If you’re a sucker for sparkling but without the budget to splurge on free-flowing Champagne, consider looking further south.
Cap Classique – previously known as Méthode Cap Classique – is South Africa’s answer to the famous French fizz. Like champers, a bottle can only be labelled as Cap Classique if it’s produced following some very specific rules. It must be made in the traditional method of sparkling wine production, meaning a secondary fermentation takes place in the bottle to create the fine bubbles. It must also have 12 months on the lees, when the wine ages on yeast particles to develop complexity.
Of course, the main difference between Cap Classique and Champagne is the grapes used. All must be grown in South Africa and, although there are no restrictions on which ones can be used, the most popular are usually Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier.
It’s believed that the first bottle of Cap Classique was produced by winemaker Frans Malan in 1971. He visited the Champagne region in France and returned home to apply the same methods he had seen used there in South Africa, producing the first Cap Classique at his Simonsig wine estate.
There are now 11 million bottles of Cap Classique produced each year, with the UK the biggest importer, quaffing more than one million bottles last year. Pop the cork and you can expect a dry, elegant fizz with crisp acidity, a long aftertaste and refined flavours of citrus, almond and apple. Non-vintage fizz is made from a blend of different harvests, while vintage bottles are made from one year’s harvest - though this does not necessarily mean they’re superior.
Just chill the bottle and get sipping.
Best Cap Classique at a glance:
- Best overall Cap Classique: Graham Beck Blanc de Blancs 2018 - £22.99, Majestic
- Best Cap Classique for celebrating: Journey’s End Cap Classique NV - £22.50, Noble Green Wines
- Best suits-all Cap Classique: Kleine Zalze Cap Classique Brut NV - £20.95, Cheers Wine Merchants
- Best Cap Classique to buy on a budget: Spier Cap Classique Pinot Noir Brut 2021 - £16.95, Slurp
- Best Cap Classique to serve with seafood: Babylonstoren Sprankel 2017 - £36.95, Vivino
- Best luxury Cap Classique: Vergelegen MMV Cap Classique Blanc de Blanc Brut 2018 - £35.95, Lekker Wines
- Best rosé Cap Classique: Simonsig Kaapse Vonkel Rose 2022 - £15.75, Vegan Tipples
- Best Blanc de Blancs Cap Classique under £20: Laborie Blanc de Blancs Cap Classique 2018 - £17.49, Slurp
- Best supermarket Cap Classique: M&S Graham Beck Cap Classique Rose - £14, Ocado
- Best ethical Cap Classique: Villiera Cap Classique Brut - £16.99, Majestic
- Best vintage Cap Classique: Pieter Ferreira Blanc de Blancs 2016 - £43.90, RAKQ
Graham Beck Blanc de Blancs 2018
Best Cap Classique for: overall
- ABV: 12 per cent
- Year: 2018
- Grapes: 100 per cent Chardonnay
- From: Western Cape
Graham Beck is the name to know when it comes to Cap Classique and this is already one of South Africa’s most awarded sparkling wines - which now gets our top spot too. Graham Beck’s slightly cheaper Brut bubbly was even served at Nelson Mandela’s inauguration and to celebrate Barack Obama’s presidential win, so you’ll be in esteemed company as you sip.
This Blanc de Blanc is made entirely with Chardonnay grapes which were hand-selected from the limestone-rich vineyards of the Graham Beck Estate in Robertson, giving the wine a distinctive minerality and astonishing complexity. Grapes were even picked at night to ensure freshness, before only the premium cuvee juice was selected for fermentation. Gorgeously creamy with a long finish, its lip-smacking flavours of fresh limes, pears and lemons are balanced with comforting hints of freshly baked pastries and even a touch of spice. Trust us: you’ll never drink champagne again.
Buy now £22.99, Majestic
Journey’s End Cap Classique NV
Best Cap Classique for: celebrating
- ABV: 11.5 per cent
- Year: NV
- Grapes: Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier
- From: Stellenbosch
Nothing sets the scene for a good time like a bottle of bubbly. This one was the first sparkling wine released by Journey’s End to celebrate both the estate’s own 25th anniversary and the 50th anniversary of Cap Classique itself.
It is – pardon the pun – a classic celebratory wine that will add sparkle to any party, though your guests will never guess it’s not top-end champagne. Made with a blend of red and white grapes and only the best quality juice, it has a full yeasty flavour from 18 months on lees, balanced with pops of clean citrus and ripe pear to produce a crisp and zesty fizz that will dazzle any drinker. Well worth raising a glass to, in other words.
Buy now £22.50, Noble Green Wines
Kleine Zalze Cap Classique Brut NV
Best for: Suits-all Cap Classique
- ABV: 11.5 per cent
- Year: NV
- Grapes: Chardonnay and Pinot Noir
- From: Western Cape
Keep a bottle of this chilled in the fridge and you’ll be ready for just about anything. The fizz is produced from Chardonnay grown in limestone-rich soils plus Pinot Noir planted on cooler sites for a refreshing acidity. Only the best bunches were used in this wine and grapes were hand-picked in the cool early morning to preserve their bright flavours.
This Cap Classique had less time on the lees than some of the others we tested, so is a little lighter and easier to drink, making it the ideal bottle to grab and go on a picnic. It fizzes with fresh strawberry and blackberry flavours that give way to the same biscuity richness you’ll recognise from Champagne alongside a fine mousse, sophisticated complexity and long finish. All this and a great price tag too.
Buy now £20.95, Cheers Wine Merchants
Spier Cap Classique Pinot Noir Brut 2021
Best Cap Classique for: buying on a budget
- ABV: 12 per cent
- Year: 2021
- Grapes: Chardonnay and Pinot noir
- From: Stellenbosch
Who says you can’t get fizz made in the traditional method for not much more than a good bottle of Prosecco?
For a few extra pounds, you can expect bags more flavour. Helmed by winemaker Heidi Dietstein, this sparkler is made from grapes grown on the mountainous slopes of Stellenbosch, just 20km from the coast on one of the country’s oldest wine farms. It’s a real joy to drink; a lively, zesty fizz the colour of South African sunshine with busy bubbles, a good acidity and plenty of apple and citrus on the palate paired with a classic biscuit base. And at this price, there’s no need to wait for a special occasion to pop the cork.
Buy now £16.95, Slurp
Babylonstoren Sprankel 2018
Best Cap Classique for: seafood
- ABV: 11.5 per cent
- Year: 2018
- Grapes: Chardonnay and Pinot Noir
- From: Franschhoek
With its smooth finish, soft acidity and vibrant flavours, this Cap Classique is made to be paired with creamy seafood dishes. Babylonstoren’s flagship bubbly is a consistent award winner and is made with selected grapes from different vineyards on the estate to benefit from varying altitudes and microclimates.
Using a majority of Chardonnay grapes with a splash of Pinot Noir, the sparkling is full of fruity flavours, with notes of apple, grapefruit and lime bringing a tropical touch. The wine is left on the lees for more than four years, which gives it added richness and emphasises the buttery brioche flavours that work so perfectly alongside seafood. Masses of bubbles, a biting freshness and distinct minerality make it a dinner table dream right away, but it will also age well for up to ten years if you want to tuck it away for a real treat.
Buy now £36.96, Vivino
Vergelegen MMV Cap Classique Blanc de Blanc Brut 2018
Best Cap Classique for: luxury
- ABV: 12 per cent
- Year: 2018
- Grapes: Chardonnay
- From: Stellenbosch
Though Cap Classique doesn’t usually come with the same steep price tag as a bottle of Champagne, it’s still possible to splurge for some really fancy fizz.
Even the bottle of this Blanc de Blanc oozes style and it doesn’t disappoint in the glass. It’s made entirely with Chardonnay grapes which have been hand-harvested from Korhaan and Slanghoek vineyards before they’re whole bunch pressed and matured for an impressive 45 months on the lees. Named 2005 after the year Vergelegen developed its first bottle-fermented sparkling wine, it’s gloriously refreshing with fine dancing bubbles that (almost) look too good to drink. Classic flavours of citrus, baked apples and toast shine through but there’s a spicy kick to keep things interesting and make this sparkling well worth splashing out on.
Buy now £35.95, Lekker Wines
Simonsig Kaapse Vonkel Rose 2022
Best for: Rosé Cap Classique
- ABV: 12 per cent
- Year: 2022
- Grapes: Pinot Noir, Pinotage, Pinot Meunier
- From: Stellenbosch
It’s no surprise that this is a stand-out bottle of Cap Classique. It’s made by the Malan family, some of the most renowned winemakers in South Africa and descendants of the esteemed Frans Malan, who produced the country’s first bottle of Cap Classique.
The estate continues to innovate with Johan Malan first producing this rosé in 2004 from a blend of Pinot Noir, Pinotage and Pinot Meunier. The result is a beautifully summery wine with a pale salmon colour, fine persistent mousse and wonderful balance. Think summer in a glass, with aromas of wild red berries and flowers, fresh raspberries on the palate and a crisp acidity that would work perfectly alongside a big bowl of strawberries and cream in the sunshine.
Buy now £15.75, Vegan Tipples
Laborie Blanc de Blancs Cap Classique 2018
Best for: Blanc de Blancs Cap Classique under £20
- ABV: 12 per cent
- Year: 2018
- Grapes: 100 per cent Chardonnay
- From: Western Cape
Honestly, we have no idea how this bottle of Blanc de Blancs ended up under the 20 quid mark but we’re stocking up before they change their mind.
Blanc de Blancs is usually more expensive than other bubbly as it uses just Chardonnay grapes and is renowned for its elegance. This one is a delight (and not just because of the price tag) with plenty of flavour that makes it perfect to chill and drink as an aperitif. It’s creamy on the nose with a hint of nuttiness, though there’s a surprisingly tropical twist on the palate with touches of pineapple, melon and lemon. Toasted brioche flavours and a tongue-tingling acidity make it surprisingly refreshing so you’re guaranteed to reach for a second glass.
Buy now £16.95, Slurp
M&S Graham Beck Cap Classique Rose
Best for: Supermarket Cap Classique
- ABV: 12 per cent
- Year: NV
- Grapes: Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier
- From: Western Cape
There’s not much in life that can’t be improved with a glass of pink fizz and this fantastically priced wine from M&S is a belter.
It’s produced in association with Graham Beck – the estate behind some of South Africa’s best Cap Classique and makers of our top pick here – so you know you’re in safe hands. Irresistibly pale pink, it’s still chock-full of flavour with a rush of strawberry and cherry juiciness, crisp green apples and a creamy, almost vanilla-like richness from the Pinot Noir grapes. It’s also an absolute steal for the price and another triumph from the ever-excellent M&S wine collection.
Buy now £14.00, Ocado
Villiera Cap Classique Brut
Best for: Ethical Cap Classique
- ABV: 11.5 per cent
- Year: NV
- Grapes: Chardonnay and Pinot Noir
- From: Stellenbosch
Drink with a clear conscience by opening a bottle from Villiera Wines, which is known for its ethical and sustainable wine-making.
Founded by cousins Jeff and Simon Grier in 1983, the winery is solar-powered and insecticide-free, with a focus on water conservation, recycling and green initiatives. It has established a wildlife sanctuary, planted over 100,000 indigenous trees to rehabilitate fallow land and supports local community projects including a clinic and after-school club.
It has also been producing Cap Classique since 1984 and has collected a whole mantlepiece of awards for its excellent wine since, thanks to its elegant flavours of citrus, red apple and brioche, balanced texture and unashamed acidity. We’d serve this one alongside everything from sushi to traditional fish and chips and know it would make everything taste better.
Buy now £16.99, Majestic
Pieter Ferreira Blanc de Blancs 2016
Best: Vintage Cap Classique
- ABV: 12 per cent
- Year: 2016
- Grapes: Chardonnay
- From: Western Cape
Pieter Ferriera knows all there is to know about fizz. Known as Mr Bubbles, he worked three Champagne harvests for the likes of Moet and Chandon before returning to South Africa where he chairs the Cap Classique Association.
This 2016 vintage is a standout example of his sparkling. Made of 100 per cent Chardonnay grapes selected from diverse areas for increased complexity, the wine spends a whopping six years on the lees to give structure and weight. Unsurprisingly, it’s a real treat for the senses, with satisfying brioche notes lifted with flavours of lime, lemon and almond, a soft mousse and a supple, elegant finish. If you want to taste the very best, this is the bottle to go for.
Buy now £43.90, RAKQ
Verdict
Honestly, there’s no bad bottle here. If you love the refined elegance of Champagne, switching to Cap Classique is a no-brainer that will likely save you a few quid too. The Graham Beck Blanc de Blancs 2018 is the perfect introduction thanks to its fresh flavours, crisp acidity and excellent complexity, but if you want to spend even less, you won’t be disappointed by the Villiera Cap Classique Brut either.
