For the love of Champagne
“In Success you deserve it and
in defeat, you need it”
So let’s get serious, after all this is a very important topic! And with the silly season soon to be upon us its time to be jolly - a great excuse to enjoy lots and lots of bubbles.
Now drinking champagne is a little like wearing perfume, one should never buy it for oneself and everyone has their own signature scent (or at least should!!). Therefore these are just a few of my best bubbles, which I hope you might enjoy too. Of course we all love the Taittinger’s and Verve’s of the world, and the Laurent Perrier’s, and the Pol Roger’s but for once I am going to be proudly South African and surprisingly some of these might delight – we seem to have gotten one thing right – how to make a decent cap classique!
Colmont Brut Rosé
A most delicious bubbly - lovely salmon pink colour, a very delicate nose of strawberry and redcurrant fruit with floral undertones. There is a silky richness on the palate full of red berries balanced with a subtle bready texture. The perfect sundowner or for any occasion really – this one gets my “to die for” rating every time!
Morena Brut Rosé
A tricky one, as it is also my best bubbly and quite delicious, so please accept that I have a few favourites. I am not sure where you would purchase this, as I have only ever bought straight from the farm, so perhaps you will need to order online or better yet, take a trip out to Franschhoek. The farm is a boutique cellar situated on the Franschhoek Pass and it even has a villa one could rent for the weekend – this is a special place, take my word for it!
Le Lude
This is the MCC of the moment and best of all you can visit the farm and do a tasting with beautiful canapes paired with each bubbly on offer, in a beautiful salon overlooking the farm vineyards. It is worth the drive from CapeTown, just for this tasting, and of course to purchase a few bottles!
High Constantia Clos Andre
The palate is elegant, stylish, full and harmonious, rich and yet gently composed, fine and broad. Without a doubt the Grand Dame of the cap classique’s – most definitely a grand vin with bubble!
There are a number of great bubbles on offer, so perhaps I have not done you justice with only four - a few others I would happily drink; Villiera Tradition Rosé Brut NV, Simonsig Kaapse Vonkel Brut Rosé, Constantia Uitsig MCC, Moreson and Bon Courage's Jacques Bruére Brut Reserve.
My philosophy on drinking champagne is as follows – it should be drunk as often as possible, even for breakfast, and especially when there is no occasion! A little like how Chanel once put it - “I only drink champagne on two occasions, when I am in love and when I am not.”
