As this was the last wine tasting for the year, it was appropriate that it ended on a festive note, with a “bubbles” tasting!
After months of swirling, sniffing, tasting and discovering wines from across South Africa, the final SUPERSPAR TOPS Village Square, St Francis Bay, wine tasting for 2026 took place at St Francis Bay Golf Club with Graham Beck in the glasses, generous platters on the tables and a room full of familiar faces.
Guiding the evening was Jane Simon, a wine industry legend who has been associated with Graham Beck brand for over 30 years, was accompanied by her daughter Deirdre. Her knowledge soon came to the fore, but it was her affection for the brand and the people behind it that really shone.
This was not a stiff, scripted wine presentation. It was conversational, filled with anecdotal stories, practical tips and the odd detour that made the evening so much more enjoyable.
Judging by the bottles lined up behind the bar, there was clearly plenty to work through.
A House Built Around Bubbles
The Graham Beck story began in Robertson when he bought the property in 1983.
The area’s limestone rich soils proved particularly well suited to Chardonnay and over time the focus of the farm became increasingly clear. Still wines made way for sparkling wine and Graham Beck evolved into the house of Cap Classique it is known as today.
Jane spoke warmly about Graham Beck himself, his vision and the legacy he left behind, as well as the role played by Peter Ferreira, who is known affectionately in the industry as “Mr Bubbles”.
Ferreira has spent decades to help shape the Graham Beck style and although he has now retired, his influence remains an important part of the story.
An interesting glimpse into what comes next was shared with guests who heard about Graham Beck’s move into English sparkling wine through a property in Sussex. Another exciting chapter to a brand that is deeply associated with South African Cap Classique.
More Than Just a Celebration Drink
The evening began with the Graham Beck Brut, a Chardonnay and Pinot Noir blend and probably the bottle most people around the room recognised immediately.
It carries a rather impressive history too, with Graham Beck bubbles famously associated with both Nelson Mandela’s inauguration celebrations as well as Barack Obama’s presidential inauguration.
From there the tasting moved through the Brut Rosé, Ultra Brut, Blanc de Blancs and finally the sweeter Bliss Nectar.
Along the way, Jane managed to quietly dismantle the idea that bubbly belongs only at weddings, birthdays and New Year’s Eve.
The Ultra Brut and Blanc de Blancs in particular showed how comfortably Cap Classique can sit alongside food.
The suggestion was simple: instead of opening bubbles for a toast and then moving on to wine, why not build an entire meal around them?
At this stage, nobody needed much convincing.
The Food Certainly Helped
Superspar Village Square, Chef Bradley, had made his trusty contribution.
There was fresh sushi, chicken sosaties with honey mustard, goat’s cheese bonbons rolled in biltong, crispy Asian pork belly, lamb sosaties, mushrooms stuffed with spicy Parmesan cream cheese and a cheese board that looked as though it had been assembled to ensure that guests had a memorable end to the evening.
The delectable Ferrero Rocher chocolate was a more than suitable companion to the Bliss Nectar, completing a tasting that was becoming less about “wine education” and more about discovering how versatile bubbly can with almost any item on the menu.
And that is probably where these evenings are at their best. You learn without feeling that you are being taught.
A Few Things We’ll Remember
There were practical lessons too.
A sparkling wine glass needs to be properly clean if you want to keep those bubbles alive. You do not need to swirl Cap Classique with the same enthusiasm you might give a red wine. Older, longer aged bubbles tend to become finer and more delicate.
Store your bubbly standing upright.
And then there was “priming the glass”.
The trick is to pour a small amount of bubbly into the glass first, let it settle and then top it up. The second pour is apparently far less likely to foam dramatically over the edge.
Several people appeared to file that piece of information away for December.
Strictly for research, naturally.
Guests also learnt that the disgorgement date can be found on the back of some bottles, providing another little clue to what has happened before the wine reaches your glass.
A Story Beyond the Cellar
One of the more interesting parts of the evening had little to do with drinking.
Graham Beck has been involved in biodiversity conservation for many years and guests heard about the large areas of the property left to natural vegetation, the protection of the endangered riverine rabbit and the use of owls in the vineyards to help manage pests naturally.
It added another layer to the evening.
There is something satisfying about discovering that the story behind a bottle stretches beyond what happens in the cellar.
One Last Glass
As the evening moved towards its close, there was also a sense that this was more than simply the end of another tasting.
Over the course of the year, these gatherings have become part wine club, part social evening and part education.
They have introduced St Francis wine lovers to winemakers, producers and people who have spent decades in the industry. They have encouraged people to try varieties they may never have picked off a shelf themselves and given everyone permission to say, quite simply, “I like this one.”
No tasting notes required.
Bubbles are, after all, what we reach for when something deserves marking.
A birthday, a wedding, a new beginning or simply the end of a good year.
With summer approaching, tables filling up and festive season plans beginning to take shape, the message from the evening felt refreshingly uncomplicated.
Open the bottle, put good food on the table, invite people you enjoy spending time with and if there are bubbles involved, all the better.
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