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Et tu, Brut: Putting the fizz into summer

I am the first to admit I have drunk rather more MCC than the average person in the past few months. This is entirely by design; I have secretly been preparing myself for the festive season. And what a lot of preparation it has been.

There is the Villiera Tradition Brut / WCC Brut (extra points for being available in a magnum), Villiera Brut Nature, Babylonstoren Sprankel, Weltevrede Philip Jonker Brut, Aurelia Brut Cap Classique, Colmant Brut Reserve NV and, the Graham Beck Brut NV. I wish I didn’t have to choose between them, but there are always the standouts and the wallflowers.

The Villiera Tradition Brut has become a particular favourite. I say Villiera Tradition Brut / WCC because Woolworths repackages the Villiera MCC and sells it under the WCC label. This wine is crisp, zesty and delicious and available at an excellent price. You can get a case from Makro for just R1060, bringing it in at R176 a bottle. As this is a non-vintage wine there are occasionally times where you will have an average or even slightly less than average bottle, and then there are times when you have an amazing bottle. It’s really the luck of the draw – which makes opening a bottle all that more exciting. The Villiera Brut Natural also deserves its 15 minutes of fame. Delectable and wonderfully dry, this is a Blanc de Blanc made without the addition of any sulfur. It was branded under Woolworths as the WCC Brut Nature and then discontinued, but for a time you could find it for a drastically reduced price. If it is still on the shelves at a Woolies near you – run, don’t walk!

I touched on the Babylonstoren Sprankel in my last column, so I won’t harp on about that here. All I will say is that if you are gifted a bottle – enjoy it. But no matter how good it is purported to be, I would not pay upwards of R689 to get my hands on it. The Weltevrede Philip Jonker Brut was recommended to me by someone who seemed like they knew what they were talking about. At this point I think it comes down to taste. I didn’t personally enjoy it much, but if you enjoy a slightly sweeter MCC with toasty brioche flavours, then you will certainly enjoy this. It is also incredibly well priced at R195 a bottle at Norman Goodfellows. Although for the same price, I would far rather buy the Aurelia Brut Cap Classique, a delicate and beautifully balanced MCC from the Swartland region that boasts honey and apricot flavours with a beautiful and robust mouthfeel.

Honourable mentions must be made of the Colmant Brut Reserve NV and the Graham Beck Brut NV. Both priced in the middle of the range and both unlikely to fail you. When in doubt, these are always a good call and won’t get you any sideways looks at the Christmas dinner table.

Enjoy the summer cheer (responsibly, as ever, please).