New Zealand Bubbles Versus Champagne at Generator
Join John Shearlock from Regional Wines and Drinks Creative for a battle of New Zealand bubbles versus Champagne. Taste a selection of wines made with different grapes and a variety of techniques, but all using the traditional method of fermentation in bottle and ageing on the yeast lees. How will some of Marlborough’s new pretenders fare when matched head to head against champagnes with hundreds of years of history? There’s only one way to find out.
About Champagne…
Typically made with Pinot noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay
Méthode Traditionnelle formerly known as Méthode Champenoise is the method by which it is made, involving a second fermentation in bottle after a base wine is made.
Tirage - fermentation in the bottle is induced by adding several grams of yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae and rock sugar to the bottle
Ageing - the wine must spend at least 12 months in bottle on the lees (dying yeast cells) and 15 months ageing in bottle.
Vintage champagne is aged for 3 years on the lees
Remuage - (or “riddling” in English), the process to make the lees settle in the neck of the bottle. The bottles are turned and raised on their head.
Disgorgement - After chilling the bottles, the neck is frozen and the cap removed - the yeast lees is forced out.
Non-vintage - means that the wine blended from wines made from multiple vintages. Most of the base will be from a single vintage with producers blending anywhere from 10 to 15% (even as high as 40%) of wine from older vintages.
Methode Marlborough
All ‘Méthode Marlborough’ wines are made in the traditional method which means the second fermentation is in the bottle (same as champagne), followed by the intricate riddling and disgorging process. This produces the finest and most persistent bead.
Additionally, all these wines are aged for a minimum of 18 months before disgorging takes place.
On average, Méthode Marlborough members age their sparkling wine for 36 months, with several hitting the 7 to 10 year mark regularly!
Flight One
Hunters Methode Miru Miru NV Rose Marlborough RRP $34.99
Wonderfully blush pink colour, aromas of subtle strawberry and raspberry with a touch of fresh brioche. The palate is refined with freshness and balanced acidity. Blended from Pinot Noir 57%, Chardonnay 34%, and Pinot Meunier 9%.
The name MiruMiru™ translates to “bubbles” in Te Reo Māori.
The wine was fermented in stainless steel before undergoing a full malolactic fermentation. The Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier parcels were kept separate before blending just before tirage (the addition of sugar and yeast to start secondary fermentation). The wine is then aged on lees in bottle for a minimum of 50 months before disgorgement.
Total Acidity - 6.9 g/l
Residual Sugar - 8.0g/l
Bottling Date - December 2017
Disgorgement - December 2022
Champagne Gatinois Rose Brut NV RRP $96.99
The traditional blend of our white base wines, consisting of predominantly Pinot Noir and a touch of Chardonnay
A red wine from “Coteaux Champenois”, produced by Gatinois in small quantities and only in very sunny years. It is made from “petits Pinots d’Aÿ” grown on the Domaine’s oldest parcels.
Pinot Noir (90%), Chardonnay (10%).
Terroir: Aÿ Grand Cru 100%
Aged “sur lattes“ onits side: 3 years
Dosage: Brut, 6g/l
Flight Two
Saint Clair Dawn Methode Traditionelle Marlborough RRP $31.99
Rich, tasty and refined South Island bubbly, made as a tribute to Dawn Ibbotson, the matriarch of Saint Clair, who lived to be 104 and still resided in her own home. This sparkling wine was first made for her 100th birthday and it is a multi vintage blend made 100% from Marlborough grapes and using 63% Chardonnay with 37% Pinot Noir.
The finished wine spent 30 months lees ageing on tirage in bottle pre disgorgement.
Andre Clouet Grande Reserve Champagne RRP $56.99
This is a Blanc de Noir (black from white) made from 100% Pinot Noir which is where all its rich, deliciously toasty aromas come from
The style is a complex blend of wine from the 2015 vintage with depth of flavour coming from the 50% proportion of older reserve wines from 2014, 2013, 2012, 2008, 2005, 2004 and 2002.
Aged on lees for 4 years before disgorgement.
Flight Three
Huia Blanc De Blancs Brut Marlborough 2018 RRP $37.99
The grapes hand-harvested, whole bunch pressed The juice was racked off to barrels for fermentation. A warm fast ferment was encouraged. The base wines underwent full malolactic fermentation and were aged on gross lees in neutral French oak.
The secondary yeast fermentation was conducted in the bottle and was aged on the yeast lees for 32 months.
Champagne Charles Orban Blanc de Noirs RRP $59.99
60% Pinot Meunier, 40% Pinot Noir from a small family-owned grower house located around Troissy in the western Marne Valley.
It was fermented in stainless before 30 months ageing on the lees, and with 30 percent reserve wines in the cuvée.
Round and generous, with cherry, baked apple, light raspberry and fine, light grippy tannins through the moderate, lightly smoked finish.
