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South Africa`s Top Methode Cap Classique Wines for 2012
South Africa’s top MCC wines received recognition at the Apostles Hotel in Cape Town yesterday. The House of JC le Roux and a flurry of vintage wines dominated this year’s Amorim Méthode Cap Classique Challenge, the leading competition honouring producers of South Africa’s premier sparkling wine category.
JC le Roux won two of the categories: Best Rosé and Best Blended Cap Classique for the JC le Roux Pinot Noir Rosé 2008 and the JC le Roux Scintilla 2003 respectively. JC le Roux Scintilla 2003 is a blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir and retails at around R180 a bottle.
Elunda Basson from The House of JC le Roux with her three Amorim Cap Classique Awards
Simonsig Cuvée Royale Blanc de Blancs 2007 walked away with the best Blanc de Blancs title at this years competition and The House of Krone won the Museum Class award for the Krone Borealis Vintage Cuvée Brut 2001 (Pinot Noir-Chardonnay). The Museum Class was introduced for the first time at this year’s competition and is open to wines from a vintage prior to 2007.
Joaquim Sá, MD of Amorim Cork SA awarding Nicky and Matthew Krone with the Museum Class award.
According to Joaquim Sá, MD of Amorim Cork SA, producers have attained a marked level of seriousness about Cap Classique, treating them like the fine wines they are by allowing for the benefits of lees contact and years of bottle maturation. The youngest winner in this year’s competition was over four years old, yet along with the younger entries it showed freshness and verve, complemented by the complexities found in great wines that have been allowed to age.
Pieter Ferreira, Chairman of the Cap Classique Association, said the Amorim Cap Classique Challenge is an annual highlight for producers. “For the individual winemaker it is exciting to submit your wines for judging in such a competitive category where producer numbers and quality standards are growing annually,” he said.
Pieter Ferreira, Chairman of the Cap Classique Association
“But the true winner is the category of Cap Classique. By working towards this competition, by learning from the judges’ comments and scores and by celebrating the winners, all the country’s Cap Classique producers benefit. And the cherry on top is the fact that this heightened awareness of our product gets terrific exposure in the marketplace, as the annual increase in sales can attest to.”
Ferreira said total Cap Classique production is approximately seven million bottles per annum with local sales doubling every five years.
According to Allan Mullins, convenor of the judging panel, progress in general quality was evident among this year’s entries. What really stood out for him in the wines entered into the competition this year was the management of lees contact to generate fine bubble beads and textured mousse, which really brings the flavours of the base wines and the respective grape varieties to the fore.
The Methode Cap Classique Challenge is proudly sponsored by Amorim Cork, South Africa’s leading cork producer.
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