The 25 Swan Valley Sparkling Wines of Christmas 2014 – 3rd December

Upper Reach NV Sparkling Shiraz

Upper Reach’s Sparkling Shiraz is so special that it’s only available at the cellar door, but let me tell you, it’s worth the drive! It is a NV (non-vintage which means it’s a blend of grapes grown in different years) style of sparkling Shiraz which is fermented in the bottle and left on yeast lees for at least 3 years prior to being disgorged by hand.

Sparkling red is the perfect Aussie speciality to match the Christmas BBQ. Serve super chilled and enjoy on the hopefully sunny 25th of December!

Tasting Note

On the eye it’s virtually opaque, a super deep Crimson colour, it’s not really sure if it wants to be a deep red or deep purple. I loved one of the tasting panel members when they tried this, as she exclaimed all excited “I get so excited about the bubbles going pink at the top”, a sparkling red addict she is! On the nose it smelt of black cherries and black pepper whilst on the palate it had a silky smooths mouthfeel and a lot of the tasting panel agreed that it was like a spicy cold mulled wine or fizzy sangria. An absolute hit with the tasters and we all agreed this ceremonious red would be perfect to share a toast with Santa Claus.

Christmas special

The Upper Reach team have a super special offer for December – buy any 12 of your favourite Upper Reach wines and they’ll give you 6 bottles of Black Bream White or Black Bream Pink for free! Perfect to pop in the fridge for any unexpected visitors over the festive season!About Upper Reach Winery

Upper Reach are located in Upper Swan and they were actually the very first winery that Mr. Spittoon and I visited when we arrived in Perth in 2012. The cellar door is simply beautiful, bright and airy with a fabulous barrel designed cellar door counter.

Broads Restaurant is right next door for a bite to eat, and I have to admit that it’s one of my fave spots for a sparkling wine brekkie in the Swan Valley. They do an awesome breakfast!

Upper Reach also have a fabulous little cottage on the property so you can easily slip away for the weekend and stay in amongst the vines – pure bliss if you ask me!

Derek & Laura Pearse bought the 10 hectare property in 1999. Derek, the winemaker at Upper Reach spent about 5 years working at Odd Bins in England in the 1990s after which he and Laura moved to Swan Valley to start their venture.

Contact Upper Reach Winery

• Upper Reach website
• Upper Reach Facebook page
• Upper Reach on Twitter
• Address: 77 Memorial Avenue, Baskerville, Western Australia 6056
• Phone: (08) 9296 0078
• Email: [email protected]

My blog posts on Upper Reach & Broads

• 12 wines before 12pm – Upper Reach Back Vintage Tasting
• Breakfast in the Swan Valley at Broads Restaurant, Upper Reach Winery
• Visiting Upper Reach Winery in the Swan Valley, Perth