Taking home the award for Best Nectar Class at the 2025 Amorim Cap Classique Challenge, Krone Night Nectar Blanc de Blancs 2021 won big at South Africa’s preeminent competition and gold standard for Cap Classique.
“It felt like the liveliness of the Cap Classiques produced here shines through the people’s spirits, the vineyards, and the entire energy across the farm.”
Assistant winemaker Lizette Stander proudly accepted the trophy on behalf of the team. “Winning an award is always special, but receiving one of these trophies takes it to another level,” she shared. “Stephan and I couldn’t wait to bring the news home to everyone.”
For Lizette, the moment carried extra meaning. When she first set foot in the underground cellars of Twee Jonge Gezellen, her only guide was the set of Elsenburg (course-specific Agricultural Training Institute) textbooks she carried with her to learn about bottle fermentation. “It was wild,” she says with a laugh. “So much was happening all at once, and I had everything still to learn. We’re a small team, and working alongside Stephan has been an incredible education.”
From her very first day, the farm’s energy left its imprint. “It felt like the liveliness of the Cap Classiques produced here shines through the people’s spirits, the vineyards, and the entire energy across the farm.”
Lizette is clear-eyed about what it takes to work with Krone. “Consistency is important. You need to live up to the immense high standard of not only our own brand but also the world-class Cap Classiques of South Africa,” she says. But for all the rigour, no two days are alike. “To summarise a day, a month or a year on this farm is anything but repetition. With a new dawn there are new goals, new experiments, new styles, new vessels, new blends, and for this specific wine, an amazing new award!”
Left: Assistant winemaker, Lizette Stander
“It is a fierce yet elegant wine made with precision, releasing depth on the palate with diverse flavours.”
Vintage-only winemaking is non-negotiable. Each year must stand as a unique expression.
“Every vintage and harvest symbolises a new deck, and the cards that we are dealt with is an honest expression of that year,” shares Stander. “We would not be able to do this without exceptional quality grapes and we are grateful for our amazing vineyard team.”
When asked what makes the Night Nectar Blanc de Blancs 2021 a standout, Lizette points to restraint and precision. “We really do not intervene with the primary fermentation process. The biggest decision-making step was at the blending stage of the base wine portions. And secondly, the dosage calculation. You want the wine to be balanced but also to stand out. It’s about that soft, elegant bubble but also making a statement.”
The Night Nectar Blanc de Blancs 2021 is 100% chardonnay, sourced from three specific blocks across Tulbagh, the Ceres Plateau, and Elandskloof. A quarter of the blend was fermented in oak for layered complexity, while the remainder was tank-fermented to preserve fruit purity. “It’s bold and beautiful, and quite serious,” says Lizette. “We add dosage at disgorgement to create a very unique Nectar Blanc de Blancs. It is a fierce yet elegant wine made with precision, releasing depth on the palate with diverse flavours.”
Held at Vrymansfontein’s SCAPE, chef Kevin Grobler paired it with a local lemon tart. Try your hand at the recipe here, and serve with a glass of our trophy-winner.
