Tyrrell's Sparkling

Tyrrell’s has a long association with traditionally made bottle-fermented sparkling wine, dating back to a European trip that third-generation winemaker Murray Tyrrell made in 1977. A committed lover of Champagne known for his affection for Pol Roger, Murray was enjoying a post-convention tour of the region after an International Wine and Food Society meeting. “A stop was made at the Bollinger press house, where Dad traded his expertise on how best to use a hand press for time spent with their winemakers,” recalls Bruce Tyrrell. “The next day, he called me with instructions to buy all the Pinot Noir grapes grown on light soils in the Hunter Valley because he reckoned he could make Champagne as well as the French did.”