Top Sparkling Reds by Huon Hooke
SPARKY TO SPARKLER
At the helm of Frazer Woods sits John. A chalky, cheeky and charismatic fellow who is responsible for about 80% of the traditional method sparkling wine produced here in Western Australia.
John Frazer and his wife Jan Woods took a leap of faith and purchased a property at auction at the Vasse Hotel on 14 December 1985. What would become Frazer Woods was mostly bushland, plus one large paddock and a shack with no electricity. Nowadays, the site is home to their vineyard, their home, and John’s two big sheds.
Once a sparky, John is now the most trusted maker of sparkling wine in WA. A little while ago John was interviewed by Huon Hooke at The Real Review. The two discussed La Cache Wines, the magic of sparkling Shiraz, and shed building.
“I didn’t know of their existence till this year when samples of their own sparkling wines came my way. There’s the regular Frazer Woods label and the premium brand, La Cache. Not only are they good, they’re marketed with a level of maturity that’s quite unusual. At present, there are two sparkling shirazes on sale, both 2008 vintage (see Cellar Talk). Frazer assures me they’re not oncers: he has 2009 and 2010 still waiting in the wings.” - Huon Hooke, The Real Review
Sparkling wine (known colloquially as champanising) is something very few wineries, especially smaller ones, have the set up to do.
The process involves specialist equipment which is expensive, and requires expert hands to maintain and service. John’s sparky background was the perfect foundation for his sparkling operation.
“I used to do a lot of electrical work for David Hohnen (of Cape Mentelle), which is how I met Harold Osborn. I built him a shed to make his wine in. We made wine together for years.” - John Frazer
John’s connection to Harold Osborn is made of more than just electrical matters and winemaking. The label name La Cache pays homage to Harold, the Californian winemaker friend of David’s, and the sparkling wine he made under the La Cache namesake in the 80s.
A larrikin at heart, and tragic ACDC fan, there is never a dull moment in the presence of John Frazer. A humble and matter-of-fact winemaker, he insists that he simply traded crawling in roof-spaces for crawling on the ground (under the vines). But, the caliber and consignment of bubbles under his watchful eye attest to the mastery going on in his big old sheds.