Ninth Island Sparkling Rose
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This non-vintage blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier wine grapes is sourced from vineyard blocks of significant vine age, specifically established and managed for sparkling wine production in the Pipers Brook district. Sites in the Pipers Brook district feature Ferrosol (volcanic) soils, also known as kraznozems. Basalt-derived, they have excellent water holding capacity, offering a steady supply of moisture and nourishment to vines. Selectively harvested in the cold morning hours, the cool fruit was very carefully whole bunch pressed extracted only the most delicate juice. Cool fermented to retain the exemplary Tasmanian fruit characters and blended to create a wonderfully complex wine, the wine then underwent secondary fermentation in bottle to create a classical Tasmanian sparkling rose. Aged for over a year before release this wine has complexity and creaminess that only bottle fermentation of sparkling wines can deliver.
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Ninth Island is the second label of the well-respected Piper's Brook, and its fizz is made by Natalie Fryar, the winemaker behind Jansz. This pink sparkler is made from Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier. Delicate notes of yeast, green apple, strawberry and watermelon rind are woven into a palate that's creamy in texture but buoyed by a bright line of acidity and lively bubbles.
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Wine & Spirits
Made by Pipers Brook in the Tamar Valley, this has the crunchy freshness of grapes grown on the cold Tasmanian coast. A blend of pinot noir, chardonnay and meunier, this lasts on bright, floral strawberry notes with a savory contrast of pink-grapefruit zest.
A term typically reserved for Champagne and Sparkling Wines, non-vintage or simply “NV” on a label indicates a blend of finished wines from different vintages (years of harvest). To make non-vintage Champagne, typically the current year’s harvest (in other words, the current vintage) forms the base of the blend. Finished wines from previous years, called “vins de reserve” are blended in at approximately 10-50% of the total volume in order to achieve the flavor, complexity, body and acidity for the desired house style. A tiny proportion of Champagnes are made from a single vintage.
There are also some very large production still wines that may not claim one particular vintage. This would be at the discretion of the winemaker’s goals for character of the final wine.
Directly south of the city of Melbourne and the Mornington Peninsula wine region, the cool-climate island of Tasmania has earned an honorable reputation as the country’s finest producer of Sparkling Wine. Naturally the region also excels in top quality still wines from Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Riesling, all distinguished because of a high natural acidity. Most of the Tasmania vineyards cluster around the eastern side of the island from north to south.