"In vino veritas", we wouldn't meet so often in this blog if we weren't all more or less often in search of the wisdom of wine. Be it white or red wine, rosé or an MCC.
It is generally known that wines have to go through a maturing process in order to develop their flavour.
This period, which varies depending on the wine, is what makes the wine drinkable after fermentation. Put simply, the older the wine, the more harmonious and intense the flavour, aroma and colour. Ergo, the bloom of life is only reached after a few years, but is worth the wait.
Just like us, so to speak. Only through the controlled supply of oxygen, according to the motto "as little as possible, as much as necessary", does the grape juice become drinkable.
The general rule here is that red wine needs more oxygen, white wine less.
An aged, optimally stored red wine turns wine connoisseurs and lovers into poets. An ageing white wine, on the other hand, turns into vinegar ... Right? White wine should be drunk "young"? Wrong! Contrary to popular belief, the opposite is actually the case. Winegrowers repeatedly confirm that a well-stored white wine or MCC Brut can not only be enjoyed for several years, but also gains in flavour and maturity, just like red wine. It is therefore time to say goodbye to this "old wives' tale". The bottle of MCC Brut in your cellar that you brought home from your honeymoon in Cape Town may not last until your silver wedding anniversary, but it can bring a refreshing sparkle to your partner's eyes and thus to your married life.
Incidentally, MCC (Méthode Cap Classique) is a South African neologism for Champagne. As only the sparkling wines with bottle fermentation from the growing region of the northern French province of Champagne are allowed to bear this name, South African winegrowers have chosen the designation MCC to process and market their grapes harvested here into champagne (quality sparkling wine). So if names are nothing but smoke and mirrors, like Goethe's Faust
then an MCC is a real champagne and vice versa.