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and he was very concerned that he was giving away 50ml with every bottle sold!” It takes six weeks for the secondary fermentation to nish its work, creating a ne bubble, known in the business as the mousse. But from vine to glass, the process is far, far longer. “Legally, in South Africa, the wine must be on the lees for a minimum of nine months in the primary fermentation, although this is going to change from this year’s vintage to 12 months,” says Johan. ere are a lot of legal stipulations with champagne-style wines in South Africa, beginning with the name itself. In the late 1980s, about 99% of South Africa’s sparkling wine market was of the force-carbonated variety, according to Johan. ose that were closely following the champagne method wanted to formalise the sector and protect their product, but legally they couldn’t use the term ‘champagne’. “And so, after a lot of bottles of wine we came up with Méthode Cap Classique,” Johan says. In 1992 the Cap Classique Producers Association (CCPA) association was founded, with Johan Malan as chair, and it is this association that stipulates the processes necessary for a wine to be allowed to carry the Cap Classique moniker. It is now a term recognised around the world but it all began with that rst vintage of Chenin given the champagne treatment by Frans Malan half a century ago CAPE SPARKLE Kaapse Vonkel – meaning ‘Cape sparkle’– was South Africa’s only champagne-style wine for 10 years, with Boschendaal releasing their version in 1981. e wine continued using Chenin for many years but by the late 80s Johan started to look at ways to evolve it. “We were the pioneers here but we needed to be closer to the traditional style, so in 1987 I started using Pinot Noir and Chardonnay," says Johan. “It actually made a big impact on the quality – and the popularity.” In the early days, convincing people to swap their familiar wines for something drier and more expensive was a slow process. “When Kaapse Vonkel was rst released it was the most expensive white wine in the country at R3 per bottle versus R6 per case for most other wines,” says Johan. “Each bottle came in a gift box with an insert explaining the process. My father always wanted it to be a luxury item like champagne itself.” Over the decades, the original Kaapse Vonkel has been joined by three more variants, all with the Cap Classique designation. e Satin Nectar duo arose as a response to a global trend towards demi-sec versions of French Champagne, but the rosé was born of an experiment. “In 2003 there was a shortage of Pinot Noir so we tried a version using Pinotage,” says Johan. “It didn’t really work so we made a rosé and just wanted to get it out there. I didn’t care for it but we did a tasting with Waitrose in the UK and they bought the entire vintage and that’s how the Kaapse Vonkel Brut Rosé was born.” Rosé was an emerging trend at the time and has continued to gain gradual popularity, with the UK market largely driving the trend. e original Kaapse Vonkel is still by far the favourite though – a classic that celebrates its 50th birthday in 2021. e wine was inspired by French champagne, but it was never meant to mimic it. “ is is South Africa,” says Johan. “Champagne is the northernmost wine region in France and has less sunshine than other regions. Although we use all the same processes and techniques, we have a di erent climate here and our ingredients are di erent, making for a wine that is more fruity and with less of a mineral quality. I like to say that we’re bottling a little bit of our sunshine.” Today there are around 200 wineries in South Africa producing what has colloquially become known as MCC. And you can bet that in 2021 they’ll all be toasting to 50 years of locally produced bubbles with a glass of the wine that started it all. In case you feel you need a reason to crack open a bottle of bubbly, 1 September is International Cap Classique Day. Founded by the Cap Classique Producers Association, the day hopefully brings with it the first of the spring weather, kicking off what Johan Malan likes to think of as “Cap Classique season”. For more info check out capclassique.co.za. CELEBRATE CAP CLASSIQUE DAY Johan Malan celebrates winning the 2020 Diners Club Winemaker of the Year Award Frans Malan bottled his first wines under the Simonsig label in 1968; three years later Kaapse Vonkel was born Simonsig is open to visitors for tours, tasting and lunch The Kaapse Vonkel range has had a wardrobe change for 2021, with each bottle celebrating the 50th anniversary ontapmag.co.za | Winter 2021 | 35