Almost ready for dressing our Skaap Cap Classique

By this time our Skaap Cap Classique should be ready for drinking.
So we had a little try and it's amazing!

Now we are waiting for our necks to come from France and our labels which are printed locally, so that we can finally finish our bottles, pack them in cases and get them ready for shipping.

SAAM, our gift shop in Holland, would probably have them available half October. And if your at Lalapanzi Lodge and Lions View, they will be available from half September.

CHEERS!

Riddling & disgorging Skaap Cap Classique

JUNE 2012

SKAAP Cape Classic goes for riddling!!

In this stage, the bottles are placed on special racks called pupitres that hold them at a 45° angle, with the crown cap pointed down. A couple of times a day, the bottles are given a slight shake and turn, alternatively on right then left, and dropped back into the pupitres, with the angle gradually increased. The drop back into the rack causes a slight tap, pushing sediments toward the neck of the bottle. In 7 days, the position of the bottle is straight down, with the lees settled in the neck.

After the riddling we are finally ready for disgorging our Skaap Cap Classique. 

Disgorging once a skilled manual process, where the crown cap and the lees were removed without losing large quantities of the bottles contents.
Modern disgorgement however is a highly automated process involving a machine which freezes a small amount of the liquid in the neck of each bottle where the lees has collected following Riddling, removes the crown cap briefly allowing the pressure within the bottle to push out this plug of ice before resealing the bottle. Immediately after disgorging and just before that distinctive cork is inserted, the liquid level in the bottle is topped up with liqueur d'expédition which comprises base wine and a little sugar known as dosage which will determine the sweetness and balance the acidity of the wine, since the sugar previously added at the tirage stage was consumed during the second fermentation.
Finally the bottle is corked and the cork wired down to secure the high internal pressure of the carbon dioxide. The sharp intake of oxygen that occurs when the wine is disgorged adds a welcome note of freshness that highlights the wine's complexity, but at this stage the wine is also described as ‘shocked’ and needs a further period of rest before it is finally ready for the neck to be covered by the distinctive foil and the bottle labelled before storing in cases ready for shipping.

Champagne and Skaap Cap Classique Story

Champagne is a classic example of sparkling wine, but this wine is exclusively produced in the Champagne region of France and many sparkling wines are produced in other countries and regions, such as Cava in Spain and Cap Classique in South Africa.

Skaap Cap Classique is made using the traditional Champagne methode and using the Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grape.

What happens in the vineyard?

At the vineyard, grapes are harvested early by hand when there is high acid levels and when the sugar levels are still low.

The grapes are quickly pressed and seperated from their skins.

The primary fermentation of sparkling wine begins like most other wines. After fermentation the base wines are then blended to form a cuvee. 

The second fermentation takes place when the cuvee is bottled with a mixture of sugar and yeast. (Traditional or "Champagne method")

One of the by products of fermentation is the creation of carbon dioxide gas. While this gas is able to be released during the first fermentation, efforts are taken during the second fermentation to retain the gas and have it dissolve into the wine. This creates a high pressure within the wine bottle and wine producers take care to package the wine in strong glass bottles. When the wine is open and poured into a glass, the gas is released and the wine becomes sparkling.

 

Through the process of riddling and eventually disgorgement, the dead yeast cells are removed from the wine while still maintaining the dissolved carbon dioxide gas. A dosage mixture of fresh wine and some sugar syrup is used to adjust the sweetness level of the wine after it has been disgorged. 

The amount of sugar (dosage) added after the second fermentation, will dictate the sweetness level of the sparkling wine. Brut normally has fewer than 12 grams of sugar per litre.