Billy Button Sparkling Red NV

Written By Campbell Mattinson
Bottle of Billy Button Sparkling Red NV.

Billy Button Sparkling Red NV
$30, 13.5% alcohol, crown seal, Alpine Valleys.

I love drinking sparkling red, especially when it’s as fresh and frisky as this one is. This also has more character than most, courtesy of the fact that it’s been made with durif, saperavi and shiraz grapes – rather than just straight shiraz, as most sparkling reds are. This is dry, fruity, a touch herbal, twiggy and just generally more-ish. It has a touch of tannin – also great to see in a sparkling red – and good length. Needless to say, it’s a wine that just seems to disappear all too quickly. 91 points.

Campbell Mattinson

This article was written by Campbell Mattinson, former chief editor of the Halliday Wine Companion book, former editor of Halliday magazine, former editor of Australian Sommelier Magazine and founder of the highly respected The Winefront site.

Mattinson has been an independent wine critic and photo-journalist since 1987. He’s the only Australian to have won the Australian Wine Communicator of the Year Award more than once. He’s a past winner of a Louis Roederer International Wine Media Award; is the author of the award-winning book The Wine Hunter; and is the author of the best-selling novel We Were Not Men. He’s also a winner of a St Kilda Film Festival Award (as writer-director) and is a former winner of the prized Best Australian Sports Writing Award.

Mattinson, who is 100% independent, puts a score out of 100 on every wine that he reviews. But what he’d rather do, is tell you the wine’s story.

https://www.campbellmattinson.com
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