Graham Beck Brut Sparkling – Review

This is “POP or FLOP”, where we taste test sparkling wines so you don’t have to! This week we’re sipping Graham Beck Brut Sparkling! Is this a bottle of bubbles you should POP? 💁 Or is it a FLOP? 🙅 Let’s see…

 

Graham Beck is one of South Africa’s premiere (and most prominent) sparkling wine houses, producing exceptional Méthode Cap Classique sparkling wines in South Africa’s Western Cape. Méthode Cap Classique (or “MCC” for short) is a South African term used to denote that the wine is produced in the “traditional method” with the second fermentation taking place in the bottle (the same way Champagne is made in France). Graham Beck produces a full range of sparkling wines in various styles (7 in total) with one to compliment every moment, mood, and meal. Or… perhaps every day of the week? 🙊

 

Today we’ve got their flagship wine, the non-vintage Brut, in our flutes! This wine is crafted with hand-picked grapes – Chardonnay (for fruit flavour and elegance) and Pinot Noir (for complexity and length). The secondary fermentation occurs in the bottle, where the wine is aged on its lees for 15 – 18 months before disgorgement. This is when the wine develops those distinct yeasty aromas that we all know and love in our traditional method sparkling wines! So let’s see how South Africa’s bubbles stack up, sha’ll we?

poporflop

Appearance

[one_fifth]

emoji-appearance

[/one_fifth]

[four_fifth_last]

[eltd_unordered_list style=”circle” animate=”yes” font_weight=””]

  • Pale gold in colour, with a steady stream of fine bubbles. And just like that… we’re hypnotized! 😍

[/eltd_unordered_list]

[/four_fifth_last]

Aroma

[one_fifth]

[/one_fifth]

[four_fifth_last]

[eltd_unordered_list style=”circle” animate=”yes” font_weight=””]

  • Ripe pear, yellow apple and citrus on the nose, complimented by secondary aromas of yeast, almond and wet stone.

[/eltd_unordered_list]

[/four_fifth_last]

Flavour

[one_fifth]

[/one_fifth]

[four_fifth_last]

[eltd_unordered_list style=”circle” animate=”yes” font_weight=””]

  • Light bodied, very dry, with a refreshing acidity. Citrus forward, with fresh tree fruit, nuttiness, a light toastiness and a zippy mineral finish. Creamy, complex and fresh.

[/eltd_unordered_list]

[/four_fifth_last]

Food Pairing

[one_fifth]

[/one_fifth]

[four_fifth_last]

[eltd_unordered_list style=”circle” animate=”yes” font_weight=””]

  • Pair this one with a bombay chicken salad, fried spring rolls with a chilli sauce, or a grilled pork dish. Or… with one of the other 6 Graham Beck MCC sparkling wines!

[/eltd_unordered_list]

[/four_fifth_last]

The Verdict?

[one_fifth]

[/one_fifth]

[four_fifth_last]

[eltd_unordered_list style=”circle” animate=”yes” font_weight=””]

  • It’s a POP! From the hand-picked fruit to the bubbles in our glass, Graham Beck sure knows what they’re doing when it comes to producing quality sparkling wine – and you just can’t beat it at this price point.

[/eltd_unordered_list]

[/four_fifth_last]

[eltd_separator class_name=”” type=”normal” position=”center” color=”” border_style=”” width=”” thickness=”” top_margin=”” bottom_margin=””]

[one_half]

[/one_half]

[one_half_last]

Graham Beck Brut Sparkling (NV)

$18.95

[eltd_unordered_list style=”circle” animate=”yes” font_weight=””]

[/eltd_unordered_list]

[/one_half_last]