The 25 Swan Valley Sparkling Wines of Christmas 2014 – 20th December
Harris Organic Sparkling ‘Madeleine Claire’ Chardonnay
There are not many organic wines in the Swan Valley and I have a feeling Harris Organic may be the only one doing organic sparkling. This sparkling wine is made of 100% organically grown Chardonnay grapes which are handpicked. Natural yeast is used for fermentation and the wine is stored for 3 months in an underground cellar prior to bottling. Once bottled, the wine undergoes a secondary fermentation in the bottle over a minimum of a 36 month period. The bottles are hand riddled and hand disgorged before being finished with a crown cap closure.
This Blanc de Blanc (made from only white grapes, that being Chardonnay) is made in the traditional French Champagne method to be a Brut, which is a dry sparkling wine. If you’re lucky you may be able to catch Duncan Harris the winemaker disgorging bottles like I did one time I visited. It is a fascinating process to see!
Wine Tasting Note
On the eye it’s an elegant pale yellow crystal colour. On the nose I found it rather toasty & yeasty with ripe fruit aromas. On the palate it has a smooth silky mousse with a lovely acid balance. It’s refreshing & crisp with flavours of quince and tropical fruits. Being one of only a handful of organic wines in the Swan Valley this lovely bottle of bubbles for around the $35 mark would make a fabulous Christmas present for a wine-lover as organic wines become more and more popular by the day.
Christmas special
If you want to give the gift of wine for Christmas but can’t decide what to go for, then you should opt for a gift voucher! Harris Organic Wines have gift vouchers starting at $25 a pop. You can order directly online and send the voucher via email, easy! Find out more here.
About Harris Organic Wines
Harris Organic is a small family owned winery at the top of the Swan Valley in Baskerville. Duncan Harris (originally from Tasmania) bought the property in 1998 while he was working as an engineer in Perth. His dream was always to run an organic vineyard and in 2000 the cellar door opened.
On the property is also an underground cellar to store the ageing wines at a cool temperature. By doing this, Duncan removed the need of artificial refrigeration. Duncan loves experimenting and due to this, he has also created a range of organic spirits such as an organic vodka and organic brandy.
The first sparkling wine that was made by Harris Organic was named “Madeleine Claire” after Duncan and Deb’s daughter.
Want to find out more about Harris Organic Wines in the Swan Valley?
- The Harris Organic Wines website
- Harris Organic Wines on Facebook
- Harris Organic Wines on Twitter
- Address: 179 Memorial Avenue, Baskerville 6056 WA
- Phone: 08 9296 0216
- Contact online here.
My blog posts on Harris Organic Wines:
- Harris Organic Sparkling Shiraz
- Harris Organic Wines in the Swan Valley
- Manual Labour in Exchange for Free Homemade Pizza & Organic Wine
