If it is made like Champagne, looks like Champagne, and tastes like Champagne, then it is Champagne, right? Wrong.
Only sparkling wine made of grapes from the Champagne region of France qualifies to be Champagne.
Méthode Cap Classique on the other hand, is, in simple terms, the South African equivalent of Champagne. It just couldn’t carry the same name.
How it is made
Méthode Cap Classique is made using the traditional French method known as method champenoise, where sparkling wine undergoes a second fermentation in the bottle for that extra fizz characteristic.
This second fermentation involves making a base wine in the normal manner, then adding a mixture of wine, yeast, and sugar (also known as ‘liqueur de tirage’).
The liqueur de tirage initiates the second fermentation process in the bottle. Unlike in the first fermentation, CO2 is not able to escape, hence forming the bubbles captured inside the bottle.
After the second fermentation, the mixture goes through a process called remuage, where sediment formed in the bottle is removed to produce a clear, sparkling wine.
But what makes Méthode Cap Classique so unique? Let’s find out!
1. Quality Grapes
Méthode Cap Classique uses only the finest quality grapes sourced from meticulously maintained vineyards of South Africa. Some rely on exclusively selected chardonnay grapes from cooler climate vineyards. As a result, they have a crisp natural freshness and a complex minerality.
2. Longtime Ageing
Ordinarily, Champagne would be aged for no more than 3 years. But this isn’t the case with Méthode Cap Classique. Their ageing takes close to seven years. The result is something worth the wait.
3. Limited in Supply
Due to the long ageing process of Méthode Cap Classique, they are often released in small batch quantities. This limited supply, in turn, creates a high demand for the product, making it a precious collector’s item – something that people would pay a top dollar for!
Fun fact: Did you know that there are only around 2.5 million bottles of MCCs made each year, in comparison to Champagne’s 400 million? More reason to treat yourself to some fruity, uniquely South African flavours! Check out our Méthode Cap Classique here !
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