19 South Africa Flashcards

1
Q

Which two categories of sparkling wines are produced in South Africa?

A
  • inexpensive carbonated sparkling wine

- premium traditional method sparkling wine (known as Cap Classique

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2
Q

Describe the style of a Cap Classique sparkling wine

A
  • ripe apple and citrus fruit
  • varying levels of autolytic flavours
  • medium (+) acidity
  • medium alcohol
  • good to very good quality
  • mid- to premium-priced
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3
Q

Wich grape varieties are typically used for Cap Classique?

A
  • Chardonnay
  • Pinot Noir
  • Chenin Blanc
  • Pinotage

95% of the grapes used for MCC

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4
Q

How is the domestic sales and the export of carbonated sparkling split?

A
  • primär consumed in the domestic market

- exported to sub-Saharan territories, especially Angola, Mozambique and Nigeria

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5
Q

Describe the style of a carbonated sparkling wine

A
  • simple
  • fruity wines
  • often off-dry to sweet
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6
Q

How has the production of carbonated sparkling changed in 2014 to 2018?

A

increased its share of South African production from 30 to 40%

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7
Q

Which are the South African names for the traditional method?

A
  • Méthode Cap Classique (MCC)

- Cap Classique

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8
Q

When was the association Cap Classique founded?

A

1992

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9
Q

Which amount of the total sparkling wine production in South Africa is account to the members of the Cap Cassique association?

A

90%

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10
Q

Name the MCC standards

A
  • wine is made by the traditional method
  • minimum of 3bar
  • minimum of 9 months on the lees (new MCC wine law 2020 is 12 months)
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11
Q

Where are the grapes grown?

A
  • Robertson
  • Stellenbosch
  • Paarl
  • Darling
  • Tulbagh
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12
Q

Which soil is present in Robertson and Bonnievale?

A

limestone

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13
Q

Why could Robertson and Bonnievale produce grapes under cool conditions?

A
  • narrow valleys that have a slower warm up in the morning (due to shade from the mountains)
  • temperatures drop in the afternoon because of cool breezes from the ocean at Cape Agulhas that run up the Breede River

regions with the biggest diurnal shift between day and night temperature

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14
Q

Which are the soils present in South Africa?

A
  • shale
  • clay
  • decomposed granit
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15
Q

What is the time between flowering and picking the grapes?

A

90 days (depending on the viticulture practice)

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16
Q

Why do the growers leave more growth on the vines?

A

the grows create extra shading which slows down ripening and retain acidity

17
Q

How is the process of the carbonated sparkling wine done

A
  • stopping fermentation early to retain residual sugar
  • cabonating the base wine
  • early release to preserve the fruit character
18
Q

Describe the production process of MCC

A
  • hand picked grapes
  • whole-bunch pressed (recommended, but not required)
  • separation of the press fractions (better producers)
  • commonly use of acidification
  • sometimes fermenting of a portion in old barrels
  • no general rule for MLC, depends on the producer (Villiera dose, Graham Beck avoid it)
  • use of reserve wines (around 10%)
  • minimum time on the lees is 9 months (MCC association members commit to a minimum of 12 months and some choosing 15-18 months for non-vintage and longer for vintage and prestige cuvée)
19
Q

How are rosé wines produced for MCC?

A
  • blending white and red wines (control the amount of tannins and colour present prior to second fermentation in the bottle)
  • maceration of black grape variety prior to primary fermentation (less common)
20
Q

How is the body of MCC called?

A

Cap Classique Producers’ Association

21
Q

On which projects is the MCC association currently working?

A

March 2017:
- law change that all grapes must be “certified” (process of approval for a Wine of Origin) and minimal lees aging of 12 months

Proposal of two Cap Classique categories:

  • standard category based on existing rules
  • higher quality with the classic Champagne varieties plus Chenin Blanc and Pinotage, whole buch pressing and minimum lees aging of 36 months
22
Q

Name a large producer of MCC

A

J. C. Le Roux

23
Q

How has the sales changed in the last decade?

A

sales has doubled every five years

24
Q

How are the domestic sales and the export split?

A

Graham Beck is exporting 50%

25
Q

Which is one of the big challenges for MCC?

A

getting consumers from drinking top-quality Champagne to drink MCC

26
Q

How is the Cap Classique Producers’ Association funded?

A

by a levy according to the volume of production

27
Q

Which are the export markets?

A
  • Angola (one-quarter of all sparkling wine exports by volume)
  • USA
  • UK