There’s no doubt that December is a time of indulgence and excess. The onslaught of year-end functions, weddings, parties, Christmas and New Years becomes a blur of hazy morning headaches and empty Myprodol packets. For me, the best antidote to all the festive season madness is bubbly. In the interest of leading a balanced lifestyle and calming my shattered nerves , I tend to drink as much of the stuff as I can.
The best part? In South Africa we have so many fabulous bubblies to choose from. I do enjoy old favourites from Graham Beck, Villiera and Krone, but here are some different options to sip on.
The showstopper: Colmant Brut Chardonnay NV
Forget fancy schmancy French Champagne. Colmant is a Franschhoek-based winery that only produces bubbly, and it does a damn fine job of it. The Brut Chardonnay is everything you’d expect from a really good MCC: creamy and decadent with a dash of citrus and toast. If Laboutin heels came in liquid form, they’d probably taste like this.
The damage: R190 per bottle from the estate.
 
Fizzy fun: Steenberg Sparkling Sauvignon Blanc 2014
I was intrigued to try this bottle of fizzy goodness. As the name suggests, this bubbly is not produced in MCC style. Instead, it consists of Sauvignon Blanc that’s injected with a burst of bubbles. Steenberg says that it is “made to be fun, fruity and fresh” and that pretty much sums it up: fruity, tropical flavours as delicious as a cold popsicle on a hot day. The next time we have loadshedding, I’m going to surrender myself to fate, open a bottle of this and catch a tan.
The damage: R99 per bottle from the estate.
 
For your inner hipster: Sumaridge’s The Wayfarer 2009
Now this is something rather interesting: a 77% Pinot Noir and 23% Chardonnay MCC from the Hemel en Aarde Valley outside Hermanus. This MCC is as cool as a pair of Wayfarer sunglasses, with an eye-catching calligraphic label that begs you to take notice. Pop open the bottle and you’ll be treated to dry, dry, dry flavours with a smidge of strawberry. Sumaridge only produce 2800 bottles (which any hipster would be delighted to know) and Platter gives a four star rating, so be sure to get your paws on this as soon as you can.
The damage: R197 per bottle