Vilagrad winemaker Jacob Nooyen's brother's laughed at him when he said he was going to dip his toes into the Sparkling wine pool with their famous Vilagrad Charminer, but this week's sales reveal the joke was on them. 

In a market where big wineries are spewing out Sparkling sauvs like nobodies business, Vilagrad has taken a chance on their unique and popular Waikato variety Charminer as an answer, and winemaker Jacob Nooyen said it has really paid off. 

''There's a real buzz around,'' he said. ''It's just flying out the door.''

The winery released the Sparkling Charminer in local supermarkets and liquor outlets last week and have been fending off requests for more of the fruity bubbles left right and centre and Mr Nooyen is putting it down to great support of the locals. 

''The Charminer has such a great following,'' he said.

''We've enjoyed such success with Charminer and the Waikato support has been amazing.''

The 106-year-old vineyard has been producing the still Charminer for 16 years and customers, friends and family have been nagging Mr Nooyen to release the sparkling variety for a lng time, but this is the first year they have released it. 

The Saprkling Charminer is not Vilagrad's first venture with sparkilng wine - they also produce a dry bubbles which they started to make for the weddings held at their venue and as Mr Nooyen said - you can't have a wedding without cracking a bottle. 

Vilagrad Wines are sold exclusively in the Waikato and the blend of Chardonnay and Gewurztraminer is completely. 

- © Fairfax NZ News