nEW WorLD WonDErS
of the younger antipodean wineries , rockford Wines has commanded plenty of attention for its sparkling Black Shiraz . Described as “ an essence of Australia ’ s fine wine narrative ,” this is the only sparkling wine - red or white - in Langton ’ s Classification of Australian Wine VII .
In recent years , an increasing number of new World wineries outside Australia have begun creating their own interpretations of sparkling red , combining the freshness of their secondary fermentation ’ s bubbles with the fuller flavors of red grapes . napa Valley ’ s celebrated sparkling wine producer , Mumm napa , for example , offers two red expressions : Sparkling pinot noir , which is so popular it has a waiting list , and Cuvée M red .
Each year , Mumm napa ferments some of its pinot noir on the skins with the purpose of making a red wine that will lend color to its rosés . The team then ferments a little extra to blend this club favorite , bottle-fermenting the wine with less sugar for a softer mousse and aging it on the lees for only a short time to place the fruit center-stage .
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