(S) Brown Brothers: Prosecco NV, from VIC, Australia

Appearance
Pale straw-yellow with lots of small bubbles.

Smell
Apples, pears, acacia, peaches and citrus blossoms.

Palate
Off-dry and mildly acid with light body & matching alcohol. The flavours are primarily apple and pear, with some citrus sneaking in & the group of flavours lingering for some time.

Tale
The Prosecco grape, which the Italians insist should be called Glera, has been growing in the King Valley for more than 15 years and it is this history that local producers claim protects their rights to call their wines Prosecco, not Glera.

As for the Brown Brothers winery, the vines were first planted in the later half of the 19th century. In the first half of the 20th century the winery was already popular with merchants in Melbourne and as far afield as London, however this is also when Italian immigrant tobacco farmers joined the loyal customer base. Decades later when the local tobacco industry collapsed, Brown Brothers were largely responsible for helping the Italian tobacco growers transition into grape growers, and in many cases, become winemakers themselves.

This is a nice sparkling wine, but it's not going to wow guests. Then again, at this price, it doesn't need to be amazing to be good value! For some reason I thought this was a slightly disappointing $20 bottle of fizz - now realising it's almost half that price, I'm very happy with the purchase.

Price: $12
Quality: ☆☆☆
Value: ☆☆☆☆

www.danmurphys.com.au/product/DM_366852
www.brownbrothers.com.au/products/13533-prosecco

(S) Devil's Corner: Cuvee NV, from TAS, Australia

Appearance
Pale straw yellow, with constant streams of fine bubbles.

Smell
Apples, peardrops, acacia, some confected red fruits & faint hints of mango & pineapple.

Palate
Dry, with lots of crisp acid, a solid body/mouthfeel & you can sense there's a healthy dose of alcohol, but it's not obvious at all & actually quite well integrated. Similarly, the flavours are lively, but not bold or punchy & they're primarily apples, some lemon pith & subtle red cherry. The mousse is surprisingly thick and creamy, & the crisp mouthfeel lasts a long time.

Tale
Turns out Devil's Corner is now a Brown Brothers subsidiary, purchased when BBs were hedging against climate change by investing in Tasmanian wine, including the Pirie & Tamar Ridge wineries.
I won't rabbit on too long about the national (at least Victorian) treasure that is Brown Brothers winery, based at Milawa in the King Valley. That will come with the next wine review of their Prosecco/Glera-based sparkling wine (& I'll be sure to add a link to this page). In short, the Browns began winemaking in the late 1800s & helped the largely Italian population of the King Valley transition from growing tobacco to becoming vignerons when the local tobacco industry collapsed.

This is a really satisfying & great value wine! As a Tank Method sparkling wine (similar to Prosecco), it's never going to be a show-stopper or the main focal point of a wine tasting. These roles are reserved for Traditional Method wines (such as Champagnes & Cavas). This Devil's Corner is better suited as the wine you drink on a Christmas afternoon whilst digesting lunch, or as a party-starter for NYE celebrations, before you crack a vintage Champagne at midnight. This wine delivers delicious fruit with crisp acidity & pleasant drinking - everything you hope for in the $20 & under bracket!

Price: $20
Quality: ☆☆☆☆
Value: ☆☆☆

www.danmurphys.com.au/product/DM_757669
www.brownbrothers.com.au/products/13190-sparkling-cuvee