French Champagne with a South African touch
THE CARROL Boyes brand is perhaps best known for its elegant and unique designer home decor items.
The brand has set itself apart for pushing boundaries in its homeware designs, which has made it one of the most successful decor brands on the continent.
As we are seeing in many brands, diversification is the way of the future and we soon saw the brand venture into the wine industry.
Carrol Boyes Wines was jointly created by the designer Carrol Boyes, her brother John and his business partner, Neels Barnardt, from Barnardt Boyes Wines.
Their wine collections include Méthode Cap Classique (MCC), rosé, chenin blanc, chardonnay, merlot, cabernet sauvignon and their Fine Red Blend of cabernet sauvignon, merlot, cabernet franc and Petite Verdot.
But it’s the news that they have released a sparkling wine that qualifies to be legally called “champagne” has once again shown that the brand is determined to be taken seriously as a player in the wine industry.
The new limited edition Carrol Boyes Iconic Champagne Premier Cru Blanc de Blancs 2006 is the new kid on the block and now you can sip on a glass of French bubbly with a South African touch.
The imported Champagne label was officially approved by France’s Comité Interprofessionnel du vin de Champagne, which is the body that makes sure that only brands that produce sparkling wine from grapes grown in the Champagne region of France can call their wines “champagne”.
While it may not be called a South African Champagne (MCC), this bubbly was certainly made for South Africans by a proud South African, with a little help from the French.
Carrol Boyes’s resident winemaker, Hendrik Snyman, says: “Champagne can only be called ‘Champagne’ when it is produced in the Champagne region from France.
“(This) is a collaboration between one of the most prestigious and luxurious products in the world and the fine art of Carrol Boyes.”
A decade of friendship between Snyman and the Charbaut family, winemakers and owners of a third-generation family vineyard in France, resulted in the creation of a champagne which is said to be a celebration of quality, style, excellence and authenticity.
Snyman, who started making wine in 2005, has worked internationally in wine regions in the US, New Zealand, France and his native South Africa.
The local winemaker’s preexisting relationship with the Charbaut family created the opportunity to produce this new range.
Snyman lived with the Charbaut family in 2007, when he was taught the art of crafting authentic champagne like the French.
After moving back to
South Africa, Snyman then produced Méthode
Cap Classique (MCC) for which he received several accolades.
“The methods (of MCC and Champagne) are the same, but you work with different fruit, grown in different conditions,” he says.
“So the challenges regarding the characteristics of what the grapes offer vary quite drastically from our grapes here in South Africa.
“The same ‘rules’ do not apply when it comes to the grapes itself. The “recipe” is very similar, but the raw materials are worlds apart,” Snyman adds.
The Champagne is produced with 100% chardonnay grown in the Grand and Premier Cru vineyards of Champagne.
Once the grapes are picked, they are pressed and left on the lees for 11 years. This is to ensure that there is an excellent balance between grape character and ageing.
The collaboration produced only 1 000 bottles, making the wine a limited edition.
When it comes to pairing your favourite bubbles with a meal, Snyman says this largely depends “on the Champagne itself ”.
“I’ve had Champagne with almost any dish you can think of, including steak, lamb, curries, cheeses and desserts, and it was amazing,” he says.
“But the best pairing with Champagne is a sunset or sunrise!”
The limited edition Carrol Boyes Iconic Champagne is available online via www. carrolboyeswines.com and at the Carrol Boyes flagship store in Somerset West, Cape Town.