It’s a time for celebrations, special occasions, and sparkling wine - and some of the finest drops on the market are made by local Australian producers, at affordable prices.
There’s a reason many local winemakers are attracting international attention and, in some cases, outpacing the French. Australian women winemakers are producing some of the best sparkling wine I’ve had in this country; also of note, anything coming out of Tasmania.
From sparkling reds, to pet nats, budget buys and bougie cuvées, here are my top drops for the festive season.
Under $20
Rewild, 2022 Prosecco, Murray-Darling, NSW (RRP $9.99, rewildwine.com.au)
Behind every good spritz is a well-rounded prosecco, and at 10 bucks a pop this is cracking value. (Speaking of spritz, try switching out your Aperol with limoncello this festive season – you won’t regret it.)
It’s worth highlighting that, as a business, Rewild is all about regenerative agriculture and taking responsible steps toward protecting and nurturing local biodiversity. As for the wine, expect citrus and green apples. It’s light-bodied, dry and far too easy to knock back.
Folklore, NV Sparkling Brut, WA (RRP $15, larrycherubino.com)
Using quality fruit sourced from several sub-regions, Larry Cherubino delivers a wine that’s fresh, textural and easy to drink. At $15 a bottle, this could be one of the best-value wines to come from Australia’s west coast.
$40 and under
Eminence, NV Pinot Meunier Pet Nat, Whitlands, Victoria (RRP $35, eminencewines.com.au)
I’ll be the first to admit I’m not much of a pet nat drinker, however I have friends who are and I greatly value their opinion. A mate recommended this (cheers, Amy) and she was right, it was fruity, acidic and easy to drink – I knocked it back with a bag of sea-salt crisps and I was left fairly satisfied. Consider it a good pet nat for someone, like me, who typically shies away from this style of wine.
Whispering Hills, NV Premium Cuvée, Yarra Valley, Victoria (RRP $40, whisperinghills.com.au)
Marie and Murray Lyons are the hardworking duo behind this family-run vineyard. Whether you opt for their premium cuvée (three years on lees) or grand cuvée (five years on lees) know that you’re supporting a small business with a big heart. As for the wine, it’s vibrant, lemony, nutty, and pairs beautifully with homemade pizza.
Stanton & Killeen, 2021 Sparkling Tempranillo, Rutherglen, Victoria (RRP $40, stantonandkilleen.com.au)
Earthy, structured and layered with flavours of blackberry, plum and cherry, this wine feels quite savoury to me. Serve it alongside freshly baked focaccia, prosciutto and chicken liver patê to start, or sip while you flip a few burgers on the barbie to make the most of those warm summer nights.
Stanton & Killeen is owned and operated by mother and daughter duo, Wendy and Natasha Killeen, with a wine-making lineage that dates back seven generations. As a business they focus on alternative Portuguese varieties, and are renowned in Rutherglen for producing standout fortifieds – also worth checking out this festive season.
$50 and under
Elgee Park, 2018 Cuvée Brut, Mornington Peninsula, Victoria, (RRP $50, mgwinestore.com.au)
Elgee Park is one of the oldest vineyards on the Mornington Peninsula and their cuvée brut is consistently good, year on year. The MP, as I affectionately call it, is famous for pinot noir and chardonnay, and that’s exactly what goes into this traditional-method sparkling. Spending three-and-a-half years on lees, this fizz is full of citrus, apple and freshly baked bread. In short, it’s yum scrum.
Deviation Road, MV Altair Brut Rosé, Adelaide Hills, South Australia (RRP $42, deviationroad.com)
What winemaker Kate Laurie has achieved with this multi-vintage blend of pinot noir, meunier and chardonnay is dynamite. It’s fresh, zesty and packed full of luscious strawberries and raspberries, and rounded-out with toasty aromas thanks to extended time on lees. Every bottle is riddled and hand disgorged (which, in layman’s terms, is the process of bringing sediment to the neck of the bottle and expelling it) on site, which is refreshing and romantic in a world that is heavily mechanised. A lot of love goes into every bottle, so for $42 you’re getting good bang for your buck.
Bellebonne, Bis Non Vintage Rosé, Northern Tasmania (RRP $45, bellbonne.wine)
I stumbled across this wine at a restaurant recently and fell in love. We polished off three bottles, back-to-back, and I couldn’t shake it from my mind for days. The colour, for starters, is a gorgeous salmon pink, and on the palate you’re treated to strawberries, Turkish delight and fresh cream. Winemaker Natalie Fryar has a stellar reputation and is among Tasmania’s finest sparkling wine producers, so you know you’re in safe hands, important when you’re dropping $45 on a bottle of fizz.
As versatile as it is delicious, this wine can either be served as an aperitif or alongside dessert to round out your night. I did both.
St Hallett, NV Black Sparkling Shiraz, Barossa Valley, South Australia (RRP $50, sthallett.com)
If Christmas was a wine, this would be it. I’ve only recently got back into sparkling reds, and this wine has made the conversion a lot easier. Tucking into this sparkling shiraz is like hoeing into a slab of warm Christmas pudding, where, from the very first mouthful, you know you’re going back for seconds.
Made from shiraz grapes, with small amounts of mataro, this sparkling wine is bottle fermented and aged for approximately 12 months, giving it those brioche characteristics synonymous with lees ageing. On the palate you’ll get fruit cake, of course, along with ripe cherries and chocolate; it’s utterly more-ish.
Over $50
Henskens Rankin of Tasmania, 2014 Vintage Brut, Southern Tasmania (RRP $94.95, henskensrankin.com)
There are some exceptional sparkling wines coming out of Tasmania, and while there are the brands we know and love (eg House of Arras) there are a number of smaller producers doing some really great things. These guys do a beautiful blanc de blanc, and truth be told I found it difficult deciding which of their wines to put forward. I loved this – it was multifaceted, fresh and zippy but layered and complex. The citrus zest and vibrant acidity in this wine was incredibly more-ish, and I loved the way the bubbles danced across my tongue.
The price tag is high, I get it, but this wine has spent eight years on lees and is in limited quantity (1,560 bottles to be precise). A blend of 70% chardonnay and 30% pinot noir, it’s a fine example of skill from a small-scale, artisanal producer.
