Graham Beck cellarmaster, Pieter Ferreira has finally won the WINE magazine Amorim Cork Cap Classique Challenge with a wine 12 years on from vintage. Christian Eedes reports.

In what must rank as the least controversial wine competition result of 2007, Graham Beck cellarmaster Pieter Ferreira has won the annual WINE magazine Amorim Cork Cap Classique Challenge with his Brut Pinot Noir Chardonnay 1994.

In fact, the only surprising aspect of this outcome is that it hasn't happened before in the six years that the Challenge has been run. Méthode Cap Classique, or bottle-fermented sparkling wine, has been part of Ferreira's life for the past 24 vintages. He won the Diners Club Winemaker of the Year Award in 2004 with Graham Beck Brut Blanc de Blancs 1999 and few would disagree that he has been one of the best makers of fizz in South Africa for some time.

Ferreira first worked at Cabrière in Franschhoek between 1984 and 1990 helping Archim von Arnim establish the popular Pierre Jourdan range of bubbly. Meanwhile mining magnate Graham Beck was setting up vineyards in Robertson that would be geared mainly to the production of bubbly, and when approached to get involved, Ferreira jumped at the opportunity. First harvest was 1991, and with the cellar still not complete, he reveals that he made wines "under the stars" that year.

As is well documented, Cap Classique is a growth category and if proof were needed that Graham Beck is at the forefront of this phenomenon, then consider that this producer's total bubbly production has grown from just over 40,000 cases at the end of 2004 to 55,000 cases now. In order to cater for demand, vineyard plantings are constantly being expanded with Pinot Noir being increased by 9ha in Robertson and a further 4ha in Franschhoek this year alone.