Leading Australian sparkling winemaker Trina Smith has debuted JACOB, a premium vintage sparkling wine.

JACOB launches with the 2017 vintage, which has been on lees for 32 months, allowing for complex and distinctive brioche and nougat characters to develop. The wine has been bottle fermented and comprises the trinity of traditional Champagne varieties: Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier.

Grapes were sourced from Smith’s most prized premium Adelaide Hills grape growers and gently pressed to allow for a cool primary fermentation, before malolactic fermentation occurred to soften the palate and add complexity. The individual base wines were then assessed, blended and prepared for secondary fermentation.

Smith, who is Group White and Sparkling Winemaker at Pernod Ricard Winemakers, said: “When I started at Pernod Ricard in 2016 my goal was to make innovative, high quality and great tasting Australian sparkling wine and I’m proud to say JACOB delivers exactly that.

“Sourcing premium grapes from some of my favourite vineyards throughout SA, allowed us to create a lovely toasty and complex wine with an underlying delicacy and taut acid, which will allow this wine to be enjoyed over a number of occasions.

“Making sparkling wine has always been a passion and JACOB is a personal career highlight of mine. It’s a privilege to be able to craft a premium product that Australians can enjoy with meals and celebrations across the country”.

IRI reported in August that the total Sparkling category had experienced nearly 5% value growth for the last 12 months, with growth accelerating greatly since Mother’s Day. For the quarter ending May 31, the category saw 9.4% growth compared to last year.

COVID-19 has turned around the fortunes of bubbly, with the trend accelerating on Mother’s Day, which was the first weekend of restrictions being partially lifted in many states.

IRI has speculated that this was due to large percentages of the population catching up with family for the first time in weeks, if not months, while restaurants and bars were still closed. As such, on-premise events were probably replaced with lunch and Champagne and premium sparkling at home with mum or grandma.

Australians have continued to purchase Sparkling since May, in particular premium Sparkling and Champagne, at higher than average rates.

JACOB is available to purchase for $30 at Dan Murphy’s and independent retailers across Australia.

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