My Fleep:
Wine
Wine
A Taste of Australian Wine
'Sparkling Reds'
by Gavin Trott
Sparkling red wines, or as they used to be known in Australia - Sparkling
Burgundies, are a particular love of mine. I’m not sure about the US
experience, but many in Australia were turned off these wines due to
drinking light red concoctions tasting like sweet lolly water sold here in
the 1960’s and 1970’s with names like “Cold Duck”. These usually
tasted like a blend of cough mixture and boiled lollies and have put a
generation off what are very traditional Australian wine styles that are
indeed world class.
So what are we talking about with Sparkling red wines from Australia?
Well, we are talking about quality red wines made in the same way as
Champagne - that is, bottle fermented, aged on lees, then liqueured and
left to develop in the bottle. However, instead of using Chardonnay and
Pinot as the base wines, they use quality red wines.
These styles exist elsewhere in the world, notably in the Burgundy and
Loire regions of France, but not in any quantity, or with the same quality.
Only here in Australia do these tend to be taken seriously, indeed they
are very much in fashion currently, and the range and variety are now truly
exceptional.
What should you expect from these wines?
Well, imagine tilting an empty glass and pouring ... down the side runs a
frothy liquid, vivid purple in color with violet and purple froth. Roaring out
of the glass comes the smell of blackcurrants, blackberries, chocolate,
cherries, strawberries and more. You finish pouring and slowly the froth
settles into purple red wine with a steady mousse. Another sniff now
shows hints of oak, sweet fruit and firm acid. Try some .... powerful fruit,
dry yet seeming sweet, some acid and tannin on the finish as the
flavours run over your tongue, berries, mushroom, spice, cherries and
more. Makes me thirsty just writing about it!
What are these wines made from?
Well these days just about anything red. Most, and I think the best, are
made from Shiraz. All that chocolate and rich smoky blackberry fruit just
seems to suit the wine style. At one extreme we have the almost
impossibly rare Rockford Black Shiraz. In the early days at least this wine
started off life as a quality 10 year old Barossa Shiraz before Rocky took
to it with the fizz. Also try the Rumball which uses 100% Coonawarra
Shiraz, or the Leasingham, using the same Clare Shiraz as their classy
table wines do.
Some people are making this wine from Cabernet too, notably Yalumba,
and most successful it is too, lighter in style than the Shiraz, but not light.
After this we have some beautiful Sparkling Merlot, notably the Irvine. One
or two make a sparkling Pinot Noir like McWilliams and then we have the
something different wines, Tatachilla make a brightly coloured Sparkling
Malbec and D'Arenberg have just released their Sparkling Chambourcin.
How do we drink these wines?
These Sparkling Shiraz wines should be served slightly chilled. Naturally
this depends on the conditions. If its summer and you want them with a
barbeque for example, 30 – 40 minutes in the refrigerator helps them, it
stops them seeming flabby and over alcoholic. However, if its mid winter
then room temperature will do fine. In short, don’t overchill, or serve warm.
What do we drink these wines with?
Well, they are fantastic with your favorite pizza, served slightly chilled.
They also drink wonderfully with Turkey particularly the sparkling
Cabernet, and naturally also for barbeques where they hold their own.
Added to this are any of the meat dishes that Shiraz style wines go with.
If you like experimenting, then try them also with Duck, char grilled Tuna,
in fact, most meats char grilled. The lighter styles also make excellent
aperitifs particularly on colder nights.
What sparkling red wines should I try?
Inexpensive
Andrew Garrett
Hardys Sparkling Shiraz
Middle range
Mt Prior Sparkling Durif
Tatachilla Sparkling Malbec
Rumball
Premium
Rockford Black Shiraz
Great Western
Charles Melton Sparkling Shiraz
Leasingham Classic Clare
Irvine Sparkling Merlot
Henrys Drive Sparkling Shiraz
Gavin is the manager of the Australian Wine Centre (a large collection of
affordable, rare and cult Australian wines) and hosts the very popular
Auswine Forum (An online discussion forum about Australian wine) . You
may reprint this article either on a website or in print but you must
maintain this resource section naming the author. Please email the
author with details on where you intend to use it. You can obtain the latest
version of this article and more free wine content for your website from
www.freesticky.com
'Sparkling Reds'
by Gavin Trott
Sparkling red wines, or as they used to be known in Australia - Sparkling
Burgundies, are a particular love of mine. I’m not sure about the US
experience, but many in Australia were turned off these wines due to
drinking light red concoctions tasting like sweet lolly water sold here in
the 1960’s and 1970’s with names like “Cold Duck”. These usually
tasted like a blend of cough mixture and boiled lollies and have put a
generation off what are very traditional Australian wine styles that are
indeed world class.
So what are we talking about with Sparkling red wines from Australia?
Well, we are talking about quality red wines made in the same way as
Champagne - that is, bottle fermented, aged on lees, then liqueured and
left to develop in the bottle. However, instead of using Chardonnay and
Pinot as the base wines, they use quality red wines.
These styles exist elsewhere in the world, notably in the Burgundy and
Loire regions of France, but not in any quantity, or with the same quality.
Only here in Australia do these tend to be taken seriously, indeed they
are very much in fashion currently, and the range and variety are now truly
exceptional.
What should you expect from these wines?
Well, imagine tilting an empty glass and pouring ... down the side runs a
frothy liquid, vivid purple in color with violet and purple froth. Roaring out
of the glass comes the smell of blackcurrants, blackberries, chocolate,
cherries, strawberries and more. You finish pouring and slowly the froth
settles into purple red wine with a steady mousse. Another sniff now
shows hints of oak, sweet fruit and firm acid. Try some .... powerful fruit,
dry yet seeming sweet, some acid and tannin on the finish as the
flavours run over your tongue, berries, mushroom, spice, cherries and
more. Makes me thirsty just writing about it!
What are these wines made from?
Well these days just about anything red. Most, and I think the best, are
made from Shiraz. All that chocolate and rich smoky blackberry fruit just
seems to suit the wine style. At one extreme we have the almost
impossibly rare Rockford Black Shiraz. In the early days at least this wine
started off life as a quality 10 year old Barossa Shiraz before Rocky took
to it with the fizz. Also try the Rumball which uses 100% Coonawarra
Shiraz, or the Leasingham, using the same Clare Shiraz as their classy
table wines do.
Some people are making this wine from Cabernet too, notably Yalumba,
and most successful it is too, lighter in style than the Shiraz, but not light.
After this we have some beautiful Sparkling Merlot, notably the Irvine. One
or two make a sparkling Pinot Noir like McWilliams and then we have the
something different wines, Tatachilla make a brightly coloured Sparkling
Malbec and D'Arenberg have just released their Sparkling Chambourcin.
How do we drink these wines?
These Sparkling Shiraz wines should be served slightly chilled. Naturally
this depends on the conditions. If its summer and you want them with a
barbeque for example, 30 – 40 minutes in the refrigerator helps them, it
stops them seeming flabby and over alcoholic. However, if its mid winter
then room temperature will do fine. In short, don’t overchill, or serve warm.
What do we drink these wines with?
Well, they are fantastic with your favorite pizza, served slightly chilled.
They also drink wonderfully with Turkey particularly the sparkling
Cabernet, and naturally also for barbeques where they hold their own.
Added to this are any of the meat dishes that Shiraz style wines go with.
If you like experimenting, then try them also with Duck, char grilled Tuna,
in fact, most meats char grilled. The lighter styles also make excellent
aperitifs particularly on colder nights.
What sparkling red wines should I try?
Inexpensive
Andrew Garrett
Hardys Sparkling Shiraz
Middle range
Mt Prior Sparkling Durif
Tatachilla Sparkling Malbec
Rumball
Premium
Rockford Black Shiraz
Great Western
Charles Melton Sparkling Shiraz
Leasingham Classic Clare
Irvine Sparkling Merlot
Henrys Drive Sparkling Shiraz
Gavin is the manager of the Australian Wine Centre (a large collection of
affordable, rare and cult Australian wines) and hosts the very popular
Auswine Forum (An online discussion forum about Australian wine) . You
may reprint this article either on a website or in print but you must
maintain this resource section naming the author. Please email the
author with details on where you intend to use it. You can obtain the latest
version of this article and more free wine content for your website from
www.freesticky.com
Sparkling Reds