Sparkling History – Bubbling Away

Who would have thought that our charming wine village of Great Western would become known for pioneering sparkling wines? It all began in the late 1890s when the renowned French winemaker Charles Pierlot joined forces with Hans Irvine at Seppelt, Great Western, With only shiraz grapes at their disposal, some ingenuity led to the invention of one of Australia’s first Sparkling Burgundy wines. The idea paid off: in 1895 Hans Irvine’s 1893 Sparkling Burgundy won an award in Bordeaux, placing our tiny town on the global wine map. This tradition of crafting exceptional sparkling wines from shiraz grapes has continued, earning Great Western its reputation as the home of Australia’s finest sparkling red wines.

Over the years, Best’s has innovated with quite a few sparkling styles. Anyone remember our Baby Bubbly, Great Western or Carbonated Pink Cham? The popular Carbonated Baby Bubbly was released in the 1950s and was produced until the 1980s,. These baby bubbles were released on the notion that people would enjoy and celebrate with them as young wines.

In 2006, after a 20- year absence, Sparkling Shiraz returned triumphantly at Best’s, quickly becoming one of our most sought after wines. We are trilled to reintroduce a late- disgorged style with the 2018 Late- Disgorged Sparkling Shiraz next year. With six years on lees, this wine is rich and complex and showcases why this style is a regional hero.

As many of you are aware the tradition of innovation continued in 2023 with the introduction of our Blanc de Noir, a white bubbly wine made from 100% shiraz grapes. The grapes were harvested earlier than usual and gently pressed to extract the beautiful flavours. The lack of skin contact meant that the red colour was not transferred. We’ve used the learnings from the initial vintage and are excited about the new 2024 Blanc De Noir – honing the flavours to craft a delicious wine.

Lets raise a glass and toast to a future full of continued innovation.