Seppelt Show Sparkling Shiraz 2012
What can you say about this wine?
It's unique
It's iconic
It's age-worthy
It's delicious
If there's an Australian wine hall of fame, then surely this thing must be one of the first chosen. The style itself was made elsewhere before we got a hold of it, but no country has ever perfected it like Australia and, no producer has ever done it better than this iconic Great Western estate.
It has been an enduring feature of the Australian wine landscape surviving the vicissitudes of wine fashion and snobbery over the years and, just like a surfer that disappears inside a barrel and you think they can't possibly come through it, the Seppelt Sparkling emerges out the other end, figurative hands raised in triumph.
First made in the 1890s by Hans Irvine, it's aged in bottle on lees for nine years and is only made in great vintages. The 2012 is the first vintage disgorged by winemaker, Clare Dry.
I've been trying to figure out why I love it so much. Sure, it's the ultimate in Christmas wines; able to match it with the sweet glaze and salt of the ham or add a luxurious berry sweetness to the blandest of Turkeys. But it's not just a Christmas curio. It's got far more to offer than that.
The 2012 version for example gives you the a rolling wave of decadent berry fruits and spice that initially get you in but after that, the fine bead and the savouriness and drying tannin profile draw the wine across the palate. In the food match, you might think the initial sweetness of the fruit would overwhelm but there's a beautiful subtlety whereby it somehow picks out what needs highlighting. It's a magical thing, so counter-intuitive to what you think the wine might be.
The other thing. It kind of makes you puff up with pride a little. Unashamedly Australian, exceptional and unique. There's a touch of the larrikin in it, bit of Warnie or Keith Miller after a night on tiles and taking 5 for or scoring a ton. Ultimately, that juxtapostion between the brilliance of the wine and the oddity of what it is makes you smile.
Whatever the case, the 2012 rendition is a beauty and must be on your Christmas table this year.
Cheers
Michael
It's unique
It's iconic
It's age-worthy
It's delicious
If there's an Australian wine hall of fame, then surely this thing must be one of the first chosen. The style itself was made elsewhere before we got a hold of it, but no country has ever perfected it like Australia and, no producer has ever done it better than this iconic Great Western estate.
It has been an enduring feature of the Australian wine landscape surviving the vicissitudes of wine fashion and snobbery over the years and, just like a surfer that disappears inside a barrel and you think they can't possibly come through it, the Seppelt Sparkling emerges out the other end, figurative hands raised in triumph.
First made in the 1890s by Hans Irvine, it's aged in bottle on lees for nine years and is only made in great vintages. The 2012 is the first vintage disgorged by winemaker, Clare Dry.
I've been trying to figure out why I love it so much. Sure, it's the ultimate in Christmas wines; able to match it with the sweet glaze and salt of the ham or add a luxurious berry sweetness to the blandest of Turkeys. But it's not just a Christmas curio. It's got far more to offer than that.
The 2012 version for example gives you the a rolling wave of decadent berry fruits and spice that initially get you in but after that, the fine bead and the savouriness and drying tannin profile draw the wine across the palate. In the food match, you might think the initial sweetness of the fruit would overwhelm but there's a beautiful subtlety whereby it somehow picks out what needs highlighting. It's a magical thing, so counter-intuitive to what you think the wine might be.
The other thing. It kind of makes you puff up with pride a little. Unashamedly Australian, exceptional and unique. There's a touch of the larrikin in it, bit of Warnie or Keith Miller after a night on tiles and taking 5 for or scoring a ton. Ultimately, that juxtapostion between the brilliance of the wine and the oddity of what it is makes you smile.
Whatever the case, the 2012 rendition is a beauty and must be on your Christmas table this year.
Cheers
Michael