Bubbly, oysters, sushi, smoked salmon, sunshine and live blues music – what could be a better way to spend a Saturday afternoon?
I attended my first ‘Magic of Bubbles’ Cap Classique and Champagne festival in Franschhoek this weekend and I left feeling sorry that I hadn’t been before.
I went to the festival on a gloriously sunny Saturday with my boyfriend, dressed entirely inappropriately in a multi-coloured dress (I had forgotten that the theme for the festival was ‘black and white) expecting a bit of MCC and maybe a nice sandwich. It was rather a lot better than that.
We arrived at midday, just as one of our favourite Cape Town blues musicians, Gerald Clark, started playing. This was a good sign that we were going to enjoy the festival. After a quick scope out, we got some tasters from Steenberg with our coupons, sat on the lawn in the sunshine and sipped our delicious sparkling wine while listening to great music. The rest of the afternoon was spent wandering around the wine stalls, tasting some fantastic MCC and Champagne, snacking on great food and soaking up the sunshine and live tunes.
The festival is held at the end of the main street in Franschhoek, on the lawns around the Huguenot Monument. The wineries’ stalls surrounded the lawn in a marquee, with a row of food stalls offering gourmet treats from the winelands’ top restaurants, from sushi to artistic canapes. We feasted on oysters, smoked salmon flatbread with walnut and horseradish from Le Quartier Francais, delicious pasta and the best vanilla ice cream I’ve ever tasted (made with farm-fresh eggs and cream).
It would take you awhile to get through all the MCC and Champagne on offer at the festival. We had tasters from Graham Beck Wines, Krone, La Motte, Ross Gouwer, Simonsig, and Steenberg, regretting that we had to drive back to Cape Town and couldn’t . If we’d stayed over in Franschhoek, and had only had to walk back to our B&B, then we would have sampled a lot more.
Next year I’m going to book accommodation in town in advance, take a big group of friends, get to the festival early and nab a table with an umbrella (we sat on the lawn for most of the afternoon and returned home rather pink).
The Franschhoek ‘Magic of Bubbles’ Cap Classique and Champagne festival
Dates: The dates for the 2012 festival have not been confirmed yet, but it is likely to be held in the beginning of December. The 2011 festival was held over 2 to 4 December, open from 18h00 to 22h00 on the Friday, and from 12h00 to 17h00 on the Saturday and Sunday.
Cost: Tickets to the festival are R180 a person, which includes a tasting glass and booklet of tasting coupons. Children under 18 get free entry.
Bookings: Tickets can be bought on www.webtickets.co.za. Buy your tickets in advance because once the marquee is full they’ll close the entrance.
Contact: Tel 021-876-2861, [email protected]
