I will freely confess to being an utter champagne slut. Given enough money, I would have a fridge like Edina and Patsy from AbFab, although I would probably draw the line at bathing in the stuff. I’m a bit concerned about the effect of the bubbles in intimate places. As it were.
But intimacy and bubbles are a time-honoured combination, all part of the brilliant marketing campaign waged over several centuries by the canny folk from Champagne.
So with that in mind, here is a round-up of 5 brilliant bubblies which would be guaranteed to get the intimate zones fizzing on any blind date.
Silverthorn Jewel Box 2009 (R224 from the cellar)
When the winemaker cites his influences as Krug and Bollinger, you know you have a serious bubbly on your hands. Launched at a wonderful lunch at The Test Kitchen, this is the newest of Silverthorn’s trio of fine fizzes.
Made from mostly Chardonnay with a little Pinot Noir, this is the richest of the Silverthorns, offering toasty, yeasty flavours with citrus, nuts and honey. Absolutely decadent and delicious – if you offered me this on a blind date, you could almost certainly count on a good evening!
Haute Cabriere Brut Sauvage NV (R120 from specialist retailers)
A classic champagne combo of 60% Chardonnay and 40% Pinot Noir, this was the first wine in SA to do the now uber-trendy zero dosage. This refers to the sugar adjustment that goes on in the majority of MCC’s and champagnes before the final corking – in this case, there was none whatsoever. A searingly-dry mouthful full of salty tang – cries out for oysters. And you don’t get much sexier than that.
Bon Courage Jacques Bruere Brut Rosé 2006 (R130 from the farm)
This wine has had a whopping 48 months on the lees (dead yeast cells) to make a delicate, yeasty, salty, fruity and delicious wine. It’s mainly 80% Pinot Noir and 10% of the wine has spent time in oak which adds to the richness whilst keeping it fresh and fruity with an endless finish. Pretty in pink for all the old romantics out there.
Steenberg 1682 Brut 2011 (R130 from the farm)
It’s always lovely when your supporters support you with wines like this! Steenberg have been very pro-my new wine courses from the UK – the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) courses – and I drank copious amounts at our certificate presentation party. T’was delicious and my hangover was well-earned from this fruity, appley, fresh and zesty fizz. A good fizz for the party-party people out there.
JC le Roux Pinot Noir MCC 2008 (R120 from Pick n Pay)
I am showing this at a Pick n Pay reader event this coming weekend and it’s a good opportunity for me to remind myself that this range always throws up some really lovely wines which it is easy to overlook. The reason I overlook them is because I hate the packaging, but perhaps that’s not enough to justify ignoring this really well-made, frothy, well-structured wine. Damn – guess I’ll just have to drink it instead!