South African Sparkling Wine

South African wine has a history dating back to 1659. At one time Constantia, a vineyard near Cape Town was considered one of the greatest wines in the world. Production is concentrated around Cape Town, with major vineyard and production centres at Paarl, Stellenbosch and Worcester.

The first champagne method wines to be produced in South Africa came from the Simonsig estate (in Stellenbosch) in 1971. Methode Cap Classique or MCC denotes a South African sparkling wine made by the traditional Champagne method. Sauvignon blanc and Chenin blanc have been the traditional Cap Classique grapes but the use of Chardonnay and Pinot noir have been on the increase.

Sparkling wine is also made according to the Charmat method and red sparkling Pinotage can also be found. Methode Cap Classique tends to be very fruity due to the high temperatures of the South African Wine lands.