A truly unique label from a winemaker that carves his own ground. Philip Shaw has made his home in Orange, New South Wales and his cellar door there is rather spectacular.
Amongst his extensive range of wines, many of which have set the standards high for not only the region but all cool climate Australia, is this sparkling wine. Indeed this label makes his other labels seem just plain boring in comparison.
As a fizz, it has aromas of rich berries, bready yeast, lemon and apples with a mineral backbone. It is a dry style of sparkling that finishes crisp and fresh. Made from grapes from the Koomooloo vineyards on a steep south facing slope and has spent some 12 months in old seasoned French oak barrels. The wine was then bottled to go through the second ferment and left to spend further time on lees. Hence, the Edinburgh has Philip Shaw’s signature. I am yet to drink a bottle of his wine that is lacking in palate texture. In this wine, the palate is creamy and very finely tuned. A wine that is irresistibly hard to put down once you have tasted it.
A good aperitif style or one that will drink well with a light starter course.
Date: February 2018 Price: $35 | £23 (Waitrose) Drink: Now