Australia’s love affair with sparkling wine runs deep. From the earliest colonial days, Australians drank more imported Champagne than most English-speaking countries, and they were equally eager to create their own home-grown fizz.
The story begins in Tasmania in 1823, when ex-convict Bartholomew Broughton planted the region’s first commercial vineyard and sold wine “in imitation of Champagne.” By the 1840s, Champagne was so popular in Melbourne that visitors claimed the streets were “thickly strewed” with empty bottles. As the gold rush hit, the appetite only grew, and local producers began taking sparkling seriously.
Australia's first sparkling boom
By the late 1800s, Australian winemakers were experimenting widely. Some early attempts literally blew up in the heat, but French expertise soon helped lift the quality. Dr Louis Lawrence Smith’s “champagne manufactory” in Melbourne and Hans Irvine’s ambitious Great Western operation (powered by French talent like Charles Pierlot) established Australia’s first true sparkling centres. At the same time, sweeter sparkling styles, like Sparkling Hock and Sparkling Burgundy, became hugely popular, eventually inspiring later creations like Barossa Pearl and, decades on, Australia’s now-beloved Moscato category.
Sparkling goes mainstream
Across the early 20th century, brands like Penfolds Minchinbury, Seppelt Great Western, and Romalo helped cement sparkling wine in Australian drinking culture. Many wines were made in the Champagne style, though often from very different grape varieties and warmer regions. It wasn’t until the 1980s that producers began focusing on the classic Champagne trio; Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, which were grown in cooler climates ideal for premium sparkling.
French influence and modern momentum
The turning point came in 1985 when Moët & Chandon established a winery in the Yarra Valley, signalling Australia’s potential on the world stage. Other Champagne houses followed, partnering with local producers and accelerating investment in cool-climate vineyards.
Around this time, Australian Prosecco also took off. In 2004, the Dal Zotto family in the King Valley released the country’s first homegrown Prosecco, igniting a boom that made the style a household staple within a decade.
Tasmania: The new heart of Australian sparkling
Today, Tasmania is the epicentre of Australia’s finest sparkling wine. Although it only produces just over 1% of the nation’s wine, its cool climate yields world-class bubbles. Ed Carr’s House of Arras led the charge, and in 2024 he became the first Australian crowned Sparkling Winemaker of the Year at the International Wine Challenge.
Brands like Jansz, Clover Hill, Pirie, Delamere, Bellebonne and many more have since cemented Tasmania as the leader in premium fizz. With over 40% of the state’s wine now dedicated to sparkling, and vineyard plantings doubling in the past decade, Tasmania is shaping the future of Australian bubbles.
We hope you enjoyed this blog post by our friends over at Wine Selectors.
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