a party of twenty, or sitting alone feeling blue.

“e very fact that so many producers are making these now shows that there’s a market for them,” says Winnie. “Russia wants our bubblies, too,” says Christine, adding to the growing excitement.

“The Chenins are so lovely, I can’t even pick them out as dierent,” says Winnie. “ey are my top scorers,” smiles Dave.

THE ROSÉ MCCS A hundred years or so ago rosé sparkling wines were what a gentleman was supposed to drink from an actress’s slipper. Very gallant, but also a charming way to spoil a wine. A good story nonetheless.

Irina: “A lack of serious rosés for me. ese are all rather light, frivolous and pretty.”

Greg with a smile: “I enjoyed many of these.”

Dave: “Patio wines for me. I was underwhelmed.”

Our foodie, Claude, has another idea: “I’d like to have some of these with a grilled kreef.” Actually, so would we, if only we could get some kreef.

“Or salmon sashimi,” says Colin. “I always open a sparkling rosé with sushi. e colour matches the salmon.” So there it is—either the actress’s slipper or the sashimi. You choose.

THE BLANC DE BLANCS Recent tastings have shown this style to be the highest scoring. e reason?

“Loved the avour, and the depth and delicacy of these wines,” says Winnie.

That sums up the why. Now what about the how? Is it the intrinsic quality of the Chardonnay grapes, or are the winemakers spending more time and trouble on the details in making this wine? “It’s both,” says Greg. His comment is expanded on by Winnie. “Better quality of grapes and extra eort,” she says. “ere’s less room for error here. Blending can oen x up errors, but you can’t do that in a single variety wine.”

Christine agrees. “It’s a specialist thing,” she says.

If you’re looking for a SPECIAL BUBBLYfor say, caviar, then make your way to the BLANCS DE BLANC with some years of age behind them

And when specialists get busy they are driven by passion and a determination to get it right, sparing no eort to get there. “Experience shows, doesn’t it?” says Irina.

THE VINTAGE MCCS In the case of Champagnes this is the star style. It is made only in special years and, at the same time, reects the house style. Not so in SA.

“So many wines, but a lot of dierent wines,” says Claude, looking doubtful. Irina agrees. “Not a highlight of the tastings,” she says. “A pity.”

Buks, ever gentle, says: “I’m generous when scoring—I gave a lot of these wines good scores.”

Christine: “Not me. I found a lot of faults—oxidation, wrong varieties. As they age they develop real interest, but not all did. I thought this would be the star category, but it isn’t.”

Greg: “Yes, it’s a mixed bag. I am trying to nd a trend, which is the best? Is it Blanc de Blanc, or older wines, or whatever, but they are all so mixed. When too young, though, I must say they are really not good.”

“Better when older, that’s the message,” says Christine.

Clive has the last word. “Anything that stays on the lees for longer,” he says, “and then stays on the cork for at least two years is better.”

So if you’re looking for a special bubbly for say, caviar, or even that kreef, then make your way to the Blancs de Blanc, choose something with a few years of age and made by a specialist producer, and you won’t go wrong.

From the Wine-of-the Month Club panel... a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year and... don’t forget the bubbly.

WINES TASTED BY THE PANEL: MCC

WINE-OF-THE-MONTH CLUB: Simonsig Kaapse Vonkel Brut 2011

ALSO LIKED Darling Cellars MCC Blanc de Blanc Brut 2017, L’Ormarins Brut Rosé 2015, Simonsig Kaapse Vonkel Brut 2013, Stony Brook Lyle MCC 2014

WINES LISTED IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER: Aetheria Brut Rosé NV, Alvi’s Drift Thornlands MCC NV, Avontuur Brut MCC NV, Babylonstoren Sprankel 2014, Benguela Joie De Vivre 2014, Boschendal Brut NV, Boschendal Brut Rosé NV, Boschendal Grande Cuvée Brut 2014, Bruce Jack Penelope Rosé 2016, Canto Chardonnay MCC 2015, Canto Char/Pinot Noir MCC 2016, Canto Pinot Noir Brut 2017, Christina MCC NV, Christina MCC Brut Rosé NV, Creation Elation (Rosé) MCC 2015, DeMorgenzon MCC NV, De Wet Cravate Brut 2016, Domaine Des Dieux Rosé of Sharron Rosé 2011, Genevieve MCC 2015,Graham Beck 2012, Graham Beck Blanc de Blanc 2015, Graham Beck Brut NV, Graham Beck Brut Rosé NV, Graham Beck Pinot Noir Rosé 2014, Havana Hills Sauv Blanc 2017, Ken Forrester Sparklehorse 2016, Kleine Zalze Vintage Brut MCC 2013, Laborie Blanc de Blanc NV, Laborie Brut NV, Laborie Brut Rosé NV, Leidersburg Brut Rosé 2018, Lord Wine MCC Brut NV, Lord Wine MCC Brut Rosé NV, L’Ormarins Blanc de Blanc 2013, L’Ormarins Brut Classique NV, L’Ormarins Brut Classique Rosé NV, Louisvale MCC Brut NV, Louisvale MCC Rosé NV, Marklew Brut Reserve NV, Mendola Blanc de Blanc 2015, Mulderbosch MCC Brut 2015, Nitida Matriarch MCC 2018, Noble Hill Blanc de Blanc 2016, Paul René MCC Brut 2016, Paul René MCC Brut Rosé 2016, Pierre Jourdan Belle Rosé MCC NV, Pierre Jourdan Blanc de Blanc NV, Pierre Jourdan Brut MCC NV, Rickety Bridge Brut Rosé NV, Rickety Bridge MCC Blanc de Blanc NV, Rijk’s MCC Brut 2014, Saronsberg MCC 2016, Silverthorn The Green Man MCC 2017, Simonsig Kaapse Vonkel Brut 2014, Simonsig Kaapse Vonkel Brut 2015, Simonsig Kaapse Vonkel Brut 2018, Simonsig Kaapse Vonkel Brut Rosé 2018, Spier Signature MCC 2017, Steenberg 1682 Chardonnay MCC NV, Steenberg 1682 Pinot Noir NV, Stellenrust Clement de Lure MCC NV, Stony Brook Lyle MCC 2015, Tanzanite Brut MCC NV, Tanzanite Brut Rosé MCC NV, Thelema MCC 2015, Upland Earthsong 2018, Villiera Brut Natural 2015, Villiera Monra Brut 2013, Villiera Tradition Brut NV, Villiera Tradition Brut Rosé NV, Weltevrede Philip Jonker Brut NV

To purchase these wines and more, head to our website www.wineofthemonth.co.za