Katnook Founder’s Block Sparkling Shiraz 2017

Tasting notes: Vibrant plum with purple hues. Concentrated dark cherry, plum and raspberry notes with hints of chocolate and spice. Juicy, ripe blackberry, plum and ripe, red berry fruits enhanced by subtle sweet spices and hints of dark chocolate. Creamy bubbles lead to soft tannins on the lingering finish. Reviews: Degustation for Dignity (Australia), October 2019 This is the only non-Victorian wine tonight, but we've made an exception for two reasons. First, although strictly speaking it is in South Australia, Coonawarra is so close to the Victoria border it might as well be on this side of it. Second, we're pouring it because I think Australians need to drink more sparkling shiraz -or, rather, drink sparkling shiraz more often. It's such a classic Aussie drink: first made in Victoria in the 1890s, there's nothing quite like this style of wine -generous, ripe shiraz plus foaming purple bubbles -produced anywhere else in the world. Katnook's version, from the cool, late 2017 vintage, is on the dark-chocolate-and­shiitake end of the sparkling shiraz spectrum. Winestate National (Australia), October 2019 A quaffable fruit driven sparkling with some complexity and soft acidity. $23