Sparkling Red
A truly Australian invention
The first Australian Sparkling Shiraz, or Burgundy as it was then known was produced in 1881 by the Victorian Champagne Company, established by Melbourne MD and Parliamentarian, Louis Lawrence Smith. He employed the talents of French winemaker, Auguste D’Argent, however it was short lived with the company going into receivership.
In 1888, a young French winemaker Edmund Mazure was employed to manage the Auldana vineyard in the Adelaide foothills. Responsible for growing mainly Shiraz grapes, there is little doubt that Edmund Mazure used some of these Shiraz grapes to make Sparkling wine and deserves the honour of being recognized as creator of Australian Sparkling Burgundy.
Fast forward to the 1980s.
During the late 1980s, a few Sparkling Red emerged. Seppelt released Great Western Sparkling Burgundy, Rockford released Black Shiraz in 1987 and Morris Shiraz Durif was also launched.
Gradually through the 1990s the popularity of Sparkling Reds grew. In 1994, Peter Rumball of Rumballs Sparkling Wines changed the name ‘Sparkling Burgundy’ to ‘Sparkling Shiraz’. This was a time when French winemakers were demanding names like Champagne, Chablis and Burgundy not be used as descriptive words or wine-styles in Australia. He was very happy to oblige, considering that the sooner Australia developed alternatives which were truly Australian, the better.
Today.
Today there are over 70 different Sparkling Red Wines on the market in Australia with the wine building a reputation as a great celebration or festive wine, perfect to go with the grilled meats of an Aussie BBQ.
80% of Sparkling Shiraz is produced by the large wineries. This large volume of wine is mainly made by the Charmat (fermented in tank) or transfer (fermented in any shape bottle and later transferred to the bottle you see on the shelf) methods.
The Future.
As more and more Australians discover this truly unique style of wine, the popularity of Sparkling Shiraz will grow.
In the end this ‘True Blue’ Aussie style is a great lot of fun, and matches with all sorts of food- Turkey for Christmas, BBQ meats, pizza and a whole lot more besides.
It is a wine of discovery, so go and discover - the experience will make you effervesce about these wines!
Seppelt
Silverband Sparkling Shiraz
‘Shows the long experience in making these styles; the complexity comes from the base wines rather than bottle fermentation and yeast contact; it is very well balanced, and in particular not too sweet.’
91/100
James Halliday winecompanion.com.au
Black Chook
Sparkling Shiraz
‘It’s clean and sweet, medium-bodied and easy to drink, the finish fruity and dark and earthen. This has been beautifully put together, at a nice price…’
88/100
Campbell Mattinson winefront.com.au
Morris
VIC, Shiraz Durif NV
‘A little tar frames the dark fruits, with a slight Amaro bitterness; the sugar is in balance and finishes with a dry, complex and interesting finish.’
87/100
James Halliday winecompanion.com.au
Fox Creek
Vixen McLaren Vale SA, Shiraz Cabernet Franc NV
‘Well put together sparkling red, with abundant dark berry fruit, dark chocolate and well-controlled dosage.’
89/100
James Halliday winecompanion.com.au
Teusner
MC Barossa Valley SA, Shiraz 2006
‘Kym Teusner is dangerously talented and is guilty for crafting some of Barossa’s finest modern gems.’
96/100
Dan Murphy’s Wine Panel
