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Australian Sparkling Wines

Overview

  • Buying Guide: Top Traditional Blend Australian Sparkling Wines
  • Buying Guide: Top Australian Sparkling Red Wines

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  • Aus. Sparkling Wines
  • Aus. Dessert Wines

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sparkling wines in Australia make up about 20 percent of all wine sales in the country. The best of the bunch, made just as they do in Champagne with Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, are the dry, fresh, rich and biscuity wines made by the handful of French houses that have an outpost in Australia.  Moet and Chandon is perhaps the best known, but there are a few others as well.

 

The other side of the sparkling coin is the spunky, wonder­fully fruity, vividly colored red sparkling wines. Australia, like northern Italy, has a tradition of making red sparklers, although most of them, unfortunately, never get exported. The best are made from Shiraz, and Seppelt is considered the leading producer. No firm has done more to make exciting Australian sparkling wines than Seppelt, the winery force behind Salinger. It is one of the most delicious, ele­gant sparklers produced on the continent. Its high­toned biscuity flavors are almost swordlike in their precision. First created in 1983, the wine is a blend of top selected lots from cool vine­yards and is made by the Cham­pagne method in a brut style.

 

see also: Australian Shiraz, Riesling, Dessert Wines, Chardonnay
and Cabernet Sauvignon

 

Buying Guide: Top Traditional Blend Australian Sparkling Wines

Greg Norman Estates Champagne Blend Australia

 

Greg Norman Estates NV Champagne Blend Australia $19

fGrapes: 57% Chardonnay, 43% Pinot Noir
Tasting Notes:  Straw green Champagne color, with aromas of strawberry, toasted nuts, and hints of citrus.  Stony mineral, and medium to full bodied, and dry, with a very smooth, long mouthfeel.
Comment:  The grapes are a blend from sources in the Adelaide Hills, Langhorne Creek, and Mclaren Vale.  Hand picked and vinified in the traditional method where it spends and average of two years on yeast lees before being finally disgorged.
Food pairing:
When to drink: Drink on release, keep for up to 3 years
Service temperature: 9°C | 47°F

 

 

Clover Hill Brut Champagne Blend Tasmania

 

Clover Hill Brut Champagne Blend Tasmania $32

fGrapes: 60% Chardonnay, 40% Pinot Noir
Tasting Notes:  Color of pale straw with green glints, with stony fruits and warm yeasty brioche notes.
Comment:  Sourced from dedicated sparkling wine vineyards in the Pipers region of Tasmania.  Made using the traditional Champagne method and then remains on fine lees for up to 3 years before release.
Food pairing:
When to drink: Drink on release, keep for up to 5 years
Service temperature: 9°C | 47°F

 

 

  f Jansz NV Premium Cuvée Champagne Blend Tasmania $20
  f Wayne Thomas Elevenses Chardonnay McLaren Vale $20
  f Yarrabank Cuvée SparklingBlend Victoria $28
  f Taltarni NV Brut Tache SparklingBlend Australia $22
  f Wolf Blass NV Brut NV SparklingBlend Australia $10
  f Petaluma Croser ChampagneBlend Piccadilly Valley $30
  f Marquee NV Selections Selections Cleveland Winery Brut Sparkling Blend Macedon Ranges $27
  f Lorikeet NV Extra Dry Champagne Blend South Eastern Australia $10

 

 

 

 

 

 

Buying Guide: Top Australian Sparkling Red Wines

 

Rumball Australian Sparkling ShirazRumball NV SB13 Sparkling Shiraz South Eastern Australia $26

ffGrapes: 100% Shiraz
Tasting Notes:  Full of the standard Australian Shiraz character, but with bubbles!
Comment:  You can tell which release you are getting with this non-vintage sparkler by its SB Number (Sparkling Blend).  It began back in 1988 with SB4, and today, with SB18 Rumball has demonstrated just how much they have learned about making sparkling Shiraz over the years. The grapes are sourced entirely from the Coonawarra region, and then vinified in the traditional Champagne method, with two separate fermentations.
Food pairing: kangaroo
When to drink: Drink on release, or keep for up to 3 years
Service temperature: 6°C | 43°F

 

 

Jansz Premium Rose Australian Sparkling Wine

 

Jansz NV Premium Rosé Pinot Noir Tasmania $20

fGrapes: 100% Pinot Noir
Tasting Notes:  Delicate pink rose color and smelling of velvety red flower petals, fresh cream, and nougat.  The Pinot Noir also brings up its classic strawberry notes, and refreshing acidity.
Comment:  The Heemskerk Vineyard, which the winery sources grapes for their wines, is shared by Jansz with Louis Roederer—a respectable seal of quality delivered by an iconic Champagne wine producer.  This wine is made in the traditional Champagne method, and aged on yeast lees for up to two years prior to release.       
Food pairing:
When to drink: Drink on release, or keep for up to 3 years
Service temperature: 9°C | 47°F

 

 

  f Schild Estate Sparkling Shiraz Barossa $24
  f Barossa Valley Estate E&E Sparkling Shiraz South Australia $70
  f Hardys NV Sparkling Shiraz South Australia $20
  f Schild Estate Sparkling Shiraz Barossa $24
  f Fox Creek NV Vixen Shiraz Cabernet Franc Cabernet Sauvignon Sparkling Blend McLaren Vale $19
  ff Charles Melton NV Sparkling Red SparklingBlend Barossa $60
  f Loose End NV Sparkling MSM Red Blend Barossa $20
  f Shingleback NV Black Bubbles Sparkling Shiraz McLaren Vale $20
  ff Rumball NV SB17 Coonawarra Cuvée Sparkling Shiraz Coonawarra $27
  f Mt. Jagged NV Sparkling Red Red Blend South Australia $18
  ff Hugh Hamilton The Madam Sparkling Merlot McLaren Vale $15
  f Hardys NV Sparkling Shiraz South Australia $20
  f Patritti NV Shargren Sparkling Red Wine Shiraz- Grenache South Australia $11