Champagne & Sparkling
Today is International Champagne Day - a day to not only celebrate the fantastic Champagnes of France, but also, a day to celebrate sparkling wines from around the world that offer tremendous value. Once qualified as an Onenologist Steve undertook an internship in Reims, France. It was this experience that inspired him to grow and craft sparkling wines in Tasmania with his first vintage released in 1993.
So what is it that sets Champagne apart from other sparkling? Can you compare Champagne to our sparkling wine? Champagne is only produced in Champagne, France under specific rules of appellation. The area of Champagne is known for soil types rich in minerals that also hold various deposits of limestone and chalk. Similarly, in Tasmania, the soils and the cool mild weather conditions allow grapes to develop a slow accumulation of sugar with higher acid. A prerequisite for sparkling wines & Champagnes. Some of the Champagnes we enjoy on occasion include Krug and Roederer as far as Champagne houses - we also like to taste grower Champagnes from Egly Oriet, Agrapart and Vouette & Sorbee.
Steve and I moved to Tasmania in 1990 to grow and craft sparkling wines. We selected our site in Granton because of the climatic conditions and unique terroir, which we knew would grow wines of distinction. Over the years we have honed our méthode traditionnelle style and we now have several wonderful expressions including a Prestige, Grande Vintage, Blanc de Blanc, Brut Rosé and Reserve Brut NV.
Having two sparklings from the exceptional 2011 vintage currently in our range is outstanding, as 2011 was the perfect season for sparkling in Tasmania. We welcome back, for the third time, the supreme Prestige 2011 which is 60% chardonnay and 40% pinot noir and has rich tertiary characters. We are almost sold out of the 2011 Grande Vintage which is 50% of each chardonnay and pinot noir. The 2016 Blanc de Blancs newly included to our sparkling range, with the first vintage being 2014, the 2016 is a complex chardonnay expression brimming with dessert characteristics. The 2017 Brut Rosé is a perfect accompaniment to hors d'oeuvres as it has supple acidity and freshness. We are proud to introduce the next vintage of Reserve Brut NV, which is predominately from the 2022 vintage, and has reserve wine (approximately 10%) dating back to 2012. Reserve Brut NV with the iconic and dashing red label is a sparkling wine we have been crafting for 30 years now!