Australia & New Zealand Sparkling Wine Flashcards
What percent of Australian wine is sparkling?
Only about 6%
What styles of sparkling wine are common in Australia?
All forms, from carbonation to Traditional Method.
What sector makes up a unique part of Australian Sparkling wine production?
Their use of Glera/Prosecco and its naming convention.
What is a unique style of sparkling wine found predominantly in Australia?
Sparkling Shiraz
What are the three main regions of production for high quality sparkling wine in Australia?
Tasmania, Yarra Valley and Adelaide Hills. These regions produce wines with high acidity, moderate potential alcohol levels and the creation of ripe, but medium intensity fruit characters.
What was the major partnership in Tasmania in the late 1980s that launched its Traditional Method sparkling wines into international fame?
Heemskerk (Australian) + Louis Roederer (Champagne). Today, nearly 40% of Tasmanian wine is sparkling.
Where is fruit for inexpensive sparkling wine sourced from in Australia?
Riverland, Riverina and Murray-Darling. These wines are usually labelled as ‘South Eastern Australia.’ This accounts for the vast majority of sparkling wine in Australia. Yields here are two to three times higher then that of cooler regions.
Where is fruit for sparkling shiraz typically grown?
Victoria, Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale. This style requires richness and intensity of flavor and therefore the grapes are picked at the same time as still wines.
Sparkling Shiraz
Made like a normal still red wine. Sparkling shiraz undergoes malolactic fermentation, and may or may not spend time maturing in oak. Very good and Outstanding quality wines are made by Traditional Method. Acceptable to Good quality wines are made by transfer method, tank or carbonation. Wines commonly have around 20+ g/l residual sugar to balance out the effects of tannins and alcohol on the pallet.
Australian Prosecco
Rapidly growing sector of Australian sparkling wine. The main region is King Valley. There is contention around the use of the name Prosecco, with the argument that Australia had grapes planted (2004) before the Italian government changed the use of the word Prosecco in 2009. However, if exported to the EU, wines must be labeled as Glera. Aus Prosecco is made via the tank method.
Austrlian Pet Nat
Australian Pet Nat does in fact exist, but in small quantities. Just like all other regions, there are a small amount of producer who make this style.
How is the market doing for sparkling Shiraz?
Its slowly declining as the style of favor is the lighter style of sparkling wine.
Where are the majority of sparkling wines made in New Zealand?
Marlborough
