Thursday, December 10, 2020

Festive fizz: Bubbles for your celebrations

 

Christmas, New Year, a birthday, an anniversary, the end of Covid lockdown, reopening of state borders _ they are all good reason to down a glass or two of bubbly.

It doesn’t feel that long ago that Aussie sparkling fans were somewhat limited in their choice of beverage. There was Seppelt Great Western brut, Orlando Barossa Pearl, Penfolds Blue Rhapsody, perhaps a Wynns Romalo, a Minchinbury, Seaview and not too many others.

Many of those have, thankfully, disappeared, although Seppelt Great Western, Seaview and Minchinbury still can be found. The base Great Western is generally known now as Imperial Reserve, although some very attractive wines are marketed under the Fleur De Lys and Salinger labels in NV and vintage forms.

The classic Champagne grapes of pinot noir, chardonnay and pinot meunier did not appear in many Aussie sparklings until the late 1970s and early 1980s because there was no great volume available from local vineyards. However, once availability increased, the standard of local bubblies started to lift. Seppelt began making its Salinger and Fleur De Lys brands and Yellowglen (originally known as Yellow Glen) was started by Ian Home at Smythesdale near Ballarat with the express idea of making first-rate Aussie bubbles. With the assistance of Champagne-trained Dominic Landragin his ideas soon bloomed.

You’ll find Yellowglen in all its colours, Yellow, Pink, White (Muscat of Alexandria), Red and reduced alcohol and calories Yellow 65 and Pink 65. There’s also a vintage “Botanicals” range featuring a pinot-chardonnay blend, pink moscato and prosecco.

Fellow Victorian winery Taltarni, which originally started as producer of classic reds, soon found its chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot meunier could make pretty useful bubbles and its range now includes 2015 Brut, 2013 Cuvee Rose, 2016 Blanc de Blancs, 2018 Sparkling Shiraz (95% shjiraz, 2% Mataro, 2% cabernet sauvignon and 1% viognier) and 2013 Tache (sparkling rose, with its name coming from the use of a splash of red wine to give it its unique taste and colour). All are available around the $26 mark (often cheaper).

Some of the Clover Hill range

However, when Taltarni planted vineyards in northern Tasmania near Lebrina is when it really became interesting. The Clover Hill range now contains some of my favourite Australian bubbles and helped kick-start the great interest by sparkling winemakers in the cool-climate fruit from Tasmania. The Clover Hill wines (Tasmanian Cuvee NV and Tasmanian Cuvee Rose, both about $34, 2014 Vintage Brut $45, 2015 Vintage Riche $45, 2014 Cuvee Exceptionelle Blanc de Blancs $65 and 2015 Cuvee Exceptionelle Rose $65) are worth seeking out as they offer great elegance, refinement and complexity.

House of Arras winemaker Ed Carr

Speaking of great Tassie bubbles, the 2004 House of Arras EJ Carr Late Disgorged has been named best sparkling wine of the year by Decanter magazine at its 2020 tasting, knocking off a few French champagnes on the way and adding to the amazing tally of trophies and gold medals Ed Carr has earned during his career as one of Australia’s best sparkling wine makers. It’s not cheap (about $250 a bottle) and in very limited supply but if you want to see why Ed’s wines are so highly rated it is an outstanding placed to start.


The House of Arras range

If your pockets aren’t so deep, House of Arras Blanc de Blancs NV retails for about $35, the Brut Elite Cuvee 1501 $61 and 2008 Rose $120, while for special occasions the Grand Vintage 2009 is $109 and the Museum Release 2008 Blanc de Blancs $350.

Back in the real world, I don’t think the massive French champagned house of Moet & Chandon quite realised what it was launching when it started its Australian branch Domaine Chandon in the Yarra Valley in the mid-1980s.

Now know simply as Chandon, it releases a range of bubbles, mostly from Yarra Valley fruit but some from the Whitlands region of the King Valley and some from Tasmanian fruit, that rivals anything made in Australia (and quite a few French bubbles as well).

Victoria’s cool-climate area of Macedon also makes some top bubbly, with Hanging Rock’s Macedon blend leading the way. It is winemaker John Ellis’s tribute to the rich, complex champagne styles of Krug and Bollinger and it is worth chasing down.

While chardonnay and pinot noir blends dominate Australia’s sparkling scene, there are still a few outliers. Several Hunter Valley wineries produce sparkling semillons, Skillogalee in the Clare Valley makes a delicious sparkling riesling, Ray Costanzo at the Granite Belt’s Golden Grove produces a tasty sparkling vermentino and Chalmers in Victoria have an equally intriguing sparkling fiano under the name Felicitas. And one definitely out of left field is Soumah’s Brachetto from the Yarra Valley. It’s a gently sparkling wine made from the Italian brachetto grape that shows rose water and strawberry characters.

One of the fastest growing segments of the country’s sparking industry is fresh and fruity prosecco, with Victoria’s King Valley its major source. Pizzini and Brown Brothers are among the leaders, although there are plenty more around.

And no guide to bubblies to go with Christmas lunch or dinner would be complete without mention of sparkling reds, which are almost an Aussie institution. I’ve encountered a few from France and Canada, but that’s about it. Seppelt lead the way here, with their Original Sparkling Shiraz being readily available, although if you can find some the 2008 Show Sparkling Limited Release ($100 or so) is an amazingly elegant, complex and flavoursome drop. Actually, there are so many good sparkling reds out there it’s impossible to name them all, but I would look for examples from Rumball, Pepperjack, d’Arenberg (chambourcin and graciano),  Morris (shiraz durif), Bleasdale, Hollick (merlot) and Fox Creek (Vixen, McLaren Vale shiraz, cabernet franc and cabernet sauvignon).

Of course, if you want go imported, champagne still leads the way, with good examples selling from about $50 all the way to flagships at well over the $200 mark.

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