SPARKLING SHIRAZ IS A TREAT.  IT’S A FROTHY LIQUID, BLACK-PURPLE IN COLOR WITH VIOLET-PINK FIZZ. JUMPING OUT OF THE GLASS COMES THE SMELL OF BLACKCURRANTS, BLACKBERRIES, CHOCOLATE, CHERRIES, AND STRAWBERRIES.  IT HAS POWERFUL FRUIT AND IS DRY, YET SEEMS SWEET…

SPARKLING WINES ARE A LABOR OF LOVE.  THIS ONE WAS MADE BY THE TRADITIONAL METHOD.  WE MADE A BASE WINE FROM RIPE SYRAH GRAPES THAT WERE FERMENTED IN SMALL BOXES, BASKET PRESSED, AND BARREL AGED IN FRENCH OAK FOR 2 YEARS.  THE WINE WAS THEN COLD STABILIZED AND  FILTERED.  A MIXTURE OF SUGAR AND YEAST WAS ADDED TO IT AT BOTTLING.  THIS IS THE SECOND FERMENTATION WHERE THE ADDITIONAL YEAST AND SUGAR NATURALLY CREATE ENOUGH CO2 TO PRESSURIZE THE BOTTLE TO ABOUT 80 PSI – ROUGHLY THE FIZZINESS EXPECTED IN A SPARKLING WINE.  THIS FERMENTATION TAKES 4-8 WEEKS AND THEN THE WINE AGES ON LEES (DEAD YEAST CELLS) FOR ANOTHER 6 MONTHS.  AGING ON LEES IS A KEY ELEMENT EFFECTING THE STYLE AND QUALITY OF SPARKLING WINE.  AFTER AGING ON LEES WAS COMPLETED, IT WAS TIME TO RIDDLE.  RIDDLING IS THE MOST CUMBERSOME (AND PUBLICIZED) PART OF THE TRAD METHOD.  THE IDEA IS TO MOVE THE DEPOSIT THAT WOULD OTHERWISE MAKE THE WINE CLOUDY FROM THE BELLY TO THE NECK OF THE BOTTLE.  AFTER ALL OF THE SEDIMENT HAS SETTLED IN THE NECK, IT IS FROZEN, AND THE BOTTLE IS TURNED UPRIGHT AND OPENED.  THE PRESSURE SHOOTS A FROZEN ICE PLUG OF WINE AND SEDIMENT OUT THE TOP OF THE BOTTLE, WHICH WAS THEN TOPPED UP WITH SOME WINE AND A LITTLE TOUCH OF PORT – THIS TOPPING IS CALLED THE DOSAGE. ENJOY! DRINK FIZZ CHILLED

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