Mmmm! The 2021 Champagne & Sparkling Wine World Championships held in England came and went, the CSWWC results were published and, for the second year in succession, the best South African producers could muster were silver medals presented for a couple of Cap Classiques from Graham Beck of Robertson and one from the Cederberg Private Cellar. No golds. This was somewhat surprising, given the track records of these producers, the reputation and experience of the judges – convenor Tom Stevenson, Essi Avellan MW and George Markus – plus the fact that even if you disregard the opinion of local experts, South African bubbly made according to the traditional method has fared very well at other international panel-tastings in Europe during 2021: Babylonstoren, Boschendal, Laborie (KWV), Le Lude and Quoin Rock at the Decanter World Wine Awards (UK), Boschendal, Kleine Zalze and Simonsig at Mundus Vini (Germany), and Nederburg at the International Wine & Spirit Competition (UK) – click here for more details.

Tom Stevenson is reputed to be among the leading sparkling wine authorities on the planet. One of his comments after the CSWWC awards presentation was: “It’s not that South Africa cannot or does not produce gold medal sparkling wines, but its producers have not been selecting the right wines to submit. I wish that conditions were different and I could go down there, taste every single sparkling wine currently available, and say ‘send this, not that!’.” Interesting, given that SA producers seemed to know what to submit when they won trophies with wines from the Cederberg in 2019, Cederberg and Domaine des Dieux in 2018, Klein Constantia in 2017, Graham Beck in 2016, Avondale in 2015 and Graham Beck back in 2014.

There was a total of 139 gold and 268 silver medals awarded to 19 countries at CSWWC 2021, with the most successful producers in terms of the number of gold medals won being Ferrari of Trentino, Italy, and Louis Roederer of Champagne, France. The ‘Supreme World Champion’: Dom Ruinart Rosé 2004 from Champagne. There were more than 1000 sparkling wines judged over two weeks – Italy topping the leader board with 58 gold and 129 silver medals, closely followed by France with 52 gold and 50 silver medals. The UK placed third, followed by Australia and the USA.

Is there a problem with Cap Classique, or with Tom Stevenson?