SIMONSIG KAAPSE VONKEL CROWNED SA’S BEST CAP CLASSIQUE

1^st and 2^nd place in 2009 WINE Magazine Amorim Cork Cap Classique Challenge

Simonsig Estate made a clean sweep at the 2009 WINE Magazine Amorim Cork Cap Classique Challenge clinching both 1^st and 2^nd places with the illustrious Kaapse Vonkel.

The Simonsig Kaapse Vonkel 2005 was crowned this year’s king of Cap Classiques, judged both Best Vintage and Best Overall, sharing the podium with its big brother from the same vintage, a 1.5-litre Kaapse Vonkel magnum, as runner up.

A noble sparkler heralded as South Africa’s first bottle fermented sparkling wine produced by the late Frans Malan in 1971 – Kaapse Vonkel is no newcomer to this highly contested challenge. In 2002, Simonsig clinched the inaugural title with the 1999 vintage.

Prior to the 2009 Cap Classique Challenge, Kaapse Vonkel 2005 has also been lauded on the international stage for its exceptional quality and refined taste, clinching the Best Sparkling Wine (Non-Champagne) award at the 2007 Proefschrift Wijnconcours awards in the Netherlands - the country’s most reliable benchmark for good value quality wines.  

“Very low yields and a higher percentage of Chardonnay than in previous years, made the 2005 Kaapse Vonkel vintage the smallest ever, but resulted in a Cap Classique with a big heart that keeps on giving. This is an exceptional example of how quality prevails over quantity,” shares Simonsig winemaker Johan Malan, whose enduring passion for sparkling wine is evident in this pioneering Stellenbosch estate’s award-winning Cap Classique lineage.                                                                                          

The 2005 vintage is a medley of the classique Champagne varietals Chardonnay (55%), Pinot Noir (42%) and Pinot Meunier (3%). In addition to being the country’s first sparkling wine made according to the French tradition, Kaapse Vonkel also became the first Cap Classique to use all three of the classic grape varieties used in Champagne when Pinot Meunier was introduced in 1997.

Elegant and soul-quenchingly refreshing, the Chardonnay imparts a clean flintiness whilst the Pinot Noir fulfills body and taste and the delicious, aromatic fruit flavours of the Pinot Meunier blossoms early in the evolution of the wine.

The wine, made in a fuller, fruitier style, has a luminous pale straw hue and shows delicate floral aromas with hints of sun-ripened Golden Delicious and citrus freshness on the nose. A classic biscuit character follows through to a nostalgic encounter of freshly baked bread on a rich, full palate. The mousse is extremely fine and creamy and enhances the exquisite roasted almond nuttiness in the mouth. The Simonsig Kaapse Vonkel has beautiful finesse and the tight, steely finish lingers well, leaving the taste buds beckoning for another sip.

Simonsig Kaapse Vonkel lends grandeur to the Festive Season and is the perfect present to take along to any Christmas feast, regardless whether it lands up under the tree or is enjoyed as a refreshing toast. Or why not step boldly into the New Year by celebrating with a majestic Simonsig Kaapse Vonkel magnum.

The Simonsig Kaapse Vonkel is available from R76 per 750ml bottle and R170 for the magnum, at selected supermarkets and fine wine outlets countrywide.

For information or direct cellar orders contact Simonsig Estate on Tel: (021) 888 4915 or visit www.simonsig.co.za.