Werkstatt Riesling Sekt 2024

Wow. Sometimes the first impression really is enough. The nose pulls you in so completely that, for a few seconds, this is my entire focus. You don’t often or ever get serious Méthode Traditionelle made with Riesling here in Australia. Waxflower, seashell, acacia, lemon peel becoming lemon curd. There is already more breadth here than in Werkstatt’s 2026 Sparkling Riesling, more contemplation, more matter, but no loss of energy. The fruit comes from the organically managed Coola Road vineyard at German Creek in maritime Mount Gambier. Bridget Mac describes 2024 as predominantly mild and dry, with enough warmth to bring the Riesling to full ripeness. Twenty-four months on lees before disgorgement in August 2026, with a dosage of just 2.5 g/L. 

A little patience, and a different dimension to the wine. Lanolin and citrus oil spread across the palate, followed by white nectarine, flecks of kumquat, oyster water and almond skin. There is even something deliciously familiar in its combination of salt, acid and citrus; salt-and-vinegar crisps (the posh kind) glimpsed through much finer tailoring. With 9.7 g/L of acidity against that tiny dosage, the structure remains taut, but unlike the linear 2026 Sparkling Riesling, this expands sideways. Fruit broadens, texture gathers, the wine fills the mouth. There is a fleeting moment when the beads take me to the ocean. The mousse foams and surges like water rushing onto a shoreline, withdrawing and coming back again, bubbles bristling; freshness, summer, dreamy. Running beneath all of it is Mac’s saline thread, appearing from the first mouthful and staying through orchard fruit, citrus oil, roasted pine nuts, then the pastry from those two years on lees.

I return to the glass. Freshly baked lemon cake now, verbena, a little savoury toast. Still the salt. It keeps shifting, and I keep finding reasons to take another sip. Across these first three wines, I’m beginning to think traditional-method Riesling is where Mac is carving out territory of her own. I would confidently place this alongside serious German and Austrian Sekt. The craft is precise. There is fervour to this wine, and a winemaker exploring what happens when Australian Riesling is given the same patience as traditional-method Chardonnay and Pinot. 

Liinaa Berry

Liinaa Berry is a Melbourne-based wine critic and consultant with over a decade of experience as a sommelier and wine buyer across Australia and around the world where she has built award-winning wine programs and championed independent producers with conviction. Now focused on reviewing and writing, Liinaa brings a floor-trained palate and commercial insight to her assessments. She is also the Melbourne Ambassador for Star Wine List and serves on the committee of Sommeliers Australia. An advocate for site-driven wines and thoughtful farming, Liinaa is particularly drawn to producers who articulate a clear sense of place. Her tasting philosophy centres on structure, balance and context — always asking not just how a wine tastes, but why it matters.