10 MCCs worthy of attention, given the competition |

10 Cap Classique sparklers worthy of attention, given the competition

03/2020 Mike Froud Leave a comment

FOR THE QUESTIONS, answers and in part heated outbursts that ensued after publication of Winemag’s 2020 Prescient Cap Classique Report, click here. For the full report and reviews of 50 South African sparkling wines made according to the traditional method, click here. Suffice to say: some of the online publication’s readers faulted the findings for being based on a competition which several of the country’s leading sparkling wine cellars chose not to enter, or for the sub-90 scores of certain wines from top producers who did; some had a problem with the commentary that accompanied the ratings; while others criticised the absence of a bubbly specialist among the judges. On the panel: Winemag editor Christian Eedes (chair), with Roland Peens and James Pieterson, both of Cape Town merchant and cellarer Wine Cellar.

The overall winner of the competition will only be announced during a gala dinner at the end of the year, but what we do know are the judges’ favourites as given below – which include a couple of wines among the Top 20 in the 2020 Cap Classique Classification. Notable absentees from the entry list? Bon Courage, Boschendal, JC Le Roux / Pongrácz, Laborie (KWV), Silverthorn and one or two others among the top track record holders. However, Graham Beck, Simonsig and Villiera were indeed represented on the tasting bench, as was Kleine Zalze, Krone and Steenberg. Could the inclusion of relative newcomers among Winemag’s Top 10 be indicative of a turning tide?