Espirit de Giraud

I had lunch late last year  with Emmanuelle Giraud from Ay in Champagne who was in Cape Town with Inke Gouws, a Stellenbosch based Champagne Negotiante, promoting her family¹s wonderful Champagnes. The Girauds have been in the Champagne business for generations. Inke herself is a second generation wine person her father the well known Ernst Gouws if the eponymous wines.

We tasted a raft of Emmanuelle¹s wines. The one I loved the most was, by chance, one which Jancis Robinson, acclaimed British wine writer, chose as her favourite. While I would not suggest that my palate is anywhere near that of Jancis, it does show that we both like something which was so different and, for me anyway, so deliciously refreshing.

It is called Espirit de Giraud Blanc de Blancs. This is a 100% Chardonnay, beautiful golden yellow in colour with some green flashes.

Nuts, candied citrus peel, honeysuckle and orange flowers on the nose. Some whiffs of limestone and the oak barrels in which the wine is matured there too

The palate is so wonderfully fresh with the fine bubbles adding to the experience an again that limestone shows in the flavour.

Lovely long aftertaste. Perfect with fish or seafood like stir fried prawns ­ but hey, it would be great with fried hake and chips too.

I like it as it is such a different champagne experience, fresh, inviting, crisp and refreshing.

It is amongst the most reasonably priced Champagne I have come across and for a special or not special occasion, well worth a whirl.

Inke can be contacted on 079 268 3779.

J C le Roux Pinot Noir Rosé

I was in Stellenbosch recently with Liandra Kotze who is the Brand Manager for Sparkling wines for Distell. I spent an hour with her and came away with a couple of bottles, one of which is the JC le Roux Pinot Noir Rosé 2006.

The House of J.C. Le Roux was South Africa’s first cellar dedicated entirely to the craft of making sparkling wine.

This wine is made in their state-of-the-art cellar in Devon Valley, Stellenbosch, in the French method of a second fermentation in the bottle,
known as Méthode Champenoise. The French have a monopoly on the word Champagne, so in South Africa, this style of wine is called Methode Cap Classique [MCC].

Lovely salmon pink in colour with the finest of bubbles rising languidly to the surface. In the four years since its manufacture, the wine has
developed delicious characters of fresh baked brioche and toasted nuts and the classical bright red berries of the Pinot Noir grape coming through. A serious wine with lovely round mouthfeel.

Drink on its own or with strawberries and shortbread!

J C le Roux Pinot Noir Rosé 2006 is available from specialist wine shops.