House of Arras - new releases

Ed Carr on a new lease of life at Tasmania's leading sparkling wine estate.

First, an admission  - the list of wines that I spend my own money on outside Champagne is pretty small. On it, though, have almost always been the Tasmanian sparkling wines of Arras. There are usually a few bottles (not only of the entry level Brut Elite, but especially the Grand Vintage) tucked away in the cellar to surprise people with. And surprise they often do; these are probably the ‘new world’ sparklers with the strongest personality of all.

How so? A lot comes down to the work of one man - Ed Carr.

“Back in Tasmania I spend a lot of time leaning against walls, drinking”- Ed Carr. Photo - House of Arras

Arras has had a somewhat volatile few years around the sale of the estate by giant Accolade Wines to Handpicked in 2023, but with a set of new 2016 wines in tow and the waters a little calmer Carr is on the road again. He’s an immediately affable, understated and softly-spoken winemaker, whose smile is only ever a few inches below the surface. There’s never a Chef-de-Cave sense that lines have been pre-planned in a PR meeting - thoughts hang like pieces of a puzzle hovering over a board before being gently placed down. A puzzle Tasmania remains, too; like many fine winemakers Carr isn’t afraid to say “I don’t know” as he looks forward to the next steps in uncovering this island’s sparkling potential.

A Tasmania primer

Arras became a 100% Tassie sparkling wine producer in the late 1990s (the first few wines blended the fruit with fruit from mainland Australia). When he started looking at Tasmania in the late 1980s there were less than 50 hectares under vine. Today there are around 3000 (under a tenth of the size of Champagne, for example), with 42% being sent to sparkling wine. In echoes of the scene here in England, though, Carr believes that growth is being under-reported. 

“It’s a very maritime climate” Carr explains, “The weather patterns flow in from the South-West…but fortunately the West Coast is high country”. The rainfall, which can be between 2 to 3 metres per year in the Western mountain ranges, drops dramatically to around 500mm on the East of the island. “If you look at the climate data it will tell you that we’re similar to a lot of cool climate regions, with between 900 and 1000 Growing Degree days per year….but there’s a lot of variation between sites”, he explains, pointing to the fact that Pipers River should be warmer as it is further North, but is actually cooler than the South-East as the altitude is considerably higher. Carr feels Tasmania is a little isolated from climate change due to the major influence of the Antarctic Ocean, although he is seeing effects (although not as pronounced as what he previously saw as cool-climate sites on the Australian mainland)

The Arras Style

How to describe what Arras vintages taste like? These are not lean, simple or direct cool climate sparklers - the fruit is fully pumped up, and then accelerated by a very distinctive combination of reductive complexity and creamy lees ageing (and a little oak richness). With a few years on cork there are often tones of toffee, coffee, caramel, leesy and creamy richness all pulled tight with what Carr calls ‘gunflint’ aromas that come from running ‘dirty ferments’ (winemaking chat for leaving light yeast lees in the primary ferment) and using up to 10% new oak in each blend. If it sounds heavy-handed, it isn’t - it just works.

There’s always a bit of an uphill battle for premium sparkling wines outside of Champagne to define their story, but where inherited prestige and history might be light, winemaking personalities can step in to draw the spotlight. Carr has built a three-dimensional, recogniseable and consistent identity for Arras that has to be the envy of most. 

More importantly, though, they’re just huge fun to drink. 

We tasted: 

Flight one - Blanc de Blancs 2016, 2014, Museum Release 2004

Flight two - Rosé 2016, 2014, 2007

Flight three - Grand Vintage 2016, 2015, 2014

Here are my thoughts and picks:

Flight One - Blanc de Blancs