A winemaker's travels
EXPLORING CHAMPAGNE SIP BY SIP
Steenberg Cellarmaster Elunda Basson reflects on her recent trip to France, where she drank the best Champagnes in the world – and returned to SA with new inspiration for her Steenberg bubblies available at Woolies.
My visit to Champagne was a highlight of the past year. It was amazing to learn more about how Champagne is made, as well as have the chance to taste as much of it as possible. I was lucky to be exploring with other Méthode Cap Classique (MCC) producers from South Africa, including Jeff Grier from Villiera and Takuan von Arnim from Haute Cabrière.
Our private tasting in the Dom Pérignon Abbey at the cellarmaster’s blending table was a standout experience of the trip.
I can always find a reason to open a bottle of bubbles and, back at home, I make sure that I never run out of Steenberg 1682 Chardonnay MCC. It has beautiful Granny Smith apple aromas with overtones of brioche and a creamy fresh mouthfeel, and pairs nicely with oysters and seafood or cheese platters.
I always learn something new when I visit France. Often these details only come back to me while I’m working with my own wines in the cellar. Sometimes it’s remembering a conversation with a fellow producer, or a moment when I felt inspired by something I tasted. But I always return determined never to share the misgivings of John Maynard Keynes, who once said, “My only regret is that I have not drunk more Champagne in my life.”