sa horseracing convention road to the future glory - PARADE ...

The art of
BUBBLES
It has launched a thousand ships, been sprayed
over F1 racing car drivers, celebrated births,
marriages, anniversaries, coronations, business
deals and every other event you can name.
And it retains its mystique as the most
celebrated wine in the world.
Champagne was originally produced by
French Monks almost four centuries ago
and still the French guard their ownership
jealously, ensuring that no other region
in the world outside of the Champagne
district between Reims and Epernay is
allowed to use the name Champagne to
describe the effervescent wine that so
many others try to emulate.
South Africa produces some amazing
wines made in precisely the same method
used by the French wine makers; but to
comply with French and EU regulations
we cannot call them Champagne and we
have named our wines “CAP
CLASSIQUE” or “METHODE CAP
CLASSIQUE” (MCC).
What distinguishes MCC from other
wines? The answer is in many factors
including tradition, legend, image,
branding and expectations as the
following famous quotations show:
“I drink champagne when I am alone.
When I have company, I consider it
obligatory; otherwise I never touch it
unless I am thirsty!” Madame Bollinger.
“In victory I deserve it – in defeat I need
it” Napoleon Bonaparte
But the real difference is in the production
process. MCC goes through two
fermentation processes compared to one
for other wine. This means that yeast is
added twice, once in the tank or barrel
immediately after the pressing of the
grapes and the second when the wine has
been blended and bottled.
The grapes that produce MCC are pinot
noir (red) and chardonnay (white) and
may also include pinot meunier (red) but
this last grape is not used to any extent
in SA. The actual proportions in the blend
are the choice of the winemaker.
Each of the wines is pressed and settled
separately. The red grape skins are
removed from the juice early to ensure
minimal colouring, unless a rose is
required. The juice is then fermented with
a primary yeast in stainless steel tanks for
14 days. Thereafter the wine may be
placed in oak barrels specially made for
this process for a period of 12 weeks.
Only 3000 of these barrels known as
“piece champagnoise” are made annually
in France as they are used only for the
more expensive vintages and names.
Graham Beck wines use them in SA to
impart a smoothness and roundness to
their premium MCC’s.
Thereafter the wine master selects his
blend using the chardonnay for finesse
and elegance and the pinot noir for
structure and flavour. It is at this stage
that the wine making process now takes
on a very different style from that of other
wines.
Sugar and a specific strain of yeast are
added and the wine bottled with a crown
cork. This yeast and sugar sediment is
referred to as the lees after it has fermented
in the bottle. This imparts the biscuit and
yeasty aroma for which champagne is
famous. The longer the time on the lees
the better the wine but obviously the more
expensive, as it will take longer to get to
the market. To qualify for MCC status
this second fermentation must be a
minimum of 9 months. Quality MCC’s
will have at least 24 months on the lees,
while the Graham Beck vintage Blanc de
Blanc, which is made from chardonnay
only, rests on the lees for 5 years.
Thereafter the sediment has to be removed.
This is achieved by storing the bottle so
that the neck is below the base and
regularly turning the bottle a quarter turn
a day over several weeks. This used to be
done by hand but is now mechanized.
Once all the sediment is in the neck, the
neck is frozen to form an ice plug. Natural
CO2 has built up in the bottle during the
fermentation and once the crown is opened
the plug is ejected by the pressure in the
bottle.
Now the wine maker adds his dosage to
refill the gap. The content of this dosage
is usually the secret of the wine master
and can impart a specific flavour he has
been trying to achieve to make his MCC
that much more desirable. The traditional
champagne cork and wire are then fitted
and thereafter the wine will rest another
3 months in the bottle before it is released
from the estate for your pleasure.
The bubbles that distinguish MCC from
other wines are caused by the natural
CO2. Once poured, the bubbles should
rise steadily, leaving a slight head or
mousse on the surface. Generally, the
smaller the bubble the better the quality
of the wine.
69