Jansz Cuvée NV

Jansz winery was established in 1986 as a partnership between Champagne house Louis Roederer in France and Heemskerk Wines in Tasmania, using the Heemskerk vineyard planted in 1975. This partnership meant that Jansz were the first Tasmanian sparkling wines made in the méthode champenoise style, which has now morphed into ‘méthode Tasmanoise’. The Pipers River region, located in the Tamar Valley area, is perfect for the production of sparkling wines. The cool climate of this region which allows the grapes to ripen slowly and build up acid which is essential to the taste of sparkling. The Jansz Estate Vineyard consists of 15ha of Chardonnay, 12ha of Pinot Noir, and 3ha of Pinot Meunier, which corresponds to the usual grapes (and ratio of grapes) used in the production of Champagne. Jansz is the only Tasmanian winery focusing exclusively on sparkling wine, for which it has won many awards. The wines are made by Jennifer Doyle, who began working with Jansz in 2012, first managing one of their vineyards in southern Tasmania. She describes the style of Jansz sparkling wines as being delicate and nuanced, rather than big and robust.

Jansz produces a range of sparkling wines for all budgets. The Premium Cuvee NV is made from a blend of the three main grapes, with a prominent Chardonnay. The Premium Rosé NV is dominated by Pinot Noir, used to give the sparkling a delicate pink hue. Premium wines include the ‘Late Disgorged Vintage Cuvée’, which has been left on its lees (dead yeast cells) to mature for several years and further develop its aromas and flavours, and the Single Vineyard Chardonnay, with fruit sourced from a single block in their estate vineyard in Pipers Brook.

For more information on Jansz and their wines, visit their website.