At the 2013 Amorim Tsogo Sun Cap Classique Challenge, Villiera Wines, one
of the longest established MCC specialists, located in Stellenbosch, was
recognized to be amongst one of the “Highly Recommended” – Gold Medal, for
their flagship MCC, Monro 2008 Brut, a focus Chardonnay driven estate blend
with both Pinot, lending flesh to the overall structure.
Seek it out during the festive season, it is a
fantastic offerings
Besides the extensive range of wines at all
price points and great consistent quality, it should be highlighted that
Villiera is one of the “Greenest” wineries In the Cape, using extensive solar
panels on their roof, to meet their daily electricity requirement.
Below is an
exclusive interview with Jeff Grier, cellarmaster since 1983, relating to us
his journey through MCC’s
Tell
our readers a little more about your winery and how long you have been making
wine and why your chosen location to make wine and in particular MCC, what is
special about your site?
We began making bottle fermented sparkling
wine in 1984 using a Champagne consultant, by the name of Jean Louis Denois. We
were the first to focus on bubbly and the first to seek access to generations
of know how in Champagne. Since then we have remained pioneers by being the
first to launch a Rose Brut, a Brut Natural and a low alcohol bubbly. Our
prestige cuvee, Monro Brut was launched in 1993 and has earned numerous
important awards. We are also the only family to produce bottle fermented
bubbly in the Roussillon, a beautiful region in the South of France.
When embarking on our sparkling wine
project 30 years ago we recognised the benefit of our terroir for the style.
The soils are light and produce delicate wines. Our early pioneering work
established us as leaders in the category and it is a position we still enjoy
today.
Explain
us your viticultural approach and philosophy, as we all know, it’s all starts
in the dirt to make very good to great wines?
We focus on the 3 Champagne varieties but
include a bit of Pinotage (SA’S own variety) in our NV blends to ensure
uniqueness. We combine bush vines with trellised vineyard to spread out the
harvest to facilitate picking everything at optimum ripeness.
Viticulturist
are very often the unsung heroes of the South African wine industry and we all
know, demanding style such as MCC, needs optimum grape quality, tell us more
about your viticulturist?
Simon Grier a family member and Director of
Villiera is our viticulturist .He is passionate about the environment and farms
in the most environmentally responsible manner possible. We use green energy (solar),
offset our carbon footprint by planting indigenous trees, rehabilitate damaged
areas, recycle all waste and avoid using insecticides.
Our fruit is all handpicked which allows
quality control and our bubbly grapes are picked early in the season before
quality can be negatively affected.
MCC’s
will never be Champagne, however the quality are of a very high standards and
represents some of the very best value bottle sparkling wine in the world, tell
us more about the climate and soil your grapes come from?
The Mediterranean climate, influenced by
the prevailing South Easter in summer and North Wester in winter is ideal for
viticulture. The influence of the Ocean especially the Atlantic (colder) is
critical. Our soil is a light sandy soil ideal for elegant sparkling wines.
Do
you have any preferences over site specific, i.e Estate / region/district/ward
wine of origin over Western Cape / Coastal Region blends, if so give us
more details?
Bottle fermented bubbly is essentially a
blended product which improves complexity. Specific single vineyard or Estate
sites are less important. However cooler areas can contribute to freshness and buying
in well suited pockets of fruit can be beneficial and improve complexity.
How
long you have been making MCC?
Thirty Years (MCC since 1992 and methode
champenoise before).
How
many styles of MCC’s you produce under your brand?
Including our Cape Winemakers Guild Auction
bubbly we make 6 styles of MCC in SA and we make one product in France.
Tell
us more about your winning MCC and it’s winemaking process as well as the
percentage blends if any making the final wine?
See Monro Brut 2008 fact sheet attached.
What
is your view on Reserve wine added prior to dosage, what would be your average
percentage, if any use in your house style?
Usage of reserve wine is less important in
SA, where the climate is more consistent than in Champagne. Nevertheless we do
use some reserve wine to improve complexity - up to 10% in our NV Tradition.
What
MCC style are your aiming for?
We are aiming for elegance achieved by
balanced acidity, delicate bubble, integrated oak if used. Some richness is
required through sufficient ageing on lees.
With
the new emerging market locally preferring wines with higher residual sugar,
what is your philosophy on dosage and where do you draw the line?
We try to achieve a perfect balance for the
international market. Emerging drinkers will quickly take to this style.
What
are the source / origin of the grape(s) used in the winning wine?
Our Monro Brut is made exclusively from
grapes off Villiera because these are the blocks we understand the most and it
is our prestige cuvee.
Stylistically,
where do you intend taking the wine in the next 5 to 10 years?
We are happy with our Monro Brut style
although, going forward we wish to achieve even more richness to make it stand
out more.
How many approximately bottles do you
produce per each style?
Villiera
Tradition NV 250 000 btls
Villiera
Tradition Rose 100 000 btls
Villiera Brut Natural 30 000 btls
Villiera
Starlight 30 000 btls
Villiera
Monro Brut 30 000 btls
Grier Brut (France) 15 000 btls
Countries
exported?
We export
to – UK, Germany, Sweden, Holland, Belgium, Switzerland, France, USA,
Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania, Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe, China, Hong Kong, Maldives,
Seychelles, Mauritius and Reunion .
Top
local on trade customers supporting the wines or where can your MCC be found to
be purchased and enjoy?
Woolworths, Makro, Pick ‘n Pay, Ultra,
Picardi, Spar, Wine Concepts, Caroline’s and Norman Goodfellows. We also have
listings at numerous restaurants and hotels.
Your
favorite food pairings or recommendation to be enjoyed with your winning MCC?
Great aperitif (especially But Natural and
Starlight). They combine well with shell fish, delicate line fish and sushi.
Oysters/caviar is a treat and some of our products go with pastry/ fruit based
deserts as well as Nougat.
Do
you have a special cellar door deal for readers of MCWJ to purchase your MCC
over the holiday period?
Cellar door visitors quoting MCW will get a
special (same as for club members).
What
is the average selling of your MCC’s, cellar door / retail?
R90/bottle for NV Blends.
R150/bottle
for Vintage products.
What
is approximately Villiera MCC’s productions versus other wines and what
experience can visitors expect when visiting the tasting room?
Cap Classique amounts to 40% of our
business , so we are focussed and visitors to Villiera can enjoy a
Bubbly/Nougat pairing at R50 per person.
