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betterwine
Discover our wine isle and all about bubbly
Bubbly for all seasons
You can always upset Taswegians
by drawing an outline of Australia
and leaving their island off, but it happens less and less these days,
particularly since their stunning food and wine marks our southern
neighbours firmly on the map —
Bruny Island cheese for a start, yum!
Tasmania’s cool climate means their wines are delicate and pure, and
never overripe, with clear, crisp flavours that are great with food. As
mainland growers experiment with vines more suitable for warmer
weather, Tassie flourishes with traditional northern European grapes
such as pinot noir, chardonnay and riesling. Their sparklers are among
our best - Arras, Bay of Fires, Krelinger, Clover Hill and Jansz are all
champions —
and proud names in Tasmanian rieslings are Josef Chromy,
Heemskerk, Moorilla, Holm Oak, Pirie and Tamar Ridge.
Coming from seven distinct districts, Tassie wines are becoming more
renowned both here and internationally —
proof that small is beautiful!
better bottles
Ducks in a Row Vermentino, $25 A staple
white in Sardinia and on the Italian coast, but
newish to Australia. Fragrant and aromatic,
fresh and dry. Beaut with seafood.
Innocent Bystander Victoria Pinot Rosé,
$19 A bit expensive for a rosé, but really lovely.
Beautifully perfumed from the pinot grape, with
a juicy flavour and thrilling dry finish.
De Bortoli Windy Peak Pinot Grigio, $14
More generous than most Italian originals, this
is aromatic with herby honey overtones. A crisp
mouthful, easy to enjoy on its own.
Although the season for serious
splashing down of bubbly has
passed, it's easy to think of lots of
other excuses throughout the year
to pop a cork. With sparkling wine
you really get what you pay for, so
it’s good to know the difference
between a bottle that costs $5 and
another costing $500 or more.
Lower-end sparkling wines
are made by pumping carbon
dioxide into cheap white wine
in tanks. The wine is then bottled
so it fizzes with big bubbles when
you open it for inexpensive fun.
A much better method is the
traditional
méthode champenoise,
which is used in superior Aussie
sparklers and all true champagne.
The fine, natural bead of bubbles
in these wines is produced
because the wine ferments in
the bottle you buy. It is a lengthy
and labour-intensive process,
therefore you pay more.
Non-vintage sparkling
wine is a blend of grapes
from harvests over several
years, designed to produce
a consistent taste. It’s less
expensive than vintage
bubbly, which is made
from grapes from a single
harvest. The care and
selection for a vintage costs
more, so you pay more. At
the top of the range are the
super premiums that are
aged in cellars over years.
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BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS, APRIL 2011 bhg.com.au
Words Ian MacTavish; photography iStockphoto
