Is MCC in trouble?

May was a calamitous month for MCC. First Vinimark is exposed for selling carbonated wine as MCC and petrol was poured on the fire by the Cap Classique Association who tried to cover up the mess by instructing their members not to speak to the media. Of course several producers promptly emailed me the gagging order. Next Mark Norrish’s magnificent Table Bay bubbly wins the fizz trophy at the Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show. R70 for the best bubbly in SA leaves the top end of the market terribly exposed. Mark (below) has received such a rush of orders, he’s limiting customers to two bottles each.

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MCC is being widely discounted with many a Boland wedding fuelled by unlabelled Laborie Blanc de Blanc at R45 a bottle. Local MCC woes are a reflection of a softening of the international market for Champagne. Johann’s friend Marvin Shanken of Wine Spectator fame reports “total global Champagne shipments slid 1.2% to approximately 25.4 million nine-liter cases and category value decreased 0.4% to €4.4 billion ($5.84b), according to Impact Databank.” With recession widely forecast for SA, could the bubble be getting tired?