Sparkling Red Wine Stages a Comeback.
No, we're not talking about Cold Duck—that miserable, sweet red bubbly from the 70s. We're talking about a serious sparkling Shiraz from Geyser Peak Winery in Sonoma County that offers a delicious alternative to the more familiar versions of Méthod Champenoise wines.
Sparkling reds have always been popular in Italy and Portugal, where they were often made from leftover lots of still red wine—in contrast to Champagne, which is made from grapes grown specifically for that purpose. German winemakers scoffed at red bubblies by changing the spelling of the product from kalte ende (cold end) to kalte ente (cold duck), hence the name that has plagued American red bubblies.
Australians, less prone to wine snobbery, make sparkling Shiraz in a serious (and expensive) way. But since the demise of American Cold Duck, which never rose above the level of carbonated plonk, very few American wineries were tempted to give red bubblies a second shot. Till now.
Geyser Peak Winery has introduced a sparkling Shiraz that Chuck Hayward of San Francisco's Jug Shop has called "the best sparkling red made in California." Creamy and plush with true varietal aromas and flavors, this wine is rich with flavors of ripe plum, spice, and the meaty flavors that characterize fine Shiraz. Not surprisingly, the fruit for this wine comes from high quality Sonoma county hillside vineyards. It's also no surprise that Geyser Peak's winemaker happens to be an Australian.
It's been said that it's more expensive to make sparkling red wine than still. That seems apparent since you need to make the still wine first, then subject it to the Méthod Champenoise treatment. So don't expect too many inexpensive versions to appear. This one will set you back around $30.
