D4 Sparkling: South Africa

Question 1

What are the two categories of sparkling wine made in South Africa?

Briefly describe the style of each, and in which market each is mostly consumed.

Answer 1

1. Inexpensive, carbonated sparkling wine
   
   • ​​usually sweet, acceptable to good quality;
   • domestic market, exported mostly to the sub-Saharan territories.
2. Cap Classique
   
   • Traditional Method sparkling wine made with Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Chenin Blanc, Pinotage;
   • good to very good quality, mid- to premium pricing;
   • export market mostly.

Question 2

Carbonated South African sparkling wine:

• What are the grapes typically used?
• What is its general tasting profile?

Answer 2

• Sauvignon Blanc, Muscat, Pinotage, and other grapes;
• Simple, fruity, off-dry to sweet.

Question 3

Cap Classique (CC):

• What is it?
• In what year was it founded?
• Give an example of a top producer.

Answer 3

• Cap Classique is an association of growers and producers who make Méthode Cap Classique, which is sparkling wine whose secondary fermentation occurs inside the same bottle in which it will later be sold (Traditional Method).
• Founded in 1992
• J.C. Le Roux

Question 4

Laws for Méthode Cap Classique (MCC):

• What is the permissible method used to make it?
• What are its minimum bars of pressure post-disgorgement?
• What is its minimum aging time sur lie?

Answer 4

• Traditional Method;
• Minimum 3 bars post-disgorgement;
• 12 months minimum sur lie.

Question 5

In South Africa, what percent of bottle-fermented sparkling wine is made by members of Cap Classique?

Answer 5

More than 90%

Question 6

Grapes for South African sparkling wine are principally grown in which regions?

Answer 6

• Robertson (limestone soils);
• Bonnievale (limestone soils);
• Stellenbosch;
• Paarl;
• Darling;
• Tulbagh.

Question 7

What is it about Robertson and Bonnievale that make them good places to grow grapes destined for sparkling wine?

Answer 7

• They’re narrow valleys that are slow to warm in morning due to mountain shade (large diurnal shift);
• Cool breezes come up through Breede River from Cape Agulhas;
• Limestone soils.

Question 8

What are some other soil types grapes are grown on in South Africa (besides limestone in Robertson and Bonnievale)?

Answer 8

• Shale;
• Clay;
• Decomposed granite.

Question 9

Do most producers in South Africa blend wines from different areas or do they make single vineyard sparkling wines?

Answer 9

Blend wines from different areas.

Question 10

When do South African producers aim to pick their grapes for Méthode Cap Classique?

Answer 10

~90 days after flowering

Question 11

South African producers leave lots of canopy on the vine for extra shade.

What happens to grapes when they ripen in full shade?

Answer 11

If grapes ripen in full shade, their acidity is higher

Question 12

How is South African carbonated sparkling wine made?

Answer 12

Fermentation is usually stopped (so the finish is sweet), then carbonated, then bottled and released.

It’s an inexpensive method which results in inexpensive wine.

Question 13

Most Cap Classiques:

• Are harvested by hand or machine?
• Whole-bunch pressed or fully destemmed?

Answer 13

Most Cap Classiques are:

• Hand harvested;
• Whole-bunch pressed.

Question 14

Acidification in Cap Classique is:

• Common
• Uncommon

Answer 14

Common

Question 15

What step in the winery will better winegrowers do when making their Cap Classique?

Answer 15

Separate press fractions before blending

Question 16

What are the general rules on malolactic conversion or oak use on Cap Classique?

Answer 16

There are no general rules - it’s producer dependent and even vintage dependent.

Some growers use oak, some don’t; some put their wines through malo, some don’t.

Question 17

Do premium Cap Classique houses typically:

• Blend reserve wines to make multi-vintage wines, or
• Make vintage sparkling wines?

Answer 17

Use reserve wines to make multi-vintage sparkling wines

Question 18

What are the 2 ways rosé Cap Classique is made?

Answer 18

1. Blending white + red wines prior to secondary fermentation in the bottle (controls tannin + color, more common);
2. Maceration of red varietal prior to primary fermentation (less common).

Question 19

How is the Cap Classique Producers’ Association funded?

Answer 19

Taxes, or levies, imposed on members in relation to their production volume.

The CCPA uses these funds to promote their wines through public tastings, a technical conference every two years, and an annual tasting of producers’ base wines.

Question 20

3 million liters of sparkling wine were exported from South Africa in 2020. This was lower than a peak in 2012.

Why? (3 reasons)

Answer 20

1. Vagaries of exchange rates;
2. Market fluctuation;
3. Covid 19.