Would you like your wine in a recyclable aluminium bottle?

Brown Brothers has just unveiled an Australian first - releasing a limited-edition prosecco in a slick-looking aluminium bottle. 

The bottle is being promoted as recyclable and 40% lighter than glass.

"Delivering the same vibrant taste you know and love, this eco-friendly bottle makes it easier than ever to enjoy our prosecco," the promotional material says. 

"Lightweight and portable, it’s perfect for a picnic in the park, a weekend away, or simply embracing the everyday moments worth raising a glass to."

The Brown Brothers team says the new vessel also chills faster. 

The wine is made in Victoria's King Valley and Brown Brothers says it is "a sip in the right direction when it comes from environmental impact – without compromising on flavour or quality".

The RRP for the limited-edition Prosecco Brut NV is $25. 

See https://brownfamilywines.com.au/products/aluminium-premium-prosecco-brut

Meet the accidental wine hit

Moondarra Pet Nat Rosé is a wine success that was the direct result of a catastrophic vintage. 

Neil Prentice made his first version of the wine after what he describes as the clusterf... vintage of 2020, when Moondarra in Gippsland's Mount Baw Baw region was hit by both bushfires and Covid. 

"We made no wine from our own vineyards that year," Prentice said. "I wanted and needed to fill the financial void that missing an entire vintage created, as well as create one new major product.

"I had mucked about with rosé and nouveau style wines for many years and had produced a couple of traditional method wines I quite liked. 

"Concurrently I had been thinking about yeast in white wine and sparkling - leading to a fascination with Pet Nat."

The initial release using largely purchased fruit from the Yarra Valley was an instant hit and the new Moondarra NV Pet Nat Rosé is a delightful drink with tart pink grapefruit flavours to to the fore, along with some clouds and a hefty dollop of funky texture. 

It is a blend of 2021 chardonnay, 2021 blanc de noir bubbles and a smidgen of 2019 Moondarra Samba Side pinot noir. 

"I like to think of all our wines as #PostNatural," Prentice says. "Whilst influenced by the wines of Gravner and Radikon they don't mindlessly ape them.

"I've long thought great wine should embody the personality of the winemaker. To me this rosé is elegance, balance and finesse. Sadly, I can't claim to any of these within my personal oeuvre." 

The Moondarra Pet Nat Rosé has an RRP of $30 and is one of the funnest Pet Nats I have come across. It ticks all the hipster boxes; unfined, unfiltered, vegan-friendly etc, but has some classic style as well.  See www.moondarra.com.au   

       

Meet a landmark new Tasmanian sparkling wine

Meet the newest addition to the Jansz family of Tasmanian sparkling wines. 

Pontos Hills is the name of the new Jansz vineyard in the south of the Apple Isle, and also the new Hill-Smith family-owned winery that processed grapes for the first time this vintage.

The debut Jansz Pontos Hill release is the 2017 Vintage Cuvee; a total of 1986 bottles were made to celebrate the the beginning of a sparkling wine journey that began in 1986. 

Now, 35, years on, the opening on the Pontos Hills facility reflects the ongoing commitment to wines that are "undeniably Tasmanian". Jansz will maintain its Pipers River headquarters in the north of the state. 

The debut release ($50) is a "field blend" of chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot meunier" - the three classic sparkling wine grapes of Champagne. 

The Pontos Hills site spans 150 hectares in the Coal River Valley, just north-east of Hobart, where Jennifer Doyle is viticulturist and wine winemaker.

"It is a significant milestone in Jansz Tasmania's journey," says proprietor Robert Hill-Smith. "It is a mark of our growth and achievements since the first vines were planted and the label established in 1986. 

"It embodies our commitment to Tasmania and and its community."

See www.jansz.com.au