The start of spring means warmer days and fuller calendars – from picnics and barbecues to long lunches and dinner parties – below are five sparkling wines to help you celebrate. Try Pizzini's prosecco and processo rosé, Bimbadgen's sparkling cuvée, Gapsted Estate's prosecco, and a very rare meslier by Jo Irvine.
Here are five sparkling wines for spring.
NV Pizzini Il Soffio Prosecco Rosé
King Valley has firmly established its reputation as the home of Australia’s finest prosecco. Our Il Soffio Prosecco Rosé sparkles like a blush-coloured diamond and features hints of ripe peach and soft violet on the palate. Pairs beautifully with alfresco entertaining and great friends.Winemaker Joel Pizzini says: The crisp, clean prosecco flavours with a hint of sweetness make the Il Soffio perfect to serve to celebrate any moment!
H. What do you love about this wine?
JP. The wine is a fun and uncomplicated style. The fine spritz, the pink diamond colour, the clean palate, it's an easy wine to serve and it's a delicious wine to share. The stunning pink hue comes from the addition of five per cent of a grape variety called colorino. Colorino is traditionally used to blend with sangiovese to add depth of colour without impacting the palate.
H. How is this wine best enjoyed?
JP. Serve alongside hearty antipasti plates laden with salami, prosciutto, soft cheese, salty olives and arancini – but most importantly this prosecco rosé is always best enjoyed with great friends and convivial conversation.
RRP $28 | Drink now | Shop this wine | pizzini.com.au
NV Bimbadgen Sparkling Cuvée
Vibrant gold with a fine bead. Delicate lemon peel, lime acidity, peach and stone fruits with a whisper of toast. Preserved lemons, vibrant drive of acidity, mid-palate weight and bright textural finish.Winemaker Richard Done says: A truly balanced and great cuvée for all occasions – this is a perfect all-rounder sparkling that shows crisp semillon fruit that is made richer and rounder with the addition of chardonnay. This wine is perfect for spring drinking!
H. What do you love about this wine?
RD. The chance to blend Hunter semillon with chardonnay in a sparkling wine is one not to be passed up. Semillon brings lively freshness and drive, while chardonnay creates texture and drinkability to the mid palate. The base wine was cool fermented in stainless steel in January, gently fined, filtered and sent to fermentation. It was stored on lees for four months before undergoing Charmat Method secondary ferment and bottling. With a vibrant gold, fine bead, this wine is the perfect blend of Hunter Valley semillon and chardonnay.
H. How is this wine best enjoyed?
RD. Our Sparkling Cuvée is best enjoyed with fresh seafood, and it's the perfect drop to celebrate any occasion with friends.
RRP $26 | Drink to 2025 | Shop this wine | bimbadgen.com.au
2023 Gapsted Estate High Country Prosecco
This wine pours with an exuberant mousse and has a very fine stream of tiny bubbles flowing through it. Emanating from the glass are fragrant lily and elderflower notes followed by fresh cut bread, pear, apple and lemon sherbet aromatics. The palate unfolds with delicious red and green apple, pear and melon fruits tinged with subtle nuances of citrus and bread characters adding layers of complexity. A balanced and crisp finish with depth of flavour and amazing length.Winemaker Greg Bennett says: The High Country Prosecco is the perfect way to celebrate the warmer weather. Spring is such a joyous time of year and our prosecco reflects that feeling. Everyone feels more alive as we come out of winter, as we start to see the change in temperature, and the blooming flora and fauna – it’s invigorating.
H. What do you love about this wine?
GB. Our wine encapsulates the vintage, the Alpine Valleys wine region and the prosecco variety in a positive light. It's a testament to the collaborative spirit of our team and demonstrates our ongoing pursuit of wine excellence.
Our 2023 High Country Prosecco is a wine that stimulates your senses. Sound is how our prosecco makes its entrance as you release the closure and pour a glass. Your excitement increases as you watch the small fine bubbles rise in the glass. Our nose lets us assess the wonderful aromatics, and then tasting brings it all together.
H. How is this wine best enjoyed?
GB. Enjoy this wine with bigoli in salsa.
RRP $25 | Drink to 2029 | Shop this wine | gapstedestate.com.au
NV Levrier by Jo Irvine Sparkling Meslier Brut Rosé
Superbly fine beading with unique fresh green apple and citrus flavours, the palate is balanced beautifully with yeasty undertones and a racy acidity that allows this sparkling to be the perfect accompaniment to freshly shucked oysters with limes and chilli.Winemaker Jo Irvine says: Spring is a time of celebration and awakening from the long cold winter. This is a sparkling for celebrations with family and friends and events that we associate with the new season.
H. What do you love about this wine?
JI. Traditionally grown in France, my father James planted the first meslier vineyard in Eden Valley in 1984 and in 1991 we made the first single variety Australian meslier sparkling, which has set me on a path of discovery for the last 25 years. Meslier is one of the rarer varieties grown in Champagne, France, with only a few hectares known to exist in the world. Our meslier grapes are grown in the cooler climate of the Adelaide Hills, and as far as we're aware, is currently only one of two producers in Australia.
H. How is this wine best enjoyed?
JI. The grape's natural racy acidity allows this sparkling wine to be the perfect accompaniment to freshly shucked oysters with lime and a hint of chilli.
RRP $50 | Drink to 2032 | Shop this wine | levrierwines.com.au
NV Pizzini Prosecco
Zesty, dry and refreshing, our NV Prosecco is perfect for making memories on lazy spring or summer days, elevating your favourite spritz, or transforming a simple moment into a great occasion.Winemaker Joel Pizzini says: Uncomplicated joy – the wine’s fresh, crisp palate eases you into the weekend. It's perfect for the footy finals, the spring races, picnics with friends – it's such a versatile prosecco!
H. What do you love about this wine?
JP. Crunchy apple on the palate and hints of spring flowers on the nose. I love the crisp, clean flavours and the fact you can serve it by itself, or add some limoncello, rum, mint and a hint of fresh chilli – to make it the ultimate summer spritz. This prosecco is made from a blend of different parcels of fruit, each picked from different sites, at different ripeness levels, which helps with blending and enables us to produce a style that is consistent vintage to vintage.
H. How is this wine best enjoyed?
JP. Oysters, prawns, antipasti – or just add some ice, Aperol and soda. It's a wine that doesn’t need food to be enjoyed!
RRP $24 | Drink now | Shop this wine | pizzini.com.au
