Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine & Spirits
Licorice-red in its scent and as bright as a lambrusco in flavor, this clean, slightly sweet sparkler would be a festive match for roast turkey. It brought memories of Adelaide summers to David Hawkins, who works in our tastings department, and recalls drinking sparkling shiraz with Christmas pudding.
Best Buy
Made in a handful of wine regions across the globe, red sparkling wine ranges from delicately sweet to bone dry. While styles vary by region, red sparkling wine production methods are often the decision of the winemaker. For serving, cool red sparkling wine down to about 40F to 50F.
Quite the powerhouse region thanks to its proximity to the Murray River (and thus irrigation potential), Riverland produces over half of South Australia’s total annual harvest. While its warm Mediterranean climate promotes large volume production, many smaller, premium producers abound. Australia’s usual suspects—Chardonnay, Shiraz and Cabernet—do great but a continuing local push for heat-loving Italian varieties like Vermentino and Nero d’Avola promises future diversity.