A Sparkling Milestone for Roman Road

It’s an exciting time at Roman Road as we approach the much-anticipated release of our Chardonnay and Sparkling wines.

This week, Liza and Michelle had the special opportunity to take part in the final stages of crafting our Unity Sparkling 2025 — a blend of Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc grapes, making it a true blanc de blanc sparkling wine. Crafted in the traditional French méthode, just as with Champagne, this process is a true labour of love.

The traditional method begins with the first fermentation, which produces a still base wine. The magic happens during the second fermentation, which takes place inside the bottle itself. Before sealing, yeast and sugar are added to the base wine. As fermentation resumes, the carbon dioxide is trapped, forming the delicate bubbles that define sparkling wine.

The wine then ages on its lees (the yeast sediment), developing its complex flavours and rich texture. To clarify the wine, bottles go through riddling — the gradual turning and tilting of bottles so the sediment collects in the neck. This is followed by disgorging, where the neck of the bottle is frozen to form an ice plug that is then expelled under pressure when the temporary cap is removed.

Immediately afterward, a small amount of dosage — a specific mixture of wine and sugar — is added to perfect the balance before the bottle is sealed once more, washed, and set aside to rest before receiving its foil and final labels.

Liza and Michelle were thrilled to get their hands (and everything else!) a little dirty during the disgorging process, witnessing firsthand this remarkable final stage of our sparkling journey.

Special thanks go to our winemakers, Anthony, Ian and Kylie, who generously shared their knowledge and laughter with us during this process.

The Unity Sparkling 2025 is a limited release, perfect for summer celebrations or as a festive Christmas treat. We can’t wait to share this special wine with you soon.