It’s hard to imagine summer without picturing a glass of crisp sparkling wine, feeling the mousse in your mouth, the tart tang on your tongue and the bubbles silkily slide down your throat. But what do you serve with it? (Apart from… well, more.) We asked some of our favourite foodie bloggers for their preferred bubbly of the season and snack of choice.

– Ishay Govender-Ypma, food writer and recipe developer (http://www.foodandthefabulous.com, @Foodandthefab)
In summer, a glass of crisp, cold bubbly served with a platter of fresh fruit – grapes, sliced nectarines, figs, strawberries and cubes of watermelon – is they way I like to welcome friends to a lunch outdoors. An interesting alternative to a sweet wine at the end of a meal with dessert is a glass of bubbles with a slice of French-style butter cake or Madeleines. My other suggestion is serving warm and spicy Thai-style mussels as a recessionary alternative to oysters, with a glass of bubbly.

– Michael Olivier, Cape Town's wine and food guru (http://michaelolivier.co.za/, @foodwineguru)
I would choose Simonsig Kaapse Vonkel, as we have a family link with the Malan Family; Madeleine used to work in their tasting room in the early days of this amazing MCC wine. It was the first, and is therefore the oldest of the classical Cape sparklers. With it I would eat parmesan crisps: finely grated parmesan, piled up in rounds on a baking tray and baked ‘til crisp in a hot oven. With a setting sun and my bride of 37 years by my side.

– Nothando Moleketi, restaurant reviewer and food blogger (http://jozifoodiefix.blogspot.com/, @JoziFoodieFix)
Honestly, who doesn't love bubbles? I could have a glass of Champagne with breakfast, lunch and dinner or, as I did last year, at 6am with fresh strawberries on Brooklyn Bridge while admiring the sunrise.

The traditional pairing of champagne/sparkling wine and oysters is right up my alley: it's the epitome of savoury decadence. But bubbly also goes extremely well with a smoked salmon and caviar-topped pizza, or a toasted brie and onion marmalade sandwich. The Krone Rosé Cuvée Brut stands up to and highlights the savoury-sweet combinations of the brie and onion marmalade toasted sandwich.

I am a Vueve Clicquot woman, and do also enjoy the Graham Beck Brut Rosé.

– Hennie Coetzee, food and wine writer (batonage.com, @Batonage)
It is almost impossible for me to single out a favourite MCC. It depends on my mood and my frame of mind. However, there are a handful of producers that I drink regularly, as MCC is my alcoholic drink of choice.

My current favourite is the Jewel Box from Silverthorn. John Loubser (the GM at Steenberg) makes this wine and has given it extended lees contact of 36 months. This gives the wine amazing palate weight and richness. The balance of the Jewel Box is outstanding and the flavour profile of apple crumble and buttered toast rewards every sip. The name of the wine, Jewel Box, refers to a cluster of stars visible in the southern hemisphere and also refers to the famous words of Dom Perignon, the Benedictine monk after whom the famous Champagne is named. His timeless words, upon drinking a sip of sparkling wine: “Come quickly, for I am drinking the stars.”

As I drink MCC at every opportunity, there isn't a perfect food pairing for me – I have it with everything from red meat to vegetables. If I were pushed though, and I wanted to have a decadent meal, I would have a glass with some crayfish simply cooked on the coals without any heavy garlic present. Maybe with a subtle caper butter basting.

The Silverthorn Jewel Box sells for R220 per bottle. It is a steal at that price.

– Maggie Mostert, food and wine writer (Batonage.com, @Blackdelilah)
In our house bubbly is not an ‘occasion’ drink, but rather a drink option – it is beyond me why people still believe bubbly is just a drink for a special occasions. Good bubbly pairs with almost any food, from starters to dessert – so why resist? My bubbly of choice (this is quite difficult, by the way) must be the Colmant Brut Reserve NV. At R130, it delivers the most Champagne-like qualities I have ever tasted in an MCC. I fell in love with the Colmant upon its first release in 2008 and, even though the blend make-up has not really varied over the years, it keeps getting better. It has a gentle, toasty, almost spicy nose, with incredible freshness. This bubbly I’ll drink for breakfast, lunch and dinner… Even better, with chocolate ganache cake! (Did you know that the delicate mousse even helps with that too-hot curry burn?) Then again, any excuse to drink a good bubbly!

– Alida Ryder, award-winning food blogger and cookbook author (http://simply-delicious.co.za, @SimplyDelishSA)
I just love having rösti with smoked salmon and cream cheese, or puff pastry tarts with goat's cheese and caramelised onions, with my bubbly. My favourite at the moment is Villiera Brut. I plan on drinking plenty of it on our December holiday in Stilbaai.

– Ilse van der Merwe, food blogger (www.thefoodfox.co.za, @the_foodfox)
There's nothing that says ‘summer’ more than bubbly and canapés at sundown. I love the Villiera Tradition Rosé Brut, a rich full-flavoured MCC made with pinotage, pinot noir and chardonnay. The colour and taste go perfectly with locally farmed trout. I like to put the delicate cold-smoked slivers on crispy toast with cream cheese, fresh dill and a squeeze of lemon juice.

Compiled by Linda Scarborough 

Looking for more ideas of suitable summer tipple? Read Michael Olivier's advice on red wines for summer.