Sparkling Kaapse Vonkel and the Oysters from Heaven

Sparkling wine and oysters have traditionally been seen as a match made in heaven, but this combination has reached even greater heights at the new Kaapse Vonkel Cap Classique and Oyster Bar at De Warenmarkt in Stellenbosch. Here, among the eclectic combination of food and beverage offerings in the heart of the town, arguably the finest oysters in the winelands await to be consumed with Simonsig Kaapse Vonkel, South Africa’s original Méthode Cap Classique wine pioneered by Frans Malan on Simonsig in 1971.

While Simonsig cellar master Johan Malan is responsible for the sparkling wine, the magnificent oysters found at the Champagne and Oyster Bar are the responsibility of Kyle Dods from the Mussel Monger, purveyors of oysters and mussels plucked from the icy waters in Saldanha Bay.

“I firmly believe that in Saldanha Bay, South Africa has the marine environment required for cultivating the best oysters in the world,” says Kyle.

Kyle Dods from the Mussel Monger

“The local acqua-culturists have really made inroads over the past few years to produce the finest Pacific oysters I have ever tasted. My and The Mussel Monger’s job is to ensure the cold chain from Saldanha to the Champagne and Oyster Bar in Stellenbosch is kept in-tact, as well as keeping the oysters fresh and alive in the tanks. The result is the optimal oyster-eating experience, good enough for the most discerning oyster-lover and good enough for Simonsig’s great Kaapse Vonkel wine.”

The oysters are available in two sizes, large and giant. Upon ordering your oysters, the customer can see his or her shell-fish plucked from the tanks of clean seawater and shucked before their eyes.

And it does not get any better: the sweet, oceanic flavours are the ideal accompaniment to a glass of Kaapse Vonkel, and has been for decades.

“The perfect oyster is firm and shiny and must have a fleshy protrusion in the middle to underscore its freshness,” says Kyle as he shows a shucked oyster. “The giants are about 18 months old and the large ones a year or so.”

For those who prefer their shellfish warm and cooked, the Champagne and Oyster Bar whips up bowls of Saldanha mussels in a garlic and wine sauce, with a vetkoek or two to mop-up the juices.

“What can be better than half a dozen fresh oysters or a bowl of mussels?” says Kyle. “To me, this is real food. Fresh from the ocean, and minimum fuss in the preparation. To me, oysters and mussels are like wine in the sense that the product’s place of origin is important and that the less intervention before it reaches the consumer the better. It’s about natural, and it’s about flavour. Bring on the Kaapse Vonkel and I’ll shuck six giants so long!”