But now, one bottle has been recognised on the global stage as the best sparkling you’ll find anywhere in the world – even beating French competitors from Champagne in the global ranking.
Tasmanian winery House of Arras was given the ‘Top Sparkling’ title by Decanter magazine for its $200 ‘E.J. Carr Late Disgorged 2004’.
The winning wine is a mix of 69 per cent Chardonnay and 31 per cent pinot noir, and was handed 96 points to beat closest rival Krug Champagne 2006 for first place.
Speaking to 7 News, chief winemaker Ed Carr said he’s “still blown away” by the win.
“For us, from very humble beginnings of looking at Tasmanian winemaking, to be able to achieve this is absolutely stunning,” he said.
“It was quite unexpected to go to this level, and our confidence has just gotten stronger.
RELATED: China hits Australian wine industry
“Twenty-five years ago we chose Tasmania as the source for a premium sparkling wine. It’s proof that we made the right choice, I guess. We’ve learned over time that these wines age so gracefully.
“They just have this beautiful freshness and vibrancy.”
Mr Carr said the win was a great recognition of Australian wine, particularly at a time when the industry has been caught between an ongoing row between Canberra and Beijing after China imposed tariffs of up to 212 per cent on Australian wine imports.
Last week, Trade Minister Simon Birmingham said China’s move to slap tariffs on Australian wine makers after an anti-dumping investigation will kill off the industry.
The massive blow for Australian businesses comes after China’s Commerce Ministry accused them of flooding it with cheap wine, in an effort to skew the market.
Temporary duties ranging from 107.1 per cent to 212.1 per cent have been introduced on Australian wine imports in 2-litre containers or less.
Mr Birmingham said the tax would see Chinese consumers turn away from Australia’s high-quality wine because they will be unable to afford the price hikes.
“They will have the effect of rendering largely unmarketable, unviable to the China wine industry or the Chinese wine market for Australian producers,” the Senator said.
“This is a very distressing time for many hundreds of Australian wine producers, who have built in good faith a sound market in China.”
More than a third of Australian wine worth $1.07 billion was exported to China in 2019-20 making it the top trading partner for the winemakers.
