Australian sparkling wine is on the rise and rise. If you’d said even 10 years ago that Aussie fizz could be putting the sword to Champagne, you would have been told you were dreaming. Fast-forward to the present day, and Australian premium sparkling wine is offering incredible value for the high-quality product that has emerged from local wine producers. 

It’s a mix of experience, pristine cool climate wine regions, patience with winemaking and a growing confidence in releasing wines with more maturity that’s been driving the excellence in Australian sparklings. No longer does Champagne have to be the go-to for celebrations and significant moments, with Australian sparklings delivering high quality at lower or similar price points. Basically, you’re buying awesome from Australia, and it’s only getting better for lovers of bubbly wines. 

Indeed, the confidence in Aussie fizz is growing. Local wineries are realising that their concerted efforts in their vines – and using a variety of winemaking techniques to build complexity in their wineries – is resulting in aroma, flavour and texture profiles that are delivering incredible wines with unique character. These wines tasted alongside great sparkling wines of the world, Champagne included, are equalling and besting their peers, and wine competitions globally reinforce this. 

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Many people wouldn’t realise that Australia has made commercial quantities of sparkling wines since the late 1800s. Sparkling wines form a significant part of Aussie wine history and have long been part of the DNA of local wine drinking. While early attempts were full of enthusiastic experimentation, there’s a particular legend about a French Champagne consultant who found himself in the middle of Victoria in the vineyards of the prestige winery, Seppelt. 

The consultant’s task was to establish Seppelt’s sparkling wine program, albeit in a completely different environment, with totally different grape varieties and with an array of hostile wildlife, warm-climate weather and rudimentary winemaking approaches. A lightbulb moment saw the challenged consultant experiment with shiraz as a base for fizzy wine. The outcome was the foundation of Australia’s iconic sparkling red wine tradition that still resonates today. 

Modern incarnations of Australian sparkling wines now take most of their cues from traditional Champagne. Australia has embraced the famed trio of Champagne grape pinot noir, chardonnay and pinot meunier variety, and invested heavily in training winemakers in Champagne’s méthode traditionnelle winemaking practice.  

With local winemakers forging ahead with sparkling winemaking, Champagne producers began to realise the potential of Australia’s burgeoning fizzy wine scene. If there ever was an endorsement of quality, it’s been the investment of Champagne producers in wines made from Australia.

Chandon in the Yarra Valley, one of the formative Australian sparkling wine producers, was brought to life through the investment and consultation of famed Champagne producer Moët & Chandon. The large-scale Tasmania sparkling wine house Jansz was born from a partnership with Louis Roederer, known famously for its ultra-premium wine Krug. 

Yarrabank sparkling wines, produced at Yering Station in the Yarra Valley, came about from a partnership with the traditional Champagne house Devaux. More recently, the historical Champagne producer Mumm launched its first ever Australian sparkling wines from Tasmania under its own label. 

These milestone brand launches may have been significant, but it’s really all down to the ‘ingredients’ available in Australia. Many local wine producers understand the climate and smaller-scale, more focused viticulture, and their ability to work creatively has been of great importance in the growth of Aussie fizz. 

Ed Carr of House of Arras is the preeminent Australian sparkling wine specialist. Carr has emerged as a powerful force in fine, sparkling wines and is a leader and mentor to a wealth of sparkling wine specialists. Arras is a brand forged in Tasmania with a view to produce world-class wines – these sparkling wines now have Champagne producers looking over their shoulder; they have gained traction for complexity, detail and outstanding quality. 

Carr is a force in both viticultural nous and sparkling winemaking. “Tasmania, let alone other significant parts of Australia, really has it all”, he says. “The ability to farm to a superior level, to work with lower yields and high-quality fruit, to see a spectrum of flavour profiles from across the state, and to inevitably become sparkling wines of incredible character and nuance”. 

It’s a heady endorsement realised in wines commanding prices that seem eye-watering for some, but also a reflection of Australia’s huge investment in Aussie fizz, and the excellence that has emerged. 

Try

House of Arras E.J. Carr Late Disgorged 2007 ($255, Tasmania)
Krug, Cristal, Dom Perignon and EJ Carr – yep, in the same breath. This is an astonishing sparkling wine, so complex, powerful, rich yet fresh. The lengthy time maturing (15 years!) gives this wine such significant depth. A world beater. 

Bellebonne Vintage Cuvee 2018 ($73, Tasmania)
From the outstanding sparkling wine producer Natalie Fryar, this Tasmanian sparkling wine stands up alongside the classic Champagne producers like Veuve Clicquot, Bollinger and Louis Roederer for quality and detail. Refreshing, yet with layers and layers of character.  

Deviation Road Altair Brut Rose NV ($30, Adelaide Hills)
Deviation Road is made by sparkling wine specialists who trained in Champagne and who produce exceptional wines from the Adelaide Hills. This brut rose is stellar for the price point – fragrant, frisky, gently fruity, a little spicy, pristine and feels fancy beyond the asking price. 

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