Groote Post - MCC

I love bubbly! There is always bubbly in my house. So I was very excited when I got a lil present from Groote Post just ahead of it's release last year before the festive season. 

2020 was a super challenging year for everyone. However the team at Groote Post were excited to welcome something new to their portfolio; "especially when it is a wine that sparkles with promise," said Pentz. 

The Groote Post Brut MCC is a traditional 60/40 blend of Chardonnay, giving structure & Pinot Noir providing that fruity component. 

Elegantly fresh with a pale, yet vibrant gold hue in your glass. Topped off with a fine creamy mousse.

On the palate, that freshness pulls through with green apples & white pears. Finishing off with hints of fresh brioche. Nice & easy drinking with a lively mouthfeel that lingers just long enough. 

The perfect serve for any occasion, even if the occasion is having that bottle in your fridge. A #SaveSAWine must buy to add to your MCC collection.

Available from the cellar door or online here. Or at selected wine retailers.

Time to Celebrate #CapClassiqueDay

Even though we're all still under National Lockdown & with the current restrictions on getting your hands on some bubbles, on 1 September 2020, it's time to celebrate the 2nd #CapClassiqueDay! So we decided to share some more #PerfectedByTime moments & thoughts ahead of time, so that you can start planning your own way to celebrate. (Hopefully with a bottle of bubbles that you've been saving in the back of the cupboard for some worthy celebration.)

A rather new addition to the yearly wine calendar, this initiative was started in 2019 by the Cap Classique Producers Association (CCPA). The #CapClassiqueDay has a rather simple purpose - 'to encourage people from different walks of life to unite their passion & love for bubbly.'

Did you know that the 1st bottle of Cap Classique was produced by Simonsig back in 1971, which means that next year, we will be celebrating 50 years of Cap Classique! An art truly #PerfectedByTime, taking a minimum of 9 months to produce a single bottle, means that most of the bottles of Cap Classique we will be celebrating with next, have already been bottled & are waiting for the date.

Check out Cap Classique Producers' Association here - www.capclassique.co.za

In celebration of #CapClassiqueDay & we've teamed up with the Cap Classique Association & will be giving away a mixed case of MCC consisting of:

- Alleé Bleue Brut Rose 2012
- Boschendal Brut Rose NV
- Krone Vintage Cuvee Brut 2013
- Graham Beck Brut NV
- Van Loveren MCC Brut Limited NV
- Kleine Zalze Vintage Brut 2009

How to enter:
1. Follow As Seen By Lloyd & the Cap Classique Association on Facebook.
2. Share the Competition Post using #CapClassiqueDay & #PerfectedByTime
3. Tag a few friends in the comments on the Competition Post.
4. Additional entries on Instagram & Twitter. 

T&C's apply

NB - Delivery of wine will only take place once allowed in terms of Government National Lockdown Regulations.

#WineRoutingWithLloyd - Krone

If you know me, you know that I am a firm believer in enjoying a good glass or 3 of MCC. And so, when I was planning my #WineRoutingWithLloyd trip, I could not pass up the opportunity to visit one of my all time favourite bubbly producers.

Situated out on the Twee Jonge Gezellen farm just outside of Tulbagh lies the home of Krone. A collection of notable, vintage-only South African Méthode Cap Classiques. The farm, being among one of the oldest farms in the Western Cape, was 1 of 14 farms granted to colonists by the then governor of the Cape - Willem van der Stel, as he wanted to see development beyond Cape Town, specifically in the Winterberg & Witzenberg areas, which is now know as Tulbagh, and so the town was established in 1743.

Fast forward to 1969, a rather devastating earthquake rocked the entire region & effectively delayed the introduction of Krone MCC by a whole 20 years. The very 1st Krone Borealis vintage, being 1987, was released in 1991 & so a new generation of MCC's was born.

Something that I quite like about Twee Jonge Gezellen, is that it was in the 1980's that 'night harvesting' was introduced. Specifically as a way to preserve the quality of the grape & the delicate aromas & flavours of all the freshly picked grapes. Still today, this is a tradition that carries on when all the staff get up in the dark of night to pick grapes before dawn & the heat of the day sets in. 

I even got to have a private tour around the farm & cellars by winemaker Stephan de Beer. 

Did you know that Twee Jonge Gezellen also boast with the very 1st underground cellar in Africa! It was so cool to be able to take a walk in the historic cellar & see MCC in the making, where bottles are stacked in old style pupitre's & are still turned by hand in the process of remuage.

Read more here about how Krone MCC is made. (For those of you who love a glass of bubble, then this is something for you.)

It's no lie that Krone has always been my go-to bubbly. It's always fresh & crisp. My palate prefers the Brut over the Demi Sec, but naturally only because I'm already sweet enough. Definitely an elegant gold colour, with aromas of lemon peel on the nose for me, with a touch of minerality & finished off with a slight biscuity characteristic. On the palate fresh yellow apples & a slight bit of a salted caramel. What I do love about Krone is the mousse. It is fine yet persistent & leaves a refreshing aftertaste. 

Definitely to be enjoyed whenever & wherever. For me, no occasion is needed, sometimes that occasion is simply having a bottle of Krone in the wine cooler!

Check out Krone & Twee Jonge Gezellen here.

#WineRoutingWithLloyd

12 Days of Christmas - Day 7

and on the 7th day of Christmas...
... on my Christmas Wishlist

Krone Borealis.

I am an avid lover of a good bottle of bubbly. The Krone Borealis is a MCC created using grape varieties of Pinot Noir & Chardonnay.

I love how the name came to being. As quoted on the Krone website: "Legend records that Bacchus, God of Wine in Greek Mythology, fell in love with Ariadne, daughter of the King of Crete. In order to uplift her spirits & to prove his love to her, he threw his golden crown, a circlet of gems, into the 'heavens' where it remained to shine forever as the dainty constellation of starts called CORONA BOREALIS.  Corona means Crown, as does Krone. Following the thought pattern yet? Hence the name Krone Borealis. Thus this MCC is often described as being full of stars and as the grapes are harvested at night under the starry night sky.

So you can be sure that I will be having a bottle or 2 over the next few days whilst relaxing on holiday.

Check out @KroneMCC on Twitter and give them a shoutout when you pop a bottle.