Unlike many of the newcomers, our Sparkling Black Shiraz uses the time-honoured method of ageing quality Shiraz in wood for many years prior to blending and bottle fermentation. The result is softness, depth and complex flavours that are impossible to duplicate in young wines. Sparkling Shiraz made like this is a key-stone of Australia’s wine heritage; Black Shiraz ensures that this very Australian wine, nurtured by generations of wine makers is never lost. (Cellar Door only)
There is a limit of 3 bottles per customer when purchasing this wine



The wine is made up of two components: the base wine and the vintage selection. The base wine is a solera of Barossa shiraz held in big old casks. The initial base material was from 500 cases of old Barossa shiraz offered to Robert O'Callaghan in the early 1980's.

Each subsequent vintage after 1984, the best quality shiraz was added to the solera – until 1988, when the first vintage of Black Shiraz was disgorged.

The vintage selection, on the other hand, is essentially Rockford Basket Press Shiraz that has been aged in oak for 3 years. Those barrels deemed suitable for Black Shiraz are blended with an equal amount of wine from the solera. Half of the blend is returned to the solera (thus ensuring its continuation) and the other half seeded with yeast and sugar to induce fermentation, and bottled. The wine is disgorged some months later (now sparkling) and topped up with super-ripe Barossa shiraz. This means that each new release of Black Shiraz is roughly a 50/50 blend of three-year-old Barossa shiraz and the solera wine that has been going since the early 1980's – it is no ordinary wine.

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