Manuka Cafe and Fine Wines, Tony Schreiber?s Aladdin?s cave of all things vino in Cape Town?s southern suburbs, is well into a series of wine courses designed to turn an appetite for drinking into an appreciation of the art therein. Presented by Gill Cooper of the Cape Wine Academy, and hosted by Schreiber himself ? selflessly partaking of the evening?s wines to ensure he approves of the fare on offer ? it?s a simple yet informative evening of tasting, understanding, and on the evening in question, consuming a considerable volume of champagne.

Not that we did, technically, for the first seven bottles fell under the ?methode Cap Classique? label, champagne in all but name, which the French guard jealously. By the end of the evening, it was a point that had unexpected resonance, for while the two French champagnes were as exquisite as expected, the local wines that preceded them gave Cap Classique a flourishing seal of approval.

In Biblical fashion the lower-end product introduced the evening: Manuka?s own carbonated sparkling wine, the product, effectively, of sticking a bottle of white wine in a soda stream. But while it holds no pretensions, it?s a solid celebratory bottle, the sweetness of the muscatel used to complement the chardonnay and sauvignon blanc base making it the ideal orange juice partner for a sashaying breakfast, or ? as in this case ? an inexpensive welcoming aperitif (R30 a bottle).

On then to another of the more common variety, Nederburg?s Premiere Cuvee Brut. Bottled under pressure to produce the essential bubbles, it?s a simple, uncomplicated bubbly that won?t set you alight, but is eminently drinkable ? and all the more so at R32 a bottle.

Winemaking can be a complicated business, and the more I learn about it, the more I?m happy to remain firmly on the consumption side. The Laborie Blanc de Noir Transfer 2000 (R50) only strengthens this conviction ? the original wine is transferred from one bottle to another (individually) as part of the process of creating something sparkling. It tastes great, and is given a distinct edge by the pinot noir used ? but I?d rather drink it than make it.

Discovering Cap Classique in the Western Cape is only complete with a visit to Haute Cabriere, and an encounter with the estate?s wonderfully eccentric owner, Achim von Arnim. His Saturday morning estate tours are entrenched in Franschhoek lore, and swinging the top off a bottle of Pierre Jourdan with a sabre is Von Arnim?s great party trick.

But behind the flourishing swords and rambling host lies a commitment to creating fine Cap Classique. The Belle Rose Cuvee (R85) has, along with others of its ilk, followed in the footsteps of rose in gaining popularity as a summer drink of choice in Cape Town; not my favourite, to be honest ? I?m a more traditional bubbly man myself?

?which leads to an outstanding local product that deserves to be drunk far more regularly (which is exactly what I intend on doing). Veltevrede Philip Jonker MCC 2000 has received various accolades, all of which are justified in the first blissful sip. 100 percent chardonnay, and a very yeasty Cap Classique, it breathes summer day with a light ocean breeze, all crisp freshness and robust character.

Visiting the actual vineyard (out towards Robertson) is highly recommended, for a magical little bistro and a warm and generous welcome to the tasting floor; but it?s this particular Cap Classique that gets the real thumbs up. Winemaker Jonker spent time in California, and there?s a breadth of nose and taste that suggests such scope to its production. R89 a bottle, and worth every last bubble.

And then to the surprise of the evening. JC Le Roux ? to my mind at least ? is the Coca Cola of sparkling wine: sickly sweet, omnipresent, a mass-produced quick fix that I can happily avoid. But for that perspective I owe JC Le Roux an apology, for there is far more to their range than the red and white labelled green bottle that turns up at 21st birthday parties everywhere. The Pinot Noir MCC 1996, for example.

I never thought I?d say this about JC Le Roux, but I loved it. It jars slightly on the nose at first, perhaps, but it?s easy to see why this particular vintage has been frequently mistaken for French champagne (not great French champagne, but French champagne nonetheless) at blind tasting. Bursting with pinot noir, oozing character, it?s a strong, haughty Cap Classique that blew my preconceived ideas out the bottle with my first glass, flirted coolly with me with my second, and by the third had me planning a trip out to JC Le Roux to tender my apologies, and pick up a case. And a case at R47 a bottle at that?

All of which put one of my regular favourites on the back foot. When in doubt, and in need of celebratory tipple (and reasons, I find, are never hard to come by), Graham Beck Brut (R80) is an outstandingly consistent performer. I have frequently paid tribute to the marvellous Mr Beck by consuming a bottle of his standard Cap Classique all by myself, and will doubtless again in due course. But despite the light, crisp ease of drinking it provides, I have to concede that the JC Le Roux stole the local show.

Finally, then, to the aristocrats. There?s not much needed to be said, really ? the nose on the Bollinger is like walking straight into a bakery at the crack of dawn, a gorgeous yeasty freshness that precedes an explosion in the mouth. A second fermentation means no fruit flavour ? just a pure, unadulterated, drink ?til you drop champagne. Which, if it weren?t R345 a bottle, I probably would.

The Laurent-Perrier offers a subtler taste, but rests a little longer on the palate, a fresh walk through a pine forest as nose and taste combine. Not quite the Bollinger in my book, but outstanding nonetheless; again, though, no less than you?d expect at R345 a pop.

The cost makes the French options the celebratory exception; what an evening of this nature provides is a chance to explore the alternatives. Cooper performs the ideal role, offering broad parameters for appreciation, but allowing the individual to explore the exact taste of each. Which, given the deeply subjective nature of wine tasting, is exactly as it is. The JC Le Roux and Philip Jonker offer outstanding local alternatives to French champagne; if given no other option, though, I could probably summon the strength to handle another bottle or two of Bollinger.