Vibrant garnet colour with a lively mousse. The nose leads with spice, fruit and hints of chocolate and the palate follows through with soft bubbles, packed with black fruits. Well balanced and great length.

Lobban’s winemaker, Pamela Geddes, is a rare breed - a Scottish winemaker - who began her winemaking career in Australia, only to elope to Spain to create a European take on an Aussie classic. She established Lobban Wines in 2003, naming her company after an ancient aelic word meaning ‘muddy place’, a reference to the historic battlegrounds of her Scottish ancestry.

The wine is made with 95% Shiraz and 5% Garnacha sourced exclusively from the Calatayud region, an arid area of Aragón, northeast pain, that has perfect growing conditions for these varieties. She handcrafts her wines using the Traditional Method, known locally as ‘Vino spumoso de Calidad’, ageing the wine on its lees for six years. When we say‘handcrafted’, we really mean it – Pamela disgorges the sparkling wine herself, corks and crowns the bottles, and applies the distinctive tartan strip that adorns the bottle.

All this attention to detail has paid off – the extended ageing leads to the smoothest, most complex and savoury sparkling Shiraz you’re likely to try.

But don’t take our word for it – Decanter magazine awarded it a Silver medal at the Decanter World Wine Awards 2014