Years ago, winemaker Jed Steele noticed that many gatherings in the heart of Australian wine country began with a flute of bubbling red wine. The toasts and laughter inspired by the wine caused Steele to seek something similar from his own stock.
Thus was the origin of the winery’s popular Black Bubbles, a non vintage line from the Shooting Star label.
Of course, enthusiasm for an idea means little without a handy store of grapes. Fortunately, harvest almost always leaves the crush pad at Steele Wines lined with tubs and tubs overflowing with Syrah.
“We do have a lot of it,” said Steele’s Steve Tylichi with a chuckle.
Black Bubbles relies on Syrah from three Lake County vineyards selected for their tendency to produce fruit forward grapes. The wine from these vines rests quietly in oak for up to 15 months before stirred by a shot of carbonation.
Yes, Steele skirts the laborious methode champenoise for a burst of fizz. Yet this produces a lively, clamorous wine unable to contain its cheerfulness.
The glass springs with seasonal sensation. Aromas of candied berries, cured fruits, a nip of clove and a drizzle of chocolate rise from the rim, almost like an overloaded fruitcake — a warm and welcome fruitcake from Collin Street Bakery.
Even before the first sip, Black Bubbles reminds one of holiday in a glass.
The effervescence cannot hold back the rich fruit. It leaps across the palate, trailing candied blueberry and stewed blackberry. Hints of chocolate and pepper survive in this festive, bouncy house of joy, but the wine is really a showcase for bright, rich fruits and ebullient carbonation.
“This is very much a fun wine,” Tylichi said. “It’s on the sweet side, but that really works with this wine.”
The residual sugars ride the crest of the swelling fruit and cling on as the flavors break and slow, ensuring a long and pleasing finish.
“You can have this as an aperitif,” added Steele’s Raven Sprague. “It’s fantastic with chocolate.”
Black Bubbles is such a spirited wine, the tasting room at Steele even worked with the Saw Shop Gallery Bistro’s bartenders to create a list of carbonated cocktails. These include such charmers as the Black Bubble mimosa, Bubbles & Bourbon, the Steele 75 and a surprisingly enticing blend of the rollicking Syrah and a serious English stout.
Oh, aficionados of Dom Perignon and other proper Champagnes may scorn the idea of a carbonated wine. But there is no stiffness, no show of airs allowed once a bottle of Black Bubbles is opened.
Clearly, Jed Steele’s inspiration is a reward for the rest of us.
Dave Faries can be reached at 900-2016
