Champagne income...

We make fine sparkling wine in this country, and the Presidential Inauguration is a good place to advertise the fact, writes CHRIS BENNETT.

I WATCHED the TV news in disbelief last Friday as we were informed that the sparkling wine to be served at the inauguration of the country’s president-elect would be provided by Moët et Chandon (by the way, it is preferably pronounced ‘mwet’) part of the huge Louis Vuitton luxury goods group.

The unfortunate creature that had to decide on which wine to use at this, the people’s greatest moment, chose a cuvée de prestige, a proprietary blended wine that is considered the top of the producer’s range; in this case it was Dom Pérignon. It retails for about R1 800 a bottle. I assume a lot of bottles would have been needed. He could have gone one better and chosen Louis Roerderer’s legendary ‘Cristal’, which is even pricier. Until 1945 it was produced solely for the consumption of the Tsar of all the Russias. I am not too clear on what happened between October 1917 and 1945, but I think a few aparatchiks may have enjoyed the occasional glass. After 1945 ‘Cristal’ was available to the public. Well, those that could afford it, anyway.

But here you see lies my point. Let me explain. Many years ago, when I was studying Russian at the University of Victoria in New Zealand, as an extra-mural student, I was invited to a dinner at the Soviet Embassy in Wellington, along with my tutor, Tom Lysaght.

The food was from Russia, with love, of course. The wine was a sparkling white from Georgia, one of the former Union’s great wine growing areas, rejoicing in the name of Sovyetskoye Shampanskoye, but now things are different. At a seriously Russian event, serious Russian wine was served.

What did we think we were doing serving French wine at the most serious and most important event that South Africa can stage?

The Western Cape produces one of the world’s finest sparkling wines. It is known generally as Cap Classique and is respected everywhere. Our winemakers take huge pains and a lot of time to employ as faithfully as they can the méthode champenoise routine of making the wine. It is a delicious and award winning product. I shall not name my preference.

As for dear old Dom Pérignon, the monk whom the French credit with inventing champagne (what a night!), I am afraid they are wrong.

It was, of course, invented by an Englishman.

The English scientist and physician Christopher Merrett presented the Royal Society (of which he was one of the founders) with a paper in which he detailed what is now called the méthode champenoise in 1662. Dom Pérignon was then a young and aspiring monk of 24 at the Abbey of Hautvillers.

I once saw a documentary of the State Visit to the UK of President Mitterand. The preparations for the State Banquet included three days for the laying of the table, the linen, the flatware and the stemware. If I remember correctly, the table seated 80. The food and wine served were, of course, English.

So next time you go out to eat spare a thought for good South African wine, which is easily bought in the South Coast’s many outlets.