By Adero Joy Achola

If I asked you to go to the Kenyan coast and gather over 60 people on a rainy Tuesday morning to sit in a class and learn you would probably consider it a difficult feat. 

And, it is. But there’s a cheat code. You could promise to teach them about some of the best wine.

This was the premise behind the WOSA Cap Classique event held at the Tamarind Village this December.

This is the fourth iteration of this event and each time it’s a welcome endeavor.  WOSA is an acronym that stands for Wines Of South Africa; a body that educates about and promotes South African wine.

This year, as it has been every year before, was a success.  The event targeted the hospitality and general wine trade industry and had a two-pronged approach.

Part 1

This is a structured sit-down class. The attendees were Waiters, Food and Beverage managers, General managers and other industry professionals. 

This year it was led by Melissa Mwende a certified wine sommelier and wine educator. Through her capable guidance the students of the day were able to learn the difference between still and sparkling wine and most importantly what South African sparkling wine is. This was supported by a Q and A with the WOSA Kenya co-ordinator and fellow sommelier/educator Wanjiru Mureithi alongside sommelier/ Team Wine Kenya Member Adero J. Achola. Mathome Mbatha the WOSA Africa representative was on hand to present the achievement certificates.

Part 2

An industry cocktail event that allows the attendees to sample the available Cap Classique in the market. To say that this is a cocktail event to delight in, is an understatement. From old favourites like Jourdan to new stars like IL Geco, Cap Classique flowed freely!

Now, I cannot provide the second, experience but I can most definitely give you a rundown of part 1. Ensuring that you too can enjoy Cap Classique like a pro! This lesson will be much more fun with a Cap Classique to accompany it, so you are free to run out and get one. We’ll wait.

Cap Classique is the term for sparkling wine that is produced in South Africa using the classic traditional method (methode Champenoise- Champagne style method). What does that mean? Well, it means that the most arduous and painstaking steps were taken to produce the bubbles in your glass. Those sparkly, pearlescent beads of joy are actually created in the bottle from which you are pouring!

Made in the beautiful Western Cape of South Africa, Cap Classique can be made using a variety of grapes; any grape actually. This particular fact means that Cap Classique can be as complex as the winemaker’s imagination allows. Following a dedicated hand harvested crop of grapes, the winemakers gently press the grapes for the purest juice possible.

This juice is then fermented into a still wine. How now do the bubbles happen? Well, the winemaker puts the still wine into a bottle ( Yes, THAT EXACT BOTTLE that you are holding). They then add what we call liquer de tirage into the bottle as well and seal it with a crown top. This is a combination of yeast and sugar.

A secondary fermentation occurs but because the bottle is sealed, the carbon dioxide that is a natural by-product of fermentation, is infused into the wine! When that fermentation is done, we’re left with the delicious bubbly that we enjoy. We are also left with dead yeast though.

This dead yeast has flavours that can be imparted on the wine and for this reason, the wine maker lets the wine sit with this it for a minimum of 12 months by South African Law. Most winemaker let it sit longer. This is called – fancy wine term alert- ‘resting on the lees’.

They do this with the bottle upside down. Once the winemaker is satisfied with the lees aging the neck of the bottle is frozen and the crown taken off. The pressure in the bottle pushes the yeast plug out. Of course we lose a little bit of the good stuff in the process, so the bottle ( Yes, still that bottle you have), is topped up with more wine and sealed immediately.

Cap Classique ranges from bone dry to succulently sweet, so you know there is something for every palate.

What is the best occasion to enjoy Cap Classique? Anytime! You do not need a special event to enjoy Cap Classique. Whether it’s a brunch affair, a pre-dinner drink or just a pleasurable reward after a long day, Cap Classique is always a plus. How should you serve it? Well chilled and happily.

I encourage everyone and you in particular to try the different Cap Classiques available in the market and find a favourite or five!