Celebrating? Thinking about popping a bottle of France’s finest? Do you default to the French fizz? You’d be forgiven if the answer is yes, because Champagne is delicious after all, but there’s also plenty of equally fizzy and just as bubbly wines worth popping right here in Victoria.
Whether you’re looking for something crisp to drink as an aperitif, something richer, something with those classic bready/briochey notes, or just something worthy of an occasion, we’ve got the options for you.
Etta’s Hannah Green is no stranger to celebrations or to wine for that matter, so we asked her to lead us through some great local bottles.
Turn down the lights, turn up the music, pop the bottle and charge a glass with one of the best in the biz.
What can we start the night off with? We’re looking for a sparkling wine that’s crisp, fresh and bright that will get the tastebuds going.
We’re drinking Eminence Blanc de Blanc 2022. This one is made from 100 per cent chardonnay from Whitlands. This particular vineyard is the highest vineyard in Victoria, owned by Clare Burder and Pete Allen. And this is straight-up delicious. It’s all about acidity, which is what I want when I’m starting my night with something fresh and crisp that’s ready to get the tastebuds going. It’s an exciting glass of wine as well. It’s aged on lees for three years. There’s no dosage added to it, so no sugar put in the tirage liqueur during the fermentation process. And so it’s all about brightness and freshness and acid, and I want to chase all of those things when it comes to fizz.
The grapes ripen over a longer period of time in the cooler climate and so you get more complexity and depth, while maintaining that natural acidity which we want in these particular styles of wine.
What about if we want something that’s rich and bold, but something that still has some acid behind it?
Gembrook Hill is not quite as high, but it’s in the hills that form Yarra Valley. It’s from the beautiful Marks family. Ian and June Marks planted this vineyard in the ’80s, and now their son Andrew is the custodian of it. It’s chardonnay only, and this one is aged on lees for around six years.
Over those six years that it has been ageing on its lees, it gets a little bit richer and takes on a briochey character. There’s a lot going on in this glass of wine; there’s plenty of amazing natural acid, there’s a yeasty richness and depth in the wine, which is hard not to love. It’s really great with snacks, too.
And how about if I like my sparkling wine with some weight to it? A glass that’s big and powerful? Bonus points if it goes well with rich foods.
Let’s head for the outskirts of Ballarat to Eastern Peake, the Latta family’s vineyard, for their Brut Nature Zero Dosage. We’re drinking pinot noir, 100 per cent pinot noir, from a single vintage here, and this is the richest style of wine that we’re switching to today. What I love about this is that there’s no dosage added to this at all, and that it’s rich, it’s got some body, and it’s got some weight. It’s got some age on it at this point, too, which is amazing to be able to go to the shop and get that right now.
This is a very serious glass of wine. It’s all about the fruit, and that really beautiful red fruit comes through, which I love in something like a blanc du noirs, particularly to start a night with, and you get that natural fruit that gets you salivating at the same time. But that said, there’s quite a bit of weight to withstand something delicious and fatty, like, say, chicken liver parfait.
Make The Switch today, and check out episode three of The Switch featuring Hannah Green right here.