Earlier in the year, Drinks Trade hosted 12 of Australia’s leading wine professionals - including the global Sparkling Winemaker of the Year Ed Carr - for our annual Champagne & Sparkling panel tasting. First published in Spring in issue 92, this panel uncovered the best Champagne, Australian, and international sparkling wines currently available in Australia, the highlights of which can be reviewed at the bottom of this article.
Following on from this, Drinks Trade decided to shine a spotlight on eight of the most distinctive sparkling wines to cross our desks, all of which shine a light on the diversity of bubbles currently available.
Included in this roundup is everything from a deliberately extra-boozy sparkling, an organic vintage Cava, a premium sparkling red, and more.
Alta Alella Mirgen Gran Reserva Brut Nature 2018
About: D.O. CAVA, Catalunya, Spain. Disgorged January 2023. Certified organic.
Our thoughts: “Part of DMG Fine Wine’s new organic platform. Rich and powerful, displaying stewed peach and apple flavours that lead into toasty brioche, that becomes toastier and spicier towards a medium finish. Quite full bodied with lower acidity results in a focused wine that highlights the time on lees.”
Who’s it for: “For consumers looking for a high quality sparkling with heaps of autolytic notes at a very reasonable price. Not as fresh as some alternatives, but for fans of richer more powerful sparkling expressions, this is a great option.”
ABV: 12%
RRP: $40
Owner/distributor: DMG Fine Wine
Mullet Hard Sparkly
About: Australia’s first hard wine brand.
Our thoughts: “Aromas leap out of the glass, but that’s probably the only high point. Lychee juice, citrus, fairyfloss - all rolling into a hot, syrupy rich freight train of a sparkling. Not for wine drinkers, but definitely part of an interesting conversation around the problems with making wine appeal to (potential) new entrants to the category
Who’s it for: “Definitely not for typical sparkling wine drinkers, or consumers who know anything about Champagne. For younger LDA consumers looking for something fun, different, and value-oriented.”
ABV: 15%
RRP: $14
Owner/distributor: Fourth Wave Wine
Maison Lanson Le Black Création 257
About: replaces the previous Le Black Label as a premium non-vintage Champagne. At least 45% reserve wines. Mostly from the 2017 harvest.
Our thoughts: “A fresh and vibrant nose displays green apple, lemon zest, pear, and white florals; leading into a crisp and refreshing palate, with lemon and grapefruit citrus, green apple, and ripe peach. A creamy mouthfeel with zippy acidity, long finish, and a touch of yeasty richness.”
Who’s it for: “A quality, premium NV Champagne at a still-accessible price point. Great transparency around the blend also has high appeal.
ABV: 12.5%
RRP: $72
Owner/distributor: Wine DNA network of distributors
Corryton Burge Red N.V.
About: Crafted from Barossa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, and Grenache that was aged in small old oak prior to secondary fermentation in bottle and maturation on lees.
Our thoughts: “A high quality sparkling red that will appease the category’s typical target market and not turn off the wine nerds. Ripe spicy plum and concentrated blackberry, balanced kitchen spices, sweet vanilla. Full bodied and reasonably high sugar, balanced by decent acidity and coarse chewy tannins. A lot going on but balanced and quite versatile.”
Who’s it for: “A sparkling red that experienced wine drinkers will also appreciate, but also delivers enough of the classic sweet fruit bomb flavours to appease established drinkers of the category.”
ABV: 14%
RRP: $28
Owner/distributor: ALM nationwide, Verasion Wines in NSW, The Wine Agent in VIC
Maison Bougrier Pure Loire
About: 100% Chenin Blanc. Vouvray, Loire Valley, France. Part of an in-store activation by Loire Wines and Endeavour Group
Our thoughts: “Apricot and lemon zest aromas are supported by a saline minerality, a touch of brioche, subtle spice. Reasonable sweetness and medium acidity. An intriguing profile, but balanced and approachlable.”
Who’s it for: “Consumers who want a French sparkling at a more affordable price point. Also for consumers who are wanting to trial something entirely different, both variety and style wise.”
ABV: 12.5%
RRP: $25
Owner/distributor: Endeavour
Mezza di Mezzacorona
About: Italian sparkling made using 60% Chardonnay, 30% Pinot Bianco, and 10% Muller Thurgau
Our thoughts: "A real light and summery sparkling - ripe apple, lemon myrtle, mixed summer blossom florals. Simple and without layers, but very fresh and vibrant - a great, refreshing, approachable summer drop."
Who's it for: "A great, easy-drinking, and approachable style sparkling. Given its profile, is also a great contendor for spritz cocktails (thinking this with st Germain could be awesome)
ABV: 12%
RRP: $25
Owner/distributor: Single Vineyard Sellers
Stonyfell Sparkling Chardonnay Pinot Noir NV
About: Features a new label refresh
Our thoughts: “Simple, fresh and approachable - a decent and perfectly fine wine that is likely to cater to a very broad audience. Bright red apple, lemon pith , apricots - fairly high residual sugar and lowish acidity results in a ripe fruit profile. Very slight hints of brioche interspersed but really all about the fruit.”
Who’s it for: Another strong local sparkling option, with distinctive packaging.
ABV: 13%
RRP: $25
Owner/distributor: Pinnacle Drinks
Corryton Burge NV Sparkling Pinot Noir Chardonnay
Our thoughts: “Peach, fresh lemon - overall quite light, fresh and vibrant, leading into rye spice, slight sweet pastry. Light bodied, medium acidity, reasonably dry. A quality good value sparkling wine from ex Grant Burge winemakers.”
Who’s it for: “An interesting option to offer to long-term Grant Burge consumers. Otherwise, a very strong contender for the $20-$20 Australian sparkling segment.
ABV: 12%
RRP: $28
Owner/distributor: ALM nationwide, Verasion Wines in NSW, The Wine Agent in VIC
Drinks Trade Champagne and Sparkling Tasting Panel winners
The annual Drinks Trade Sparkling and Champagne panel tasting is always an event. With a crack team of panellists from all corners of the trade we split the samples into their respective subcategories and tasted blind. Each team coming together to award a consensus score for the best wines in each category. Quality was excellent, and whilst only the top scoring wines feature there are many more that only just missed out.
Sparkling Brut Vintage
House of Arras, E.J Carr Late Disgorged 2009
97 Pts – Gold
Pale lemon color, with flavors of green apple and lemon, offering fresh acidity, a light body, and a medium finish.. DH
Clean, light, and primary aromas of white flowers and lime. It is dry with medium acidity, a medium body, a delicate mousse, and a medium-length finish, leaving a fresh and clean impression. - ET
Sparkling Brut, Non-Vintage
Chandon, Etoile
91 Pts
Brighter, lemon pith, lemon rind, mandarin skin, honeysuckle, acacia. Fruit tingle tang! Yum! MD
Notes of apple, almond meal, and yogurt, with a bready, creamy mousse and yeasty, yogurt undertones. It also offers ripe peach flavours, balanced with some complexity from autolysis, alongside bright, ripe fruit. The palate is pretty and rounded, with balanced acidity. HE
This one has a point of difference! It's very fresh, herbaceous, citrusy and chalky. It has a lingering bitter herb going on throughout the flavour with cool river stone flow folding into a creamy lime curd finish. There's great energy in this wine, fine bead, lift, crisp and zing. KS
Champagne, Blanc de Noir (Vintage and non-Vintage)
Bollinger, PN AYC 18 – NV
Pts 96
Deep lemon colour with loads of ripe stone and tropical fruit, brioche, toasty, and almond cashew. Well developed with good structure. DH
Stone fruits and fennel, rich and complex. Dry, firm structure with excellent weight. Aged depth and good tannin structure. EC
Raw almonds, chalk, rocks, and flowers create a fresher aroma. The secondary aromas on the palate are more bitter, earthy, and nutty. - ET
Champagne, Blanc de Blancs (Vintage and non-Vintage)
Taittinger, Comtes, 2012
97 Pts
Medium lemon acidity, great structure, intense champagne with good bubbles, well-structured and layered, can age well, with notes of brioche, toast, dough, and walnut, and a high and refreshing acidity. DH
Complex, nutty, toasty with a hint of fennel but attractive and lively. Great structure, brilliantly vibrant and fresh, beautifully balanced, and showing lovely, aged complexity. EC
Champagne, Rosé
Taittinger, Rosé NV
96 Pts
Pale pink colour, vibrant red fruits come out of the blocks. Red cherry, strawberry, some nectarine and peach. What a wine! MD
Autolytic, bread dough, pink grapefruit, broad palate. Redcurrant and peach with pot Poruri, bread dough, pastry, umami, mushroom, balanced acidity, complexity and long length. HE
Champagne, Brut Vintage
Pommery, Grand Cru, 2009
97 Pts
Aromas of ripe pear, juicy lime and elderflower. G&T botanicals. Elegant frame, riper citrus follows through. Generous finish – MD
Honeysuckle, citrus, pastry, honey, yeasty, caramel, and a delicate bead. Great palate weight, good acidity, hazelnut leading to a nutty finish. Elegant and layered, fantastic freshness. HE
This wine shows a great deal of freshness for its years. The bead is pleasantly firm and lively, flavour and fruit weight sit up-front with lots of apples, lemon pith, almond blossom and an oyster shell scent—that wet rock feel. The salinity drives flavours long into the aftertaste. It shows richness developed with time and timeless elegance in its fruit quality and in-built 'minerality'. KS
Champagne, Brut NV
GH Mumm, RSRV Cuvee 4.5
97 Pts
Baked apple, white chocolate, richer style. Toasty and autolytic with deep flavours and good acid. A richer style but still shows restraint. Muscular but elegant. IW
Freshly baked bread, lemon sherbert and shortbread, A rounded, rich and complex palate. Peacock feather acidity that covers the palate, long lingering length. A stunning complete wine that dances between feathery acidity and rounded, layered palate with a finish that lingers and develops over a long time. MI
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