Dry Sparkling Wines

While “Champagne”, labeled as such and with a history dating back to the 17^th century, can only originate from that small but famous region of chilly northern France – and always derives its bubble from secondary fermentation in the bottle – there are many ways to impart the beads of gas that give sparkling wine its bubble. The desired style determines how the carbon dioxide is to be added, which varieties are vinified for the still base wine, and the quality of the end product.

Grapes destined for good quality sparkling wine production are seldom fully ripe when they are picked – harvesting often takes place early, when the fruit acids are still high and before strong varietal characters develop (the low grape sugar is compensated for later when the dosage is added).

Simple bubblies made for unpretentious quaffing are often from white grapes like Chenin, Sauvignon and Crouchen Blanc, and are carbonated. They lack yeasty-biscuity aromas and can show varietal features. More serious celebratory drinks gain their mousse when sound base wine is given a second fermentation in a tank before being drawn off the lees (spent yeast cells) and bottled under pressure. The yeast contact makes all the difference, but is subtle due to limited exposure.

The pinnacle of sparkling wine is the bottle-fermented version, known in South Africa as Méthode Cap Classique (MCC). Quality varieties, usually Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, are required for the still wine – blending white and black-grape wine adds extra dimensions to the final product that undergoes its second fermentation in the bottle and enjoys extended lees contact. The flavour this adds sets them apart, with high quality Champagne or Cap Classique spanning a range of seductive sights, scents and flavours.

A pale colour suggests a young bubbly, usually carbonated, while a delicate yellow patina develops during the time spent in contact with yeast. Venerable old bottle-matured sparklers can be positively golden.

Injecting carbon dioxide produces large bubbles that jostle furiously upward, whereas a finer bead and more languid rise of the bubble are typical of the traditional method.

Wines that smell fresh and fruity, even with slightly grassy Sauvignon or Crouchen Blanc features, are almost certainly carbonated, whereas the yeast autolysis associated with bottle-fermented offerings exhibit the seductive aromas of warm, baked bread and biscuit. Both tank-fermented and MCC wines develop a roundness as they mature in bottle, with no obvious grape variety pointers detectable on the yeasty nose of a good MCC.

Although the explosive "soda" sensation of carbonated draughts may be coarse compared to the more refined mousse of tank-fermented "Charmat" wines, both offer a refreshing zip. Further nuances, along with the gentle, enveloping texture of bottle-fermented bubbles found in good MCC, are the creamy elegance and length of Chardonnay and the breadth and density afforded by Pinot Noir. The flavours should unfold, offering integrated waves of taste as the subtle sweetness of the added dosage tames the gas and acid that would otherwise be bracingly dry.

Best examples from France include wines from a number of top Champagne Houses, including Krug, Moët & Chandon (Dom Pérignon), Veuve Clicquot (La Grande Dame), Louis Roederer (Crystal), Laurent Perrier, Perrier-Jouet, Bollinger, Taittinger, Pommery, Gosset, Pol Roger… From South Africa, Cap Classique cellars with the best track records include Simonsig (Kaapse Vonkel), Graham Beck and Villiera.