A Sparkling Red?! Yeah, mate!

Now, we #SparklingWinos are always on the hunt for unique bubbly. When we see something out of the ordinary, we grab it and see where the experience transports us. Today’s treat comes from … Australia! The land of Kylie Minogue, warm sunny days, and sweeping gold sandy beaches where Aussie football players roll around in budgie smugglers. 😍

Ahem… sorry about that diversion. But considering the extreme cold weather alert just issued here in Toronto, Australia is exactly where we wanna be. So we popped a bottle of Australian bubbles, but not just any ol’ bubbles… sparkling red ones!

paringa2

A Sparkling Red, you say?

Yes! Paringa Sparkling Shiraz is, as you would have guessed, a sparkling red wine. Sparkling reds are a bit of mystery here in Ontario, and we would posit in North America as a whole. And while the Aussies used to call a Sparkling Shiraz a “Sparkling Burgundy,” we had an inkling that this would would be unlike a Crémant de Bourgogne. And so our journey began!

paringa4

Paringa Sparkling Shiraz

Paringa’s range of wines come from a family-owned operation with decades of wine knowledge and experience that all started with… you guessed it, Shiraz! Today they produce five wines, including this Sparkling Shiraz. Paringa aims for maximum flavour and colour in their reds and this bubbly certainly fits within that mantra.

Made with high quality Shiraz base wines, the Paringa Sparkling Shiraz is produced the same way as a Prosecco would be, using the “Charmat” method (where secondary fermentation takes place in steel tanks, followed by bottling). The 2015 Vintage is demi-sec (or semi-sweet at 40 g/L), big and juicy, and in many ways is like a postcard from Australia: bold colours and packed with flavour – maybe this is where Kylie Minogue gets it from? 😜

Sparkling Shiraz should be served icy cold. And when it came to pouring, it almost seemed rebellious to use our dainty champagne flutes for such a bold looking red wine! But the lively, dancing effervescence reminded us that this deeply coloured wine was in fact being served in the right glassware. With aromas of stewed fruit, black cherry and mulling spice, we were transported into a festive place (we’re still not quite ready to say “see ya” to the holidays!). The palate reflected the fruity aroma of the wine and the off-dry character came through with flavours of stewed fruit and a surprisingly velvety, tannin-y finish.

All in all, a real fun treat!

paringa3

Noms with your gulps

As we continued on our Australian adventure, we thought: wouldn’t this have gone beautifully with turkey and cranberry sauce at Christmas? Since we missed the boat on that one (there’s always next year!), we paired the Paringa Sparkling Shiraz with a triple cream brie, ash ripened goat cheese and cranberry chutney. Talk about a #foodgasm, mate! 😍 It also pairs exceptionally well with chocolate fondue… if only we had thought of that for dessert!

[one_half]

[/one_half]

[one_half_last]

Paringa Sparkling Shiraz 2015

$17

[/one_half_last]