BETTER & BETTER

New Zealand méthode traditionnelle continues to wow say MARY-THÉRÈSE BLAIR.

I’M TRULY IMPRESSED by those who choose to make sparkling wine in the traditional method. Making méthode traditionnelle is not simple: it is a multilayered process and once you have completed and finally got those delicious bubbles bottled, only then does the clock start.

Méthode wines require a minimum of 18 months ageing before being released for sale and that’s if it’s non-vintage. Vintage méthodes require a three-year minimum wait. Winemaking is an expensive process at the best of times, but when your final product – and any potential profit – must sit encased in glass for at least a year and a half before you have any chance of recouping a single dollar, that’s devotion. The payoff, however, is great with refined, complex wines that sport a fine persistent bead in the glass upon pouring. It’s exciting for our team of judges to witness this category getting better year after year.