A Taste Of Australian Wine

Sparkling Reds

by Gavin Trott

How do we drink these wines?

These sparkling Shiraz wines should be served slightly chilled. Naturally this depends on the conditions. If it's summer and you want them with a barbecue for example, 30-40 minutes in the refrigerator helps them; it stops them seeming flabby and over-alcoholic. However, if it's mid-winter then room temperature will do fine. In short, don't overchill, or serve warm.

What do we drink these wines with?

Well, they are fantastic with your favourite pizza, served slightly chilled. They also drink wonderfully with turkey, particularly the sparkling Cabernet, and naturally also for barbecues where they hold their own. Added to this are any of the meat dishes that Shiraz-style wines go with.

If you like experimenting, then try them also with duck, char-grilled tuna, in fact most meats char-grilled. The lighter styles also make excellent aperitifs, particularly on colder nights.

Which sparkling red wines should I try?

Inexpensive:

Andrew Garrett
Hardy's Sparkling Shiraz

Middle range:

Mt Prior Sparkling Durif
Tatachilla Sparkling Malbec
Rumball

Premium:

Rockford Black Shiraz
Great Western
Charles Melton Sparkling Shiraz
Leasingham Classic Clare
Irvine Sparkling Merlot
Henry's Drive Sparkling Shiraz

Back to Australian sparkling reds

About the author

Gavin is the manager of the Australian Wine Centre (a large collection of affordable, rare and cult Australian wines) and hosts the very popular Auswine Forum (An online discussion forum about Australian wine).