GOLD MEDAL winners at the third Champagne & Sparkling Wine World Championships in London included two of South Africa’s Cap Classiques: the premium Graham Beck Cuvée Clive 2009 from Robertson and Domaine des Dieux Claudia Brut 2010 from the Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge outside Hermanus. All told, there were 149 gold and 143 silver medallists – the Cape’s Le Lude and Wildekrans among them – at a competition remarkable for attracting over 900 sparkling wine entries from 26 countries, including many from the renowned Champagne houses in and around Epernay and Reims, France.

Among Champagne’s 67 gold medallists were wines from Charles Heidsieck, Canard-Duchêne, Deutz, GH Mumm, Lanson, Laurent-Perrier, Louis Roederer, Moët & Chandon and Dom Pérignon, Perrier-Jouët, Piper Heidsieck, Pommery, Taittinger and Veuve Clicquot – to name just some of the more famous brands. The various class winners, the national champions and four world champions will be announced at an awards dinner in London on 1 September.

The tasting panel included UK journalist and author Tom Stevenson, convenor of the show and chairman of the judges, together with Australian Tony Jordan, a scientist, winemaker and consultant for a number of sparkling wine cellars in numerous countries, and Finland’s Essi Avellan, author and Master of Wine (UK).

For more information about the championships and all the medallists, see here, with all of South Africa’s top Cap Classique sparkling wine reviews over the past two years detailed here.

SA Medal Winners at 2016 Sparkling Wine World Championships

GOLD MEDAL

Domaine des Dieux Claudia Brut 2010 – R170 a bottle ex-cellar, Hemel-en-Aarde
Graham Beck Cuvée Clive 2009 – R595 a bottle ex-cellar, Robertson

SILVER MEDAL

Graham Beck Brut Rosé 2010 – R230 a bottle ex-cellar, Robertson
Le Lude Brut NV – R200 a bottle ex-cellar, Franschhoek
Le Lude Rosé NV – R200 a bottle ex-cellar, Franschhoek
Wildekrans MCC Chenin Blanc 2013 – R137 a bottle ex-cellar, Bot River