Alternative Varietal Sparkling Wine

The world's best known sparkling wine is Champagne.  until a couple of decades ago the word champagne was widely used for sparkling wine. But with modern international trade agreements forbidding the use of geographical names for wine and other products we have had to use other words.

Sparkling wine made from the rare Ondenc white wine variety

The classic varieties used to make Champagne are Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier.  A few other varieties are permitted but are used rarely only in tiny amounts.

Most sparkling winemakers around the world tend to use that classic trio in an effort to emulate champagnes success.  

But as we are interested in Vinodiversity we are looking for winemakers who think (and make) outside the square.

Below I have listed just a few white and red sparkling wines made from alternative varieties.  

I'd love you to contribute to the list via the comment box near the bottom of this page.

Alternative Sparkling Whites

Three alternative sparklers from la Fattoria in the Perth Hills

Arneis

• Sassy Wines (Orange)

Bianco D'Alesssano 

• Delinquente Wine Co (Riverland)

Chenin Blanc

• Anderson Winery (Rutherglen)
• Aravina Estate  (Margaret River)
  
• Fig Tree Estate (Swan Valley)
  
• Happs (Margaret River)
• Paul Conti  (Swan Districts)
• Peel Estate (Peel Wine Region)
• Sherrah (McLaren Vale) Blended with Fiano 
• Sittella  (Swan Valley)
• Swings and Roundabouts (Margaret River)
• Tregarthen (McLaren Vale)
• Voyager Estate  (Margaret River) 
• Windows Estate  (Margaret River) 

Sparkling Chenin Blanc made by Anderson Winery in Rutherglen

Crystal

• Brash Higgins (McLaren Vale) blended with Chenin Blanc

 Fiano

• Blood Moon (Murray Darling)
• Chalmers (Heathcote)
• Greenway (Hunter Valley)
• Olivers Taranga (McLaren Vale)
• Sherrah (McLaren Vale) Blended with Chenin

Gewurztraminer

• Allandale (Hunter Valley)

Gouais Blanc

• Chambers Rosewood (Rutherglen)

Gruner Veltliner

• Mt Bera (Adelaide Hills)

Kerner

• Robinvale Estates (Murray Darling)

Moscato Giallo

• Quealy (Mornington Peninsula)

Pecorino

• Berg Herring (Barossa Valley)

Petit Meslier

• Irvine Wines (Eden Valley)
• Levrier (Eden Valley)
• Salena Estate (Riverland)

Picpoul 

Borrowed Cuttings (Central Ranges)

Pignoletto

• La Fattoria (Perth Hills)
• Vineyard 28 (Geographe)

Marsanne

• Djinta Djinta Winery  (Gippsland) - Blended with Roussanne
• Summit Estate (Granite Belt)
• Tahbilk (Nagambie Lakes)

Pinot Grigio

• Aramis Vineyards (Adelaide Hills)

Riesling

• Dinny Goonan (Geelong)
• Majella (Coonawarra)
• Oneday Estate (Geelong)
• Swinging Bridge (Orange)

Roussanne

• Box Grove (Nagambie Lakes)
• Dell'Uva (Barossa)
• Georges Folly (Currency Creeek)
• Jester Hill (Granite Belt)

Savagnin

• Homestead Estate (Alpine Valleys)
• Sassafras (Canberra District)

Verdelho

• Burnbrae (Mudgee)
• Caudo (Riverland)
• Molly Dooker Wines (Mclaren Vale)

Vermentino

• Delinquente Wine Co (Riverland)
• Fowles (Strathbogie Ranges)
• Golden Grove Estate (Granite Belt)
  
• La Fattoria (Perth Hills)
• Love + Glory (McLaren Vale)
• Marq (Margaret River)
• Prometheus (Riverland)
• Vigna Bottin (McLaren Vale)
• Ya Yoi (Murray Darling)
• Yelland and Papps (Barossa Valley)

Versecco, Sparkling Vermentino form Vigna Bottin in Mclaren Vale

I'd love you to contribute to the list via the comment box near the bottom of this page.

Alternative sparkling reds

Sparkling Malbec from Western Australia.

Alicante Bouschet

• Vinden Estate (Hunter Valley)

Barbera

• Dal Zotto (King Valley)

Cienna

• Brown Brothers (King Valley)

Chambourcin

• Bago (Northern Rivers Zone)
• Capercaillie (Hunter Valley)
• d'Arenberg (McLaren Vale)
• Ernest Schuetz Wines (Mudgee)
  

Durif

• 919 Wines (Riverland)
• Anderson Winery (Rutherglen)
• Cape Horn (Goulburn Valley)

Grenache

• Mandurang Valley (Bendigo)

Lagrein

• Bassham (Riverland)
• Conte Estate (McLaren Vale)

Lambrusco Maestri

• Countertop (Swan Hill)
• Trentham Estate (Murray Darling)
• Vino Intrepido (Murray Darling)

Malbec

• Ferngrove Estate  (Frankland River - Great Southern)

Marzemino

• Chrismont La Zona (King Valley)

Montepulciano

• Artwine (Clare Valley)
• Kimbolton Wines (Clare Valley)
• Sassafras (Canberra District)

Nebbiolo

• Dal Zotto (King Valley)
• De Bertoli (Yarra Valley)
• La Villa (Northern Tasmania)
• Longview (Adelaide Hills)

Nero d'Avola

Blood Moon (Heathcote)

Petit Verdot

• McGuigan (Barossa Valley)
• Sirromet (Granite Belt)
• Whistling Kite (Riverland)

Trincadeira

• Patritti Estate (Barossa Valley)

Sangiovese

• Amulet (Beechworth)
• Clovelly Estate (Granite Belt)
• James and Co (Rutherglen)
• La Cantina (King Valley)
• Rookery Wines (Kangaroo Island)

Saperavi

• Gapsted Winery (Alpine Valleys)

Tempranillo

• Brandy Creek (Gippsland)
• Caudo (Riverland)
• Sutherland Estate (Yarra Valley)

Nebbiolo

• Cargo Road (Orange)

Touriga

• Old Mill Estate (Langhorne Creek)

Trincadeira (Tinta Amarela)

• Patritti (Barossa Valley)

Zinfandel

• Cargo Road Wines