After many years in the bustling business capital, Johannesburg, Charles with his wife, Zelda decided to follow their passion for Champagne by making their own. After much research, the beautiful Elgin Valley in the Western Cape was chosen as the ideal area to start their new ventures. With much vision, an old rundown 33 hectare fruit farm was bought in 2005 and has since been converted to a stunning Cap Classique Wine Estate. The farm specialises only in grape varieties used to make champagne – Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. Charles is an avid Francophile who believes deeply in following the classic French style of champagne making and the French idea of terroir being all important for quality wine.

Nicolas Follet is a Champagne consultant and oenologist from Reims, France and has made all the vintages at Charles Fox MCC. Besides making his family Champagne and Charles Fox MCC, he also consults on quality sparkling wine in France, Italy, South Africa and Argentina. Nicolas believes that for top quality Cap Classique, Elgin is best area to source quality grapes, and that the Charles Fox grapes are, in particlar, exceptional. Nicolas however returned to France in 2021, but his knowledge and technique is still used in the making of our Cap Classique.
Nicolas can be contacted through his webpage: www.oenoesense.com

Kevin Watt is the viticulturist for Charles Fox MCC. Kevin is based in Stellenbosch and consults extensively in the Elgin valley.

"When the first grapes were harvested everybody’s expectations were exceeded, the quality was superb. The choice of farm was vindicated and all the hard work and expense justified."