House of Arras
Celebrating 30 Years of Excellence
Internationally acclaimed, Uniquely Tasmanian
“Arras is made by a quietly spoken genius, Ed Carr, whose name should be known around the world. He is, by some considerable distance, Australia’s greatest sparkling winemaker.” - James Halliday
“It’s impossible to overstate the impact of House of Arras on Australian sparkling. No house is more awarded or celebrated, and no individual deserves more credit than its humble creator, Ed Carr, whose genius has shaped the global reputation of Tasmanian sparkling wine.” - Tyson Stelzer
“House of Arras is a great producer of sparkling wine, both in the context of Australia and of the world... Ed Carr has made steadfastly sure that Arras is a wine name guaranteed to inspire both trust and joy... it has has never been anything other than superb.” - Campbell Mattinson
9 Wines including:
Three Grand Vintages
2017
2016
2009
Four Arras Vintage Rose
NV
2018
2015
2016
Two EJ Carr Late Disgorged Vintages
2006 Arras EJ Carr Late Disgorged
98 Points - Decanter (Dec 2024)
97 Points and MM classification - Huon Hooke, The Real Review (July 2021)
97 Points - James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com (Oct 2021)
2009 Arras EJ Carr Late Disgorged
98 Points and MM classification - Huon Hooke, The Real Review (Aug 2024)
98 Points - Dave Brookes, Halliday Wine Companion
Saturday, November 29th
Hosted by Pierre Durand, Marketing Director for House of Arras:
multi-award winning wine writer, television host and producer, author, international keynote speaker and wine show chairman and judge.
Extended Masterclass:
6pm - 8.30pm, 13 Wines, & Substantial Canapes & Main Course, $155
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House of Arras is founded on a rich tapestry of cool-climate vineyards that lie on the hillsides and rolling landscapes of Tasmania. Stretching from the island state’s north to its southern and east coast regions, these special vineyards are protected by mountain wilderness and influenced by the pure atmospheric energy of the Roaring Forties and the shifting oceanic forces of the Great Southern Ocean and the Antarctic. The classic grape varieties Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier reach perfection in these pristine and beautiful climes.
Since 1995 House of Arras, under the direction of Chief Winemaker Ed Carr, has created Tasmania’s most highly prized sparkling wines, based on exquisite fruit, traditional method winemaking techniques and the finest bottle maturation (tirage) and cellaring methods. Renowned all over the world for their precision, purity, creamy effervescence and expression of terroir.
(House of Arras)The House of Arras story is a testament to the dedication of time, patience and craftsmanship in the pursuit of exceptional sparkling winemaking. Founded in 1995, chief winemaker Ed Carr saw the potential of Tasmania as an extraordinary site to produce sparkling wine with its pristine cool climate, maritime influence and ancient soils.
Each vintage since, Carr has employed a meticulous approach to his craft, including extended lees ageing, which has become synonymous with the House of Arras style, establishing a new benchmark for Australian sparkling wine each year. This careful use of time ensures every bottle of House of Arras sparkling balances elegance and complexity with a vibrancy that pushes the longevity of these special wines beyond what could ever be imagined.
(Halliday Wine Companio -
“House of Arras is considered the benchmark at the pointy end of our country’s outstanding sparkling wine producers. Pristine fruit from some of Tasmania’s top vineyard sites and having Australia’s most awarded sparkling winemaker, Ed Carr, at the helm is a combination that is hard to beat. The composition, complexity and structure of the estate sparkling wines and their track record on the wine show circuit are a testament to Ed’s exceptional skill as a sparkling winemaker and the commitment of House of Arras to produce the finest sparkling wines in the land. In late ’23, Accolade sold the House of Arras brand and vineyards to Handpicked Wines, although it continues to produce Arras wines under contract for the new owners.”
- DAVE BROOKES, Halliday Wine Companion2025
Sparkling Wine TrophyNATIONAL WINE SHOW OF AUSTRALIA
2024
Sparkling Wine Trophy NATIONAL WINE SHOW OF AUSTRALIA
The 2006 E.J. Carr Late Disgorged has been awarded the coveted Chairman’s Trophy at the Champagne & Sparkling Wine World Championships. This is the first time an Australian wine has claimed the Chairman’s Trophy at what is considered the world’s most competitive sparkling wine show. The House of Arras E.J. Carr Late Disgorged 2006 is meticulously crafted from a tapestry of cold climate vineyards in pristine Tasmania. The wine exudes a rare level of sophistication that redefines the tirage.2024
Sparkling Winemaker of the YearInternational Wine Challenge, UK
2024
Best Sparkling Wine TrophyRoyal Hobart Wine Show
2024
Best Tasmanian Wine TrophyRoyal Hobart Wine Show
2024
Chairman's TrophyChampagne & Sparkling Wine World Championships, UK
2024
Platinum MedalDecanter World Wine Awards
2023
Best Australian SparklingChampagne & Sparkling Wine World Championships, UK
2022
World Champion, Library VintageChampagne & Sparkling Wine World Championships, UK
2019
Best Australian SparklingCHAMPAGNE & SPARKLING WINE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS, UK
2018
Lifetime Achievement AwardCHAMPAGNE & SPARKLING WINE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS, UK
2015
Winemaker of the YearAUSTRALIAN SOCIETY OF VITICULTURE & OENOLOGY FOR EXCELLENCE
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A world first - "Australian Winemaker Named Sparkling Winemaker of the Year at the 2024 International Wine Challenge."
The award was presented to our very own House of Arras Chief Winemaker Ed Carr, who attended a special ceremony held overnight at The Oval in London.
The monumental win for Australia's most awarded sparkling wine, House of Arras, also marks the second time in the competition's 40-year history that a winemaker outside of Champagne has received the award.
“I’m incredibly honoured to be named this year’s Sparkling Winemaker of the Year. It’s a challenge to describe the feeling, but I’m incredibly proud to be recognised amongst my peers for such a significant international award,” Carr said. (House of Arras)Ed Carr is widely recognised as an iconic figure in the Australian wine industry, renowned for redefining the standard of Australian sparkling wine. As the chief winemaker at House of Arras, Carr has dedicated more than three decades to perfecting a distinctive Tasmanian sparkling wine style that now stands among the finest in the world.
Through his vision, patience, and precision, House of Arras has become a jewel of Australian winemaking, firmly positioning Tasmania as a premier region for sparkling wine production. Carr’s meticulous winemaking philosophy, combined with the estate’s renowned extended maturation program, has resulted in an acclaimed collection of sparkling wines that rival the world’s most prestigious cuvées.
(House of Arras) -
IWSC Emerging Talent in Wine Award Finalist 2022.
In 2022 Peter Macauley held the title of Assistant Winemaker at UK winery, Chapel Down. He completed his Viticulture and Oenology studies at Plumpton College. Peter openly says that he had to travel to the other side of the world to learn that the UK made wine, but since his discovery, he has made it his personal mission to champion and educate the public to the potential and quality of the UK’s fast-growing industry.Peter has spent past years as a “flying winemaker”, enjoying vintages in Margaret River, Oregon and South Africa, but it was when Covid hit that Peter was forced back to his homeland in the UK. Bringing with him his wealth of experience from the varying terroirs he was producing wines meant Peter was armed with the confidence to assist in the development and growth of Chapel Down.
Our judges were amazed by Peter’s impressive CV, and the fantastic companies he has worked for. He showed himself as a real self-starter who was committed to going places. As a winemaker he pushes the boundaries with his experimental winemaking, a quality our judges applauded. (IWSC 2022)
The Wine List
First Bracket
NV Arras Blanc de Blancs
98.8/1.2% chardonnay/pinot noir from Tasmania's East Coast, Derwent Valley, Pipers River and Coal River Valley. On tirage seven years, dosage 2.5g/L. Pale straw in the glass with the slightest green tinge and a superfine bead and mousse. Aromas of green apple, grapefruit and white peach cut with hints of white flowers, lemon curd, freshly baked brioche, oyster shell, clotted cream and mushroom tea. Mouth-filling yet precise and true with a real sense of tension and a gorgeous chalky textural sheen. Bright acidity provides the pulse, and the wine shows great length of flavour and persistence.
96 Points - Dave Brookes, Halliday Wine Companion
2016 Arras Vintage Blanc de Blancs
Pale straw in the glass with a fine, energetic bead and mousse. Crunchy apple, bright citrus and white peach fruits with hints of clotted cream, sea spray, freshly baked brioche, shortbread, soft spice, whey, shiitake broth and crushed stone. Daubs of cream and fresh apple pastry tones on the palate, which is stony pure and shows a vivid, cleansing acid line, exiting dry with a lovely savoury lean.
95 Points - Dave Brookes, Halliday Wine Companion
2015 Arras Vintage Blanc de Blancs
Tyson Stelzer’s Top 250 Wines of 2024
Ed Carr allowed his fruit to ripen fully, creating a spectacular Blanc de Blancs that captures the season in an energetic and enduring edge.
95 Points - Tyson Stelzer
Second Bracket
NV Arras Brut Elite 1801
Pale straw with a fine and persistent bead. Aromas of white stone fruits, crushed stone, oyster shell and citrus. Taut and mineral-laden with red fruits, brioche and mushroom broth rolling in on a palate that shows a persistent and focussed exit with considerable complexity.
95 Points - Dave Brookes, Halliday Wine Companion
2017 Arras Grand Vintage
Light, bright yellow/straw in the glass, with aromas of herbs, celeriac and green apple, smoky/toasty tertiary characters in the background, and everything in lovely balance—no one thing dominating. The mousse is creamy on the palate with fluffy texture and a lovely dry, appetising finish which is soft, balanced and dry. Great length and tension. A seriously smart sparkling wine, ageing slowly and gracefully.
98 Points - Huon Hooke, The Real Review
2016 Arras Grand Vintage
Pale straw in the glass with the finest of beads and aromas of white peach, apple, citrus and pear fruits with hints of soft spice, freshly baked brioche and apple turnover, freshly picked mushrooms, meadow clover, oyster shell brine and stone. Dry and long with light shortbread notes, a touch of whey and a high-tensile, gloriously saline and sapid acid line.
96 Points - Dave Brookes, Halliday Wine Companion
2009 Arras Grand Vintage
James Halliday’s Top 100 Wines 2020
65.9/34.1% chardonnay/pinot noir, aged for 9 years on lees, disgorged Apr '20 the dosage only 2.5g/l. Full straw-yellow hue; layered brioche complexity, powerful drive and length. Australia's answer to Krug.
97 Points - James Halliday, Halliday Wine Companion
Third Bracket
NV Arras Brut Elite Rose
2016 Arras Vintage Rose
Light straw with a slight blush and a fine, energetic bead and aromas of red and green apple, citrus fruits, redcurrant and distant wild strawberry notes. Hints of oyster shell, raspberry flan, meadow flowers, freshly baked brioche, dried honey, sea spray, crushed riverstone and makrut lime butter. Soft spice notes waft in on the palate with a touch of grilled hazelnut, finishing stony dry and beautifully focused and pure of line.
96 Points - Dave Brookes, Halliday Wine Companion
2015 Arras Vintage Rose
Tyson Stelzer’s Top 250 Wines of 2024
A blend of 61.7/37.7/0.6% pinot noir/chardonnay/pinot meunier from Tasmania's East Coast, Derwent Valley, Pipers River and Coal River Valley. On tirage seven years, dosage 2.4 g/L. Light rose gold in the glass with aromas of raspberry, red apple and citrus fruits cut with hints of freshly baked berry danish and brioche, Turkish delight, peach melba, crushed stone, dried citrus fruits and grilled nuts. Notes of berry cream on the palate with hints of blood orange, Aperol spritz, cherry clafoutis and clotted cream. Precise and true, yet with a expansive palate of cascading complex flavours, reined in by a savoury, mineral-laden acid line, finishing very long and moreish.
97 Points - Dave Brookes, Halliday Wine Companion
A core of red apple and beurre bosc pear carries a long and inviting finish, delivering waves of deep complexity.
94 Points - Tyson Stelzer
Fourth Bracket
2009 Arras EJ Carr Late Disgorged
Pale straw with an energetic bead and mousse. Expressive green apple, lemon, grapefruit and white peach fruit tones with hints of spice, brioche, clotted cream, sea spray, crushed riverstone, shiitake broth, oyster shell and pastries. Wonderfully composed; the aromas transpose neatly onto the palate, which shows impeccable balance and harmony. A high-tensile, minerally cadence drives things along admirably, finishing dry, pure as snow melt and layered in spice and autolytic complexity. Such beautifully made wines, a pleasure to drink.
98 Points - Dave Brookes, Halliday Wine Companion
2006 Arras ‘30th Anniversary’ EJ Carr Special Release Late Disgorged
With 14 years on lees, now sitting at 18 years of age and tasted from magnum; this is the whole package. Ed Carr is unquestionably one of the global greats when it comes to sparkling winemaking. Words almost don’t do it justice to this wine; so it’s better to be brief. Full of character and intrigue; layers of flavour unfurl as it opens in the glass. Tertiary notes are belied by fresh energy and bright Tasmanian acidity, with parcels from across the island’s wine regions. Exceptional length, captivating mouthfeel and texture; a wine that dances to its own beat. Crushed cashew and plenty of nuttiness, low dosage keeps this poised and taut with a fullness – yet not richness – on the palate. This teases with tension and an exceptionally long line. The whole package.
98 Points - Cassandra Charlick, Decanter (Dec 2024)