Adelaide Hills sparkling: top wines to try
From bubbly pioneers to relative newcomers, and dedicated fizz-makers to those releasing micro-cuvées, there has been renewed confidence – and quality – among Adelaide Hills sparkling wine producers.
COMING SOON
Individual analysis of the Adelaide Hills by grape variety:
Chardonnay | Sauvignon Blanc| Shiraz | Pinot Noir | Alternative varieties
Plus: Adelaide Hills value – the best wines to buy
A new era of belief in attaining excellence with sparkling wines has dawned in the Adelaide Hills.
Independent traditional-method sparkling specialist Michael Sykes at Lodestone Winery now offers his services as a freelance winemaking consultant. This has encouraged many Hills growers to reserve parcels of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir for early picking and sparkling production. The result is a raft of exciting small-batch wines of great finesse.
Scroll down for tasting notes and scores of top Adelaide Hills sparkling wines
These smaller players have followed a lead set by more dedicated sparkling producers including Petaluma (makers of the Croser range) and Deviation Road, both of which which deliver wines of ever-increasing elegance through fastidious attention to detail in both vintage and non-vintage expressions.
Other very serious contenders have now entered this domain. Most notable is husband-and-wife team Xavier Bizot (descendent of the Bollinger family) and Lucy Croser (daughter of Adelaide Hills Chardonnay pioneer Brian Croser) of Terre à Terre. Their Daosa sparkling wines have dazzling detail and great purity of expression, underlining the sophistication capable from the best of this region.
About 20 other micro-producers have been inspired to follow suit, crafting very particular individual expressions. These include several boisterous blancs de blancs, trumpeting the virtues of the region’s outstanding Chardonnay, and some powerful blancs de noirs with surly black cherry grip.
From a few ambitious little sparkling wine producers, big ideas have grown – along with big results that merit attention.
Top producers of Adelaide Hills sparkling wine
- Daosa
- Croser by Petaluma
- Deviation Road
- Honey Moon Vineyard
- Mount Lofty Ranges Vineyard
Adelaide Hills sparkling: top wines to try
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Daosa, Blanc de Blancs, Piccadilly Valley, Adelaide Hills, South Australia, Australia, 2016
Three and a half years on its lees, yet it shows no signs of dusty age. It’s a sparkling showcase for finesse and pristine fruit...
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Mount Lofty Ranges Vineyard, Pinot Noir-Chardonnay, Lenswood, Adelaide Hills, South Australia, Australia, 2018
Bright, fresh and engaging, this has remarkable purity in its lean fruit flavours. Even though Pinot Noir commands 55% of the blend, it’s the Chardonnay...
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Sidewood Estate, Cassandra Blanc de Blancs Late Disgorged, Adelaide Hills, South Australia, Australia, 2015
This is built as a rather opulent monument, late disgorged after 57 months on lees. Its pungent nose, which borders on deliciously ripe cheese, is...
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Sidewood Estate, Chloe, Adelaide Hills, South Australia, Australia, 2015
With 60% Chardonnay riding over Pinot Noir, bright orange blossom and green apple crispness controls the profile, keeping a long line through a slim mid-palate...
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Croser, Piccadilly Valley, Adelaide Hills, South Australia, Australia, 2017
Like freshly starched cuffs, this has a stiff formality to its ramrod straight profile. Firm green apple gives a razor-sharp edge, it’s acid spine snapped...
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The Lane, Blanc de Blancs, Adelaide Hills, South Australia, Australia, 2015
Five years on lees brings lots of vanilla bean and shortcrust pastry, complexity, yet it keeps a lean line. The layered mid-palate has strong bite,...
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Unico Zelo, Harvest Blanc de Blancs NV, Adelaide Hills, South Australia, Australia
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Tomich, T NV, Adelaide Hills, South Australia, Australia
Pinot Noir dominates over Chardonnay, with wild strawberry lift within the green apple crispness. But it's how the palate carries its weight that grabs the...
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The Lane, Heritage Blanc de Blancs Late Disgorged, Adelaide Hills, South Australia, Australia, 2010
Dark, yeasty and dangerous. The fruit shows expressively on the front palate, then the secondary characters take over – musk, dust, cashew and honeysuckle. Heavy...
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Sidewood Estate, Pinot Noir-Chardonnay NV, Adelaide Hills, South Australia, Australia
Passionfruit bullies its way out of the glass, the ripeness of the fruit speaking loudly – and more sweet and broad than it should be....
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Honey Moon Vineyard, Rosé Brut, Adelaide Hills, South Australia, Australia, 2015
Disgorged in February 2021, this is a moreish, bone-dry and bewitching brut rosé. A massive opening of ripe fruit and earthy forest notes immediately stop...
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Deviation Road, Altair Rosé Brut NV, Adelaide Hills, South Australia, Australia
An elegant but serious rosé with Pinot Noir adding structure and Chardonnay the vibrancy. Wild strawberry sharpness leads in light cherry and melon, while solid...
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Sidewood Estate, Isabella Rosé, Adelaide Hills, South Australia, Australia, 2014
This leads with muscle – 66% Pinot Noir with Chardonnay beneath – and despite taking its name from the owner’s daughter, it is not a...
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