Are Bonang's bottles of bubbly worth R399 a pop?
Here's what the Méthode Cap Classiques from Queen B's new luxury beverage range taste like
Bonang Matheba launched her own luxury beverage brand, the House of BNG, at a star-studded event on Monday at the Riboville Boutique Hotel in Johannesburg, where she popped the cork on her initial products: a Brut and a Brut Rosé Méthode Cap Classique (MCC).
“We have some of the world’s best grapes here in South Africa and so I decided to make a Méthode Cap Classique wine, which is made in exactly the same way as champagne but using Cape grapes," explained the celebrity in a press release.
Bonang worked with acclaimed Cape Wine Master Jeff Grier for the past two years to develop the bubblies. She plans on adding a sparkling wine and a Reserve MCC — which she says she'll name after her mom, Charlotte — to the range at a later stage.
DID YOU KNOW?
MCC (and champagne) is different to sparkling wine. The latter has carbon dioxide added later in the process. MCC also has smaller bubbles.
The House of BNG Brut and the Brut Rosé MCCs are for sale on the Woolworths website at R399 a bottle.
Compared to the other local MCCs on the site, which average at between R115 and R150 per bottle, the price is quite steep.
In fact, for roughly R150 more you can get a bottle of authentic French champagne from Moet & Chandon or Tattinger.
So are Bonang's bottles of bubbly worth the price?
Pearl Boshomane Tsotetsi, editor of the Sunday Times Lifestyle magazine, got a chance to taste both of them during the House of BNG launch. Here are her thoughts:
“The Brut is absolutely delicious – I don't like forking out more than R200 for MCC but I would fork out the R399 price tag for it. The House of BNG brut is true competition for more established MCC brands. It doesn't bubble too much (as some MCCs tend to) and it's smooth. It tastes heavenly but beware, it will get you buzzed quickly, even if your tolerance for MCC and champagne is high.
“The Brut Rosé, on the other hand, is surprisingly bitter-tasting. Brut Rosé is usually lighter and a bit sweeter than Brut, but the House of BNG one tastes almost medicinal. Skip it and spend your cash on the Brut instead!"