#CapClassiqueDay is coming soon

By Admin | 25th August 2020

On 1st September 2020 the South African wine industry is popping open the bubbles to collectively celebrate #CapClassiqueDay. Cap Classique is South Africa’s alternative name for the traditional method of producing sparking wine, classically used in Champagne production, where a second fermentation in the bottle creates the sparkle.  

The name was derived from the fact that this classic art of winemaking was introduced to the Cape by the French Huguenots, Cap being French for Cape, and the first bottle-fermented sparkling wine produced in the Cape was called Kaapse Vonkel (Cape Sparkle), it was made in 1971 by one of the now leading Cap Classique producers, Simonsig.

The term Cap Classique was formalised in 1992 by the Cap Classique Producers Association, formed by a group of winemakers who wanted to differentiate their high quality, bottle fermented, sparking wines from the more inexpensive tank fermented and CO2 injected wines available.

Over 70 percent of the Cap Classique made in South Africa stays put and is enjoyed by the local market  - the UK is, however, the largest export market for South Africa’s Cap Classique wines, so we do get to share a few bottles when they let us!

Next year will be the 50th anniversary of that first bottle of Cap Classique and we expect some serious celebrations to happen. Hopefully by then we will be able to travel to South Africa and pop a few corks in the delightful surroundings of the stunning Cape Winelands. But we’re not waiting till then to open the fizz, we’ll be sipping the bubbly on the 1st September this year and enjoying wines that are truly perfected by time.

To learn more about Cap Classique wines, read the recent report on Jamie Goode’s WineAnorak website.