Sparkling Red Wine – Great inventive wine or the “Devil’s” potion.
Sparkling Red Wine – Great inventive wine or the “Devil’s” potion. This post is designed to wash away the myths and encourage people to take a leap into beyond by trying this Aussie favourite.
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- The UK Market for Sparkling Red Wine
The UK has no history of a taste for sparkling red wine. Only those who have been to Australia, and other isolated outposts of sparkling red production around the world have sampled this unique style of wine. Brits tend to be very conservative and feel that sparkling red is a waste of red wine. They also link sparkling red wine with the cheap (and sometimes nasty) Lambruscos and Italian sweeter wines popular in the seventies as the UK began to adopt a wine drinking culture, eased in to this pastime by the sweet fruitiness of many wines of this era. These Italian wines are not actually truly sparkling wines but are mainly “frizzante” meaning fizzy without the full bubbliness of a sparkling wine.
- The Process for making Sparkling Red Wine
The process for making sparkling red wine is really not any different from that used to make the more “usual” white sparkling wines. The base wine goes through primary fermentation similar to the process for making still wines. This is followed by a secondary fermentation, and that’s when the bubbles start forming, and the magic begins.
Sparkling red wines get their colour when the grape juice comes into contact with the grape skins of the red grape varieties. Interestingly some grape varieties such as pinot noir can be made into red, rose or white wines depending on the length of contact with the skins.
- Types of Sparkling Red Wine
Sparkling red wine is a more festive and flavourful alternative to fizzy white wines. White wines in red with a fun element. The best part is that you can pair them with almost any food, from aperitif snacks to heavier meals and desserts. Some Australians swear that Sparkling Red wines are great with breakfast, and often drink them at that time.
Sparkling red wines vary in style from very dry to semi-sweet in taste and from deep rose colour to inky-red depending on the type and the process they have been through.
- The Australian View of Sparkling Red Wine
A sparkling red is a staple at Australian festivities at all times of the year. They lend themselves to being imbibed with both the meats from the Barbie and the turkey with the Christmas lunch and winter lunches.
Australian ex-pats seek out these wines, often without success in order to indoctrinate their UK friends and neighbours into the cult of sparkling red wine. Finding any real choice of these reds is often difficult as most UK retailers stock only one, or at most two of these very special wines. The UK wine customers often see them as a novelty at best, and something unacceptable at worst. UK shops are therefore loathed to stock them unless they have pioneering customers who actively request them in order to satisfy either their taste for home, or the need to relive a great antipodean holiday. This is crazy as Australian Sparkling Reds have a range of styles mainly reflecting their paring with foods and their place as a fun wine which is not only unique but also gives extra to any occasion.
- Other Views on Sparkling Red Wine
Interestingly looking for quotes on the internet, I found this. For shiraz you can read Australian red.
“A sparkling Shiraz is a keen choice for drinking at breakfast or pairing with sweet tangy BBQ. You’ll find these wines to be darn cheap because most are produced inland in South Australia where grape growing is accomplished in a massive scale. Things to watch out for:
Over drinking Sparkling Shiraz is easy to do because of the higher alcohol level.
Some are dry and some are sweet but they won’t be labeled, so do your research.”
So, as we are an Australian specialist, recognisable by our name Australian Wines Online, we stock at least six sparkling red wines at all times of the year and aim to provide our clientele with the best of these wines. Not all our shiraz based, they reflect the diversity of this type of specialist wine, and of course, almost inevitably our personal tastes. https://www.auswinesonline.co.uk/?s=sparkling+shiraz
- Sparkling Red Wine – Our Choice
- Peter Lehmann Black Queen Sparkling Shiraz
Named after the Famous/Infamous Queen of Sheba, this great sparkling shiraz made by the Peter Lehmann winery ranks at the top of the list of our red sparklers
This wine began as an experiment using the methode traditionelle (The same method used for Champagne) with an old vine Barossa shiraz to produce a sparkling shiraz. This was a quite deliberate addition to the Peter Lehmann portfolio. The grapes were sourced from a single vineyard of survivor vine Shiraz, planted in 1928. Black Queen has become an integral part of the Peter Lehmann range with special individual vintage releases. This regal sparkling red wine boasts bold flavours and a fine elegant taste.
Peter Lehmann Black Queen Sparkling Shiraz – The ‘jewel in the crown,’ is a unique and indulgent sparkling red wine. It boasts naturally low tannins and is rich in juicy blue fruit flavours, balanced by spice and a savoury finish. It has a deep red colour with a purple centre. On the nose are hints of stewed plums, black cherry and mocha. The palate tastes of exotic spices and dark chocolate. It has a long savoury finish.
Peter Lehmann is a great Australian Family winery, and more information can be seen at its website
The wine is in stock and available to purchase now on our site
- Majella Sparkling Shiraz
Majella Sparkling Shiraz is bottle fermented like Champagne. As part of the process a small amount of port is added to the final blend. This produces a well-balanced sweet/savoury sparkling red wine. It is a deep red with a ruby hue.
The wine is ideal as an accompaniment to food, either before or after a meal, or in fact any time you feel the need to drink it. It has a creamy raspberry bouquet, bringing forth sweet berry flavours with hints of plum, nutmeg and gentle tannins.
It’s a great wine for any occasion, and goes well with most food styles particularly game, spicy foods and cured meats.
Majella Sparkling Shiraz a fabulous example of Australian Sparkling “breakfast” wine.
In the UK supplies of this great wine are often limited. Often here today, gone tomorrow. As this has got more popular it has often led to stock outages in both shops and online retailers.
The Majella winery produces a full range of wines from Coonawarra which can be viewed on the Majella website
Majella Sparkling is available online at our Auswinesonline website
- Miss Molly Sparkling Shiraz
A product of the iconic Mollydooker Winery, Miss Molly is a sister wine to their Great Shiraz – “The Boxer”. Made from the same grapes but put through a secondary fermentation allowing them to create this beautiful sparkling wine. Miss Molly is the Boxer’s girlfriend, bubbly and full of fun.
Vivacious and full of class, Miss Molly is brimming with vivid maraschino cherry and plum jam tastes that progresses into layers of milk chocolate and mocha. Toffee and cinnamon notes intermix throughout the flavour spectrum as the bubbles add an undeniable vibrancy to the mouth feel. This wine is a lively celebration of McLaren Vale Shiraz, fitting for any occasion.
Mollydooker Miss Molly Sparkling Shiraz – a great example of this type of wine
The Mollydooker winery produces a range of very different wines, and you can see them all at the very interesting Mollydooker website
We have a good stock of this “hard to get wine” and you can buy it now on the Mollydooker section of our website
- The Peppermint Paddock
This wine is a product of one of Australia’s First Families of Wine. It is a sparkling red-sec Chambourcin blend from McLaren Vale from this famous premium winemaker whose wines are known all across the globe. D’Arenberg has been well known in the UK for many years for the production of excellent, great value wines. The full range can be seen on the d’Arenberg website. Chambourcin is a very French grape not widely grown in Australia and this makes Peppermint Paddock even more interesting.
The story behind the name comes from the original block of vines used to make it. Surrounded by peppermint gums, the block was replanted in 1989 to Chambourcin from Shiraz which had never grown well on that site. When the fruit is picked fully ripe it retains high levels of acidity, an abundance of colour, flavour and tannin – perfect for a sparkling red wine
The wine is a vibrant purple and tantalises the palate. It is full and fresh, slightly sweet, showing strong flavours of mint, black fruits and Christmas spice. The nose is full of exotic spice, plum and black olives with a whiff of dark fruits and a hint of cedar.
The wine is well balanced and finishes with persistent tannin and intertwined acidity. This is the wine to accompany the Christmas turkey and ham or a perfect red for a hot summer’s day and could easily handle a beef curry for that matter. A wine for all seasons.
The Peppermint Paddock is a great sparking red wine from d’Arenberg https://www.darenberg.com.au/
It is available now from our website
- Paulett Wines Sparkling Red
Paulett Wines Sparkling Red is rich, plummy and bubbly. Rich flavours make it perfect for celebrating in front of the fire during the cooler months. And if you love your reds, it’s a fun alternative during the summer. Truly festive, it works for Christmas… in December or June. A very different speciality red sparkling wine from Polish River
It is a Cabernet Shiraz blend, unusual for this type of wine. It has a deep ruby colour with both savoury and plum aromas. The subtle tannins give a lasting impression of elegance and well balanced restraint. Can be enjoyed in two ways – a standalone drink with friends or a beautiful accompaniment to a meal. A true wine for all occasions.
The winery is in Polish River and more information is available on the Paulett wines website
A great value wine with an expensive feel to it. Available now from our website
- McGuigans Black Label Sparkling Shiraz
McGuigans is a mass producer of Australian wines. This is a mass-produced product aimed at a certain segment of the market.
The wine is a sparkling Shiraz with flavours of plum, cherry and chocolate. These rich flavours coupled with fine bubbles deliver a delightful and refreshing dry sparkling wine. It is a non-vintage blend.
Shiraz wine from various specially selected vintages were combined to form the ideal base for this sparkling red. This base wine then underwent the Charmat method of secondary fermentation to deliver great fruit flavours and refreshing bubbles. Finally, the wine was transferred under pressure into glass to ensure the crisp beads remain as a feature for your enjoyment.
To find out more about the McGuigan winery go to the website
This bargain sparkling red is available now at the Auswines website by clicking here
You can see the full range of sparkling shiraz by clicking here.
More sparkling red wine is added on a regular basis.
Sparkling Red Wine – Great inventive wine or the “Devil’s” potion. See our range of sparkling reds here at the website