How the Cape got it's sparkle - by Cathy Marston

“On the count of three – one, two, three, GO!” Simonsig co-owner and cellarmaster Johan Malan might have been feeling nervous at the thought of letting a bunch of untrained journalists and wine-drinkers loose on his beloved Kaapse Vonkel , but his voice was only steady and encouraging as we all took it in turns to disgorge our own bottle. Resting the ready-chilled bottle against my knee, clad in an appropriate apron and armed with a claw-like bottle opener, I steadied myself, aimed for the stainless steel trough and flipped off the beer cap. A pellet of frozen gunk shot out, and wine frothed over onto the floor, before the bottle was labelled as mine and sent to be dosed, corked and caged. Job done – and now it was time to celebrate!

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