Once voted the best bottle fermented sparkling wine in the world by the International Wine&Spirit Competition, Graham Beck Blanc de Blancs is probably South Africa's most awarded fizz. Crafted from pure Chardonnay, 50% of this wine is fermented and matured in barrels for five months to add richness and creaminess, while the remainder is vinified in stainless steel to maintain all that zingy freshness. These two components were blended and bottled for the second fermentation. The wine was aged on the lees (the spent yeast that gives quality sparkling wine its nutty, yeasty and bready flavours) for at least four years. This is incredible considering its price and the fact that Vintage Champagne only requires three years of ageing by law. This is wine that offers sensational value for money. Expect zesty lime, green apple, crunchy pear, lemon zest, apricot sorbet, brioche, gingerbread spices, bread dough, toasted hazelnut, cream and a pinch of sea salt. Also expect to question why you've been spending so much money on Champagne all these years. Graham Beck was one of South Africa's richest men. The mining tycoon, stud farmer, entrepreneur and philanthropist bought a farm just outside the Western Cape town of Robertson in 1983, and soon added winemaker to his already impressive curriculum vitae. Concentrating on Méthode Cap Classique (the name given to South African wine made using the same technique as Champagne), he created one of the country's first sparkling wine brands. Before he sadly passed away in 2010, Graham Beck saw his wines sipped by the great and good, having been chosen to celebrate the inauguration of Nelson Mandela in 1994 and the presidential win of Barack Obama in 2009. The company is now run by the adorably nicknamed Pieter'Bubbles'Ferreira and is considered one of the world's finest sparkling wine producers.£3.33 per 100.00ml