The 2005 is yet to be reviewed, the comments below pertain to the 2002 vintage. Reviews on the 2005 will be listed here as soon as they come to hand.

95 points – Halliday’s Best of the Rest 2009 The Weekend Australian November 14-15, 2009:  Stephen George wears three winemaker hats: one for Ashton Hills, drawing upon a 3.5-ha estate vineyard high in the Adelaide Hills; one for Galah Wines; and one for Wendouree. It would be hard to imagine three wineries with more diverse styles, from the elegance and finesse of Ashton Hills to the awesome power of Wendouree. The Riesling, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir have moved into the highest echelon. James Halliday
 
2002 was simply a magnificent year and while it’s early days since this wine was released and we can’t yet offer third-party opinion from the image-making wine journos, we certainly think it’s at least as good as the ’01, described somewhat heroically by Jukes and Stelzer in Taste : Food and Wine 2008 as “… among the best sparkling reds ever made.
 
Of all our sparkling shiraz’s the ’02, at least at this stage of its life, would have to be my personal favourite : there’s something about its flavour and texture that gives it an aged pinot character. Flavours are complex showing mushroom and bramble rather than simply fruit. Texture is soft and limpid with the long dry finish showing a beautiful balance between added fortified shiraz and natural tannin. Drink now or age for further integration and complexity. Winemaker, Stephen George
 

Made from 100% Shiraz, this wine, sourced from low-cropping Barossa vineyards, spent its first 12 months in 50% American and 50% French oak - 25% of which was new. A further 18 months was spent in 100% older French oak barrels. The superb quality and perfection of this Barossa icon is indicative of the intimate working relationship between winemaker and grower. Maximum flavour retention and complexity have been achieved through meticulous attention to detail with each individual process.

Each year, from a selection of more than 60 growers that make up the Co-operative, B.V.E carefully hand picks only the finest Shiraz grapes for the renowned E&E Black Pepper Shiraz. The succulent fruit is predominantly chosen from the most mature, dry grown Shiraz vines from the Northerly aspect of the valley. These vines, cultivated only using the utmost of care, are low cropping, producing small berries providing intensely concentrated flavours and unique character.

Deep crimson red in appearance, with a slight hue of age and a fine bead of bubble. Aromas of lifted cherry, chocolate, plum and spice are present, with subtle background oak support. The palate is rich and full, with a vibrant mouthfeel and great length of fruit and oak. A soft finish rounds off this superb example of a well balanced sparkling shiraz. With careful cellaring this wine will improve for up to 5 years after release.

The mousse is impressive, with mauve purple colour followed by medium sized bead with short persistence. The nose displays aromas of liquorice, plum and stewed fruit. On the palate flavours of ripe plum, followed by a hint of earth and leather. Soft finish. Aftertaste of ripe plum, earth and leather.

A mature brick red with modest purple tints. Ripe, rich, fruitcake type aromas with aged mocha and chocolate complexity. Good mousse and depth of flavour on the palate with well balanced sweetness and acidity. Hints of earthy notes and a light porty note add interest. Enjoy as an aperitif or try with Peking duck and roast turkey.

Only 100 dozen produced, stocks are extremely limited. There are times when some things just seem right. The No.6 Sparkling from Craiglee is just that. Right. It has a cool climate spicy nose, with plenty of power, the wine has sweet fruit but is not too heavy. I think it is fair to say that this is the sparkling shiraz upon which others should be judged. A delicate balance between new world generosity and old world spice, the Craiglee is refreshing and pairs with food brilliantly. 

All too often sparkling red is a Barossa fruit bomb that clouds the mind and dominates the palate. The Craiglee is the opposite of this, it has clarity, refreshing acidity and a lightness that are all hallmarks of this Victorian icon winery.

Just the wine for a party, but great for any occasion, or if you want everyone to sit up and take notice! With its dark crimson colour, Vixen is an extraordinary wine. This intensity of colour is matched by its intensity of flavour, which has been described as "Liquid Blackforest Cake". A powerful style of wine, it oozes opulent blackberry, licorice and chocolate flavours and has a lingering semi-dry finish.

A blend of both young and aged wine, it is made from 55% Shiraz, 30% Cabernet Franc and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon. The bead on the wine is minute and persistent, indicative of its high quality.

A sparkling shiraz from Mornington? You had better believe it, and it is damn good. A clear standout for the best sparkling red at the 2009 Melbourne Wine Show, this is a great example of the style with clean and intense dark berry and licorice characters, ripe fruit sweetness balanced by crisp acidity and spicy oak characters. Very highly recommended and if this is a pointer of things to come from Mornington, it is a very exciting and welcome addition to this Australian favourite. Drink: Now-2015; Quality: Excellent; BW; WineStar© October 2009

Gold Medal - Melbourne Wine Show 2009

At the Foxeys Hangout winery, located in the cool hill country of Victoria's beautiful Mornington Peninsula, brothers Michael and Tony Lee produce a select range of sparkling wines made by the exacting method pioneered in France's Champagne region, and the uniquely Australian wine known as sparkling shiraz.

At our cellar door, we offer visitors the rare and exciting opportunity to individually take part in the final steps of creating fine sparkling wine and in doing so, to create a uniquely personal bottle of wine to take home.

Since the 1980s, the southern Victorian wine regions around Melbourne have earned an international reputation for excellence in sparkling wine thanks to the dedication of a small number of winemakers and the area's proven track record in growing the Champagne varieties pinot noir, pinot meunier and chardonnay.

Our sparkling wines are handmade to the highest standards; supply is limited and they are available only from the cellar door or direct from the Lee brothers on this website.

Like plum pudding, the sweet and spice balance of this wine follows in the great Aussie tradition of sparkling reds.

Hardys Oomoo was one of the first wines produced by Thomas Hardy at his original Bankside winery. Throughout the late 1800s and early 1900s it was Hardy’s most recognisable label, the word Oomoo adopted from the local Aboriginal dialect meaning ‘good’ or ‘attractive’. To celebrate and mark Hardys 150th Anniversary in2003, Oomoo was revived as a classic McLaren Vale Shiraz. Today, Oomoo showcases the premium regions of South Australia. Every wine is a true reflection of the variety and the region. The 2005 Hardys Oomoo Sparkling Shiraz is sourced from the premium South Australian region of Clare Valley which produces rich and supple Shiraz that is ideally suited to premium sparkling red. Individual parcels of Clare Valley Shiraz receive gentle handling during the winemaking process with subtle use of oak complementing the structure and extended maturation on yeast lees in order to build complexity and richness. The resultant wine finishes fresh and dry due to the natural tannins and acidity.

There's an old adage that is particularly relevant to the world of wine that if something is too good to be true, then it probably is too good to be true. This week we present an offer that is arguably the best we have ever presented, one that sounds just too good to be true. However, in real "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus" fashion, this is so real you can feel it, indeed taste it. Long story short to begin with, here is arguably one of the best sparkling reds made in Australia - and I don't put a ceiling on price with that comment - that is again punching well above its twenty dollar retail. It is indeed the 2005 vintage, that is a combination of 1 year in oak, up to 4 years in tirage then bottle age. It is made from 100% Clare Valley Shiraz alongside the $50 Leasingham Classic Clare Shiraz which this absolutely canes in freshness and vibrancy. It is incredibly a tick under ten bucks a bottle and any the only ones that will be uttering those fateful words "too good to be true" will be those that dawdle and miss out on what is surely the WineStar Sparkling Wine of the Year!

About a year ago we loaded up on the now-discontinued Leasingham Magnus Sparkling Shiraz 2004 at around $15 and the previous vintage of this Oomoo at around $18 and thought life could not get any better so far as Sparkling Shiraz goes. We could quite easily flog this for $15+ per bottle safe in the knowledge that no one will get near our price for the vintage but why not share the spoils I say - it is Christmas after all. The Hardys Oomoo Clare Valley Sparkling Shiraz 2005 is not only the best of the lot; our price smashes any value equation out of the park. A dense, dark red to look at, the bouquet is a menagerie of exotic berries and plum, lashings of chocolate, hints of spicy cherry, liquorice and a guest appearance by some earthy, leathery nuances that add complexity to the Shiraz fruit characters. In the mouth there are lashings of raspberry fruit, chocolate and spice framed by perfectly played oak characters. The mouthfeel is brilliant, soft and supple yet moreish, this is a textural delight that just goes on and on and is all brought together by cleansing acidity. Like a good red, it actually evolves in the glass, the bead never a distraction just a zesty bit player. The level and quality of fruit and wonderful acidity suggest a long life but frankly, for ten bucks - who cares! Drink it now. Excellent stuff! Drink: Now-2015+; Quality: Excellent BW; WineStar© October 2011

The Hardys ‘Oomoo’ Sparkling Shiraz made from 100% Clare Valley fruit has 14.0% alc, and 32.3 g/l residual sugar following one year in oak and four years in triage. Deep, impenetrable purple red in colour, this has a soft and mellow, dusty-earthy nose with savoury, spicy plum aromas peeking through. Dryish on palate, the wine is soft, rounded, easy and creamy, with a sweet, plump and plumy mouthfeel. Lovely spice and pepper notes add a piquancy. The wine is sufficiently full-bodied to handle any full and flavoursome food course. Drinking well now and over the next 4-5 years.  Raymond Chan (NZ)

Established in 1836, Houghton is Australia’s third oldest winery and is West Australia’s most awarded winery Houghton is one of the few Australian wineries that choose to hold back wine from select vintages for careful ageing and re-release.

This powerful sparkling Shiraz is made in the classic style which exhibits great complexity from extended maturation on yeast lees. Wines of this depth of character and age are a rarity amongst Australian winemaking styles.

Medium deep garnet in colour, this wine displays a fine bead and persistent mousse. On the nose are aromas of leather and camphor wood, aged spicy Shiraz with earthy and liquorice characters. The palate is rich and flavoursome with a firm structure and flavours of complex truffle over bright Shiraz fruit. The wine has great tannin and natural acid on the finish.

This wine was matured in oak for 3 years before final blending and stabilisation. The blend was matured on lees a further 4 years and then disgorged. During bottling, the wine is liqueured to a luscious palate weight but retains a dry tannic finish. Sourced from 35 year-old vines in the Frankland River region of West Australia

The Kaesler Vineyards were established in 1893. The family, sprung from Silesian pioneers who came to the Barossa Valley in the 1840s, took up 96 acres in 1891. They cleared the scrub and in 1893 planted out the entire holding with Shiraz, Grenache, Mataro (Mourvedre) and White Hermitage vines.

Some of the gnarled dry-grown Shiraz still remains and provides the backbone of the intense wines produced from the sandy loam of this prime viticultural block.

Effervescent Shiraz and a thriller, based around barrels of aged wines sourced from the renowned dryland Schobers vineyard. The palate holds complex flavours of black plum and yeast autolysis, subtle creamy oak, concentration and fine persistent tannins. It is liqueured to a point of richness, yet the palate finishes dry due to the natural tannins and acidity.

It takes great commitment and expertise to craft a class act like this one. Select parcels of grapes completed ferment under new oak and were later transferred to old oak puncheons for two and a half years. During this time the wine developed a mellow complexity and was then prepared for tirage. Further maturation in bottle on yeast lees continued to build character, complexity and depth. The resultant wine is a soft, complex style, which will further develop with up to three years on cork. A rich and superior red exhibiting a premium fruit profile, high quality oak treatment and immense personality through extended maturation, a benchmark of a uniquely Australian Sparkling Shiraz genre.

From one of the greatest of all Australian vintages and arguably the nation's finest sparkling wine maker in Ed Carr comes a superb modern impression of Australia's idiosyncratic contribution to wine diversity. Combining exceptional purity of Shiraz fruit with a tightly managed evolution of smoky, leathery and meaty complexity, this wine has the texture, length and balance to improve for many years. 97 Points; Finalist in Jeremy Oliver's Wine of the Year; October 2010

Jeremy Oliver Top 100 Wines - 2011 Australian Wine Annual

Earthy, leathery, meaty and evolving, with wonderful character, texture and balance. Its complex bouquet of dark cherries, blackberries, licorice, ham hock and dark chocolate is backed by a scent of polished leather and a high-toned musky spiciness. It's long, smooth and deeply layered, with creamy bead and a profound presence of dark, earthy and briary fruit underpinned by a fine chalky backbone and finishing wild, funky and savoury. Drink: 2016-2024; 97 Points; Jeremy Oliver; 2011 Australian Wine Annual

Engaging red mousse, with deep purple beneath; a rich and savoury bouquet of fresh blackberry, mint and a touch of leathery complexity; mouth filling and savoury, with plenty of structure lurking beneath the ample fruit; dark, complex and a profound example of the style. Cork. 14% alc. Rating 94 Points; Drink 2018 $55 Date Tasted Feb 10 James Halliday Australian Wine Companion 2011

I get the feeling that they’ve changed the length of time this is aged prior to release – though I could be wrong. My cards are on the table: I reckon this is often the best sparkling red on the market. This particular release tastes of green apples, Christmas cake, blackberries and plum jam. For all its sweet fruit power, it comes across as clean, fresh and dry – and quite tannic too, especially for a sparkling red. I found this wine’s acidity distracting – but I love the fruit flavour. It’ll be better in a couple of years. Rated : 93 Points Alcohol : 14% Price : $55 Closure : Cork Drink : 2012 - 2020 By Campbell Mattinson; The Wine Front

Mitchell Winery was established in 1975 by Jane and Andrew Mitchell. The entire range of Mitchell Wines receives multiple accolades every year. Highlights have been the Penguin Wine of the Year in 2003, a consistent 5 star rating in James Halliday’s Wine Companion and inclusion in the Financial Times Top 20 Wines of the World and regular Top 100 listings all endorse the Mitchell’s choice of region and variety and is reward for their long-term commitment to their wines and the region of the Clare Valley, South Australia.

A unique blend of multiple vintages of Peppertree Vineyard Shiraz (often up to twenty years of age) that undergoes a secondary fermentation to provide the bubbles. This seductive wine is both fruity and earthy-mature, with spice and mulberry fruit flavours and a lingering soft foamy effervescence.

Dark brick red. Mature plummy shiraz varietal character with a touch of leathery maturity. A richness and fullness with a lingering peppery finish and perfectly balanced tannins. Christmas turkey or as an aperitif. Cellaring Potential Up to 10 years.

This is a vibrant, sweet example of sparkling red that will have considerable commercial appeal. It doesn’t have the complexity of the top pair but it does offer plenty of flavour and a good structure. Lester Jesberg, WineWise, Highly Recommended,

Is there a better way to get a barbecue firing? There are many good-value red fizzes but I like Morris for its mix of heady spice and rough earthiness. It's the vinous equivalent of a caffeine rush. Powerful stuff. The Grape Outdoors, Jeni Port, Sydney Morning Herald, Good Living

This has a robust, rustic Rutherglen thing to it; syrupy fruit is in the middle, and hints of licorice add interest. It's full and round with notable sweetness leading to well-balanced dry tannins. The palate is long with real character and complexity. Serve with grilled bacon-wrapped prunes. From the Vine, Ralph Kyte-Powell, Sun Herald

Trophy Anthony Smith & Associates Trophy for Best Sparkling Wine - Griffith Wine Show

Sparkling Shiraz is a unique Australian wine style, first developed in South Australia in the late 1800’s. From the 1930’s through to the 50’s, the Seppelt winery at Great Western in Victoria became the home of great Australian Sparkling Shiraz, or Sparkling Burgundy as it was commonly known at the time.

Chief Winemaker Andrew Wigan grew up in a town close to that winery and those Sparkling Shiraz held a strong attraction for a young winemaker. Ever since he came to the Barossa in the mid 1970’s to work with Peter Lehmann, he wanted to make a great sparkling wine from Barossa Shiraz. We started making a few cases each year in the 1980’s and didn’t get really serious about it until the first wine was released in 1999 from the 1994 vintage after 5 years cellaring in the bottle on tirage. Made in traditional Methodé Champenoise.

We named it The Black Queen in honour of the most hauntingly famous Black Queen of all, The Queen of Sheba, who describes herself in the book of Solomon “I am black, (and) comely.” There can be no better description of this wine. A truely indulgent pleasure

Beautifully deep in colour with a persistent fine bead. The nose is an enticing mélange of chocolate, dark cherry, hints of spice, a touch of vanilla. A beautifully integrated and fully harmonious wine offering an explosion of flavour balanced by the complexity resulting from its time in the bottle.

One of the best sparkling reds around, joining Rockford, Primo Estate, Seppelt and Leasingham in the top echelon. Abundant dark chocolate and blackberry fruit fill the palate, not oaky and not needlessly sweet. Drinking: 2013; Rating: 94 Points; James Halliday Wine Companion

Since 1851, The House of Seppelt has built a reputation for exceptional western districts Sparkling Shiraz. Silverband is composed of various select tirage wine components with an average vintage age of six years. These parcels were initially trial lots, carefully selected by the winemakers for their ability to age gracefully and develop intense varietal and regional characters. Over time, these batches were identified and blended to craft this unique and delightful Grampians Sparkling wine, sealed under crown cap. Peak drinking right now

Silverband is named after the picturesque and unique Silverband waterfalls in Victoria's Grampians region. Silverband embraces the distinctive style of the Grampians (Western Victoria) and demonstrate the affinity between this region and Shiraz. The winemaking team has focused on producing a balanced and elegant full palate which remains regionally and varietally expressive, but without excessive alcohol or oak. Parcels of this wine were matured in a combination of old and new large vats and small barrels, followed by maturation on lees in tirage until decanting and blending. Alcohol 13% Winemaker Emma Wood

Colour is an intense russet red. The nose shows classic Shiraz aromas of pepper, spice, leather and cigar box. Dark chocolate flavours combine with notes of leather, cigar box and spice resulting in a rich, full-bodied and flavoursome palate. The wine shows a well-integrated balance of complex, mature components, married with fresh, vibrant, youthful parcels. Round and soft with blackcurrant, velvetine, perfect balance, softness and integration throughout. The result is a classic, non-vintage sparkling wine with excellent, savoury bottle age characters. Ideal with duck and game, Asian foods and dessert, ideal with canapes and cheese.

In the ranks of sparkling reds,Turkey Flat is right at the top. It has an enticing aroma of liquorice allsorts and stewed blood plums. There is not too much fizz and, thankfully, not too much sweetness. Serve with stylish terrines. Quietly Quaffing, January 2008

Turkey Flat in the Barossa has some of the world's oldest Shiraz vines, dating to 1847. Only the best barrels are used. It spends 10 months on lees, is liqueured with old fortified Shiraz and is under crown seal. A complex savoury, fabulous red fizz. -Qantas, Sally Gudgeon, February 2009

Barossa neighbours Charles Melton and Rockford have been long-time exponents of sparkling red, but Turkey Flat are relative newcomers. Of course, they've been making rich black shiraz since the early 1990s, and have access to vines about a century older than that - they're perfectly placed to make a goodun'. NV RELEASE You could bite into this! It's dense, black, chocolaty and richly flavoured, the smooth, spreading flavour of it very easy to fall for. It tastes of Christmas cake, plums and chocolate, the combination resulting in a big fat ball of dark-coloured fun. 94 Points; Campbell Mattinson

A dense sparkling shiraz with a deep-purplish colour. It smells luxuriously ripe and luscious with intense aromas of blackberries, spices, Barossa earth and vanilla ice-cream (really). It's smoothly mouthfilling with an essency, deep, long flavour -like old-vine Barossa shiraz - and it has the right balance of drying ripe tannins and measured sweetness. Serve it with roast turkey. Drinking: Now to 4 years; 94 Points; Huon Hooke & Ralph Kyte-Powell

Blend No. 5 disgorged Nov '09. Deep colour; typically rich and textured, with layers of black fruits sustained by perfect dosage; will develop and age with grace if given the chance. Drinking: To 2016 Rating: 94 Points; James Halliday