DAOSA
DAOSA Sparkling Wines – Piccadilly Valley
Our Sparkling Journey
Our first sparkling wine, the 2009 Blanc de Blancs, was made from carefully selected Chardonnay clones from our Bizot Vineyard in the heart of Piccadilly Valley. In 2016, we began managing a few Pinot Noir vineyards in the same region, leading to the creation of our Natural Réserve sparkling.
In the Winery
Fruit is cooled to 2–5°C before whole-bunch pressing, retaining only the light pressing (≈550L per tonne). The juice is fermented in barrels for the Blanc de Blancs or in tanks/barrels for the Natural Réserve. The base wine undergoes full malolactic fermentation after primary alcoholic fermentation.
After fermentation, the wine remains on full lees in tank or barrel with no added sulfur until spring tirage. Following tirage, the wine is aged in bottle—at least 18 months for the Natural Réserve and 3 years for the Blanc de Blancs—before disgorging. Dosage is decided for each individual wine. All tiraging and disgorging is completed in-house, ensuring full control from vineyard to finished bottle.
Method Classic™ (MC)
We follow the Champagne method, also known as the traditional bottle-fermentation method, considered the most prestigious for sparkling wine. This involves secondary fermentation and bottle aging, followed by disgorgement and dosage. While other methods such as the Transfer Method, Charmat Method, and carbonation are used in Australia, we maintain the integrity of classic bottle-fermented sparkling wine.
The Vineyards – Piccadilly Valley
We manage all our vineyards ourselves and do not purchase fruit. All vineyards are hand-pruned and cane-pruned (Guyot Double). Undervine growth is mechanically controlled to reduce herbicide use, and chemical sprays are limited to sulfur, copper, and preventive fungal treatments. Trellis and shoot growth are managed manually to optimize canopy sunlight. All fruit is hand-picked and delivered to Tapanappa Winery for processing.
2021 rainfall and temperatures were near average. Lower-than-average post-veraison temperatures in 2020 created ideal conditions for smooth ripening of our sparkling base fruit. Piccadilly Valley produced exceptional Chardonnay for the DAOSA Blanc de Blancs and perfectly ripe base wines of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Pinot Meunier for our Natural Réserve. Trousseau Noir, Cabernet Franc, Mondeuse, Merlot, and a small batch of table Pinot Noir were also harvested, some of which will feature in our new DAOSA Rosé sparkling.