Which, to some 'wine snobs', is a disadvantage; they consider only Old World Europe and particularly France to be above the pale and nothing else will do. But Australia has been turning that thinking around; instead, you can see Australia's New World wine culture to be a much-needed breath of fresh air, breaking wine-making out of the stuffy, confining mold of the Old Guard. In nowhere is this more apparent than the domain of Australian Sparkling Wines.

In the current boom time for the heavily-exporting Australian wine market, the traditional French method of white sparkling wines has been upset by rose and even red sparkling wines. This may not seem too controversial to those outside wine culture, but within it is like the first time somebody charged the concert hall, kicked out the classical musicians, and started playing rock 'n' roll. It has been discovered that, for instance, mixing Chardonnay and Pinot Noir and double-fermenting it produces a pink fizz, a creamy texture, and a fruity taste redolent of berries and citrus.

Meanwhile, sparkling Shiraz has been getting enthusiastic praise from the top wine reviewers in the business. Once again, a defiantly red sparkling wine that catches you off-guard, but once you try it you have to admit that they're on to something. It's only when we break with tradition that we can break out to do some real research, after all.

Browse our Wine Specials | View our New Products | Join our Wine Club

Red Wine | White Wine | Champagne | Rose Wine | Sparkling | Dessert Wine | Fortified Wine