• Home
  • Sparkling & Champagne

Australian Sparkling Wine

The popularity of sparkling wine both at home and abroad, including that most famous Sparkling Wine of all – Champagne – is seemingly unquenchable. While sparkling wine has always been considered the quintessential celebratory beverage, many now also enjoy it for its own intrinsic qualities, without the need for a crowd, pretension or excuse.

The invention of the wines we now call ‘Sparkling’ is surrounded by many different myths and legends as to its origin. The most famous attributes Benedictine Monk, Dom Pérignon, to the creation of the ‘bubbly’ style so popular today.

The Méthode

While sparkling wine can be made with various techniques, it is the méthode champenoise originally from Champagne in northern France that is considered the style’s true expression. Although the term méthode champenoise, as well as the Champagne label, can now only be used for sparkling wine originating from within the boundaries of the traditional region, the same method is used worldwide and is called traditional method.

On most occasions, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier are the grapes used, and are generally picked early in the season to retain the acid level and minimise sugar levels which are considered undesirable in sparkling production. After primary fermentation and bottling, a secondary fermentation occurs with the addition of additional yeast and sugar. This results in carbon dioxide being absorbed into the wine itself - producing pressure in the bottle twice the amount found in an inflated car tyre! Upon opening and contact with glass, bubbles are released and the classic style we all love is displayed.

The New World Home of Sparkling Wine

In recent years, Australia has been catapulted to the upper echelon of sparkling wine producing countries with access to premium, terroir driven sites, as well as the luxury of ‘old vines’ that impart a refined complexity into a finished wine that is hard to achieve with younger vines. A groundswell of knowledge is also positively affecting the quality of the sparkling wine produced in Australia. Winemakers are travelling to the homeland of sparkling wine in Champagne and then returning to blend the knowledge attained abroad with modern Australian winery and vineyard practices to produce wines that are considered at least the equal to those in France.

Industry Icon

Ed Carr is rightfully considered Australia’s authority when it comes to sparkling wine. For the past 25 years, Carr has embarked on a career in sparkling wine whose achievements belie belief. He is the recipient of countless trophies and gold medals and has recently seen the establishment of the House of Arras; a culmination of a career defined by sparkling wine. Ed’s blending abilities together with the vineyards at his disposal in the sparkling wine epicentre of Australia, Tasmania, has enabled him to create a portfolio of wines that have the freshness, elegance and complexity the envy of the world. His Late Disgorged Vintage sparkling rests on lees for over a decade and yet retains freshness and vibrancy that is the work of pure genius.