Pongracz Cap Classique NV, $34.50

A FRIEND asked me one day: 'Is it true that fine bubbles equate to a good bubbly?'

While it's not a straight 'yes' or 'no' answer (a good bubbly also depends on the quality of the base wine itself), fine bubbles that rise slowly to the surface is better than fast-rising, big bubbles, since the latter is more aggressive on the palate.

One thing that contributes to Champagne's refined bubbles is the use of Methode Champenoise - a special method of producing bubbles in wine by fermentation in the bottle.

This process - practised in the Champagne region of France - is labourintensive compared to the cheaper, easier way of passing carbon dioxide through wine.

But it's not just in Champagne where Methode Champenoise is practised.

As I discovered during a tasting held by Distell, South Africa's largest wine corporation, South Africans also produce sparkling wines using the same method, only by a different name - Methode Cap Classique.

A good example is Pongracz, which is produced by the Stellenbosch sparkling house J.C. Le Roux and owned by Distell.

Jean Le Roux, a French Protestant, arrived in South Africa in 1704 to escape religious persecution in France, and planted 8,000 vines to kickstart viticulture in the area.

Apparently, the term Methode Champenoise could not be used there due to an agreement with the French in the 1960s, which stated that the French would buy South African crayfish provided that no French names will ever be used for South African wines.

Methode Cap Classique is a pretty name, I thought. But being an unfamiliar term on the world stage has made South African sparkling wines stay in the shadows for so long.

So if you're new to South African bubbly, start with Pongracz, says Belinda Lim, partner of The Wine Company. It is often served at South African fashion and high-end events.

'Drink it, look at the price and you will be sold,' she says.

Taste test
Yeasty and brioche notes on the nose, with pleasant ripe fruit, such as red apples, on the palate.

Pair with
Dim sum, such as steamed dumplings, and seafood like scallops or sashimi prawns.

Available at
The Wine Company outlets:
- Block 14-3 Dempsey Road, Tel: 6479-9341
- 26 Evans Road, Tel: 6732-1229

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