24 Sparkling Wines

Question 1

What exactly are the bubbles in sparkling wine made of?

Answer 1

Dissolved carbon dioxide gas (CO2).

Question 2

How do bubbles are added to wine?

Answer 2

・Added by pumping CO2 through a wine (used for low quality, inexpensive wines).

・As a by-product of fermentation (used for quality wines).

Question 3

What are the 2 types of secondary fermentation used for quality sparkling wines?

Answer 3

・Tank Fermentation

・Bottle Fermentation

Question 4

Base wine is typically ___, high in ___ and low in ___.

Answer 4

dry

acidity

alcohol

(The base wine is normally a blend of different wines.)

Question 5

Base wines are typically a blend of what?

Answer 5

Any of the following:

1. Grape varieties
   e. g. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir
2. Vintages
   e. g. NV (Non-Vintage)
3. Villages/terroirs
   e. g. Different vineyards across 2+ villages which can vary in soil type

Question 6

How is secondary fermentation initiated?

Answer 6

By adding a sugar + yeast solution to the base wine.

Question 7

What are the 2 major by-products of secondary fermentation?

Answer 7

・CO2

・Alcohol

Question 8

In order to stop the CO2 from escaping, the second fermentation must take place in a ___. This is typically either a ___ or a ___.

Answer 8

sealed vessel

sealed bottle (bottle fermentation)

sealed tank (tank fermentation)

Question 9

What is the most common method of “bottle fermentation”?

Give examples of wines that are bottle fermented.

Answer 9

Traditional Method (or Méthode traditionelle)

Examples:

・Cava

・Champage

・Méthode Cap Classique

Question 10

The traditional method - Bottle fermentation

___ + ___ + ___ mixture is bottled, sealed with a ___. The bottle is stored on ___ and second fermentation gets underway, adding ___ and a little extra ___ to the wine.

Over time, the ___ start to break down - a process known as ___.

and left to age for several months for ___ flavour profile such as ___to develop.

Answer 10

The base wine

sugars

yeast

crown cap

its side

CO2

alcohol (around 1.5%)

lees

yeast autolysis

autolytic

biscuit, bread

Question 11

Traditional Method sparkling wine GI

Answer 11

・South Africa

・Australia

・New Zealand

・California

・Spain

・France

Question 12

Sparkling wine in South Africa

Labelling term

Answer 12

Méthode Cap Classique

Question 13

What method is used for Méthode Cap Classique?

Answer 13

Traditional-method

(Bottle fermentation)

Question 14

What grape is widely used in Méthode Cap Classique?

Answer 14

・Chardonnay

・Pinot Noir

・Chenin Blanc

Question 15

Most sparkling regions outside of Champagne receive ___ and are ___ in general than Champagne.

Therefore, they typically have ___ flavours than Champagne due to the extra ___ and ___ in the vineyards.

In these warmer regions the grapes are grown in the ___ spots possible to help retain acidity and freshness.

Answer 15

more sunlight

warmer

riper fruit

sunlight

warmth

coolest

Question 16

The sparkling winemaking method best for aromatic grape varietals is ___.

Why?

Answer 16

Tank Method

Because it avoids autolytic aromas + flavors; autolysis is not beneficial for aromatic grapes.

Question 17

Give examples of wines that are tank fermented.

Which method?

Answer 17

Asti (Asti Method)

Prosecco (Tank Method)

Question 18

Which technique is more cost-effective and labour intensive:

・Traditional Method

・Tank Method

Answer 18

Tank Method

Question 19

What is the variation of the tank method?

Answer 19

Asti method

Question 20

Asti method starts with ___ and produces ___ sparkling wines.

Answer 20

grape juice (not a dry base wine)

sweet, low alcohol

Question 21

What Italian region does Asti DOCG come from?

Answer 21

Piedmont in northwest Italy.

Question 22

Asti DOCG GI

Answer 22

Northern Italy (Piemote)

Question 23

Asti Grape variety

Answer 23

Moscato (Muscat)

Question 24

Asti

3,4,8

Answer 24

4 Sweet

3 Light

8 Pronounced floral (Blossom)

Grapes

Peaches

Pears

Question 25

Asti DOCG wines are fully sparkling or gently sparkling?

Answer 25

Fully sparkling

Question 26

Prosecco GI

Answer 26

North-east Italy (Veneto )

Question 27

What method is used for Prosecco

Answer 27

Tank method

Question 28

What is the grape used to make base wine of Prosecco DOC?

Answer 28

Glera

Question 29

Prosecco

3,4,8

Answer 29

3 Dry, Off-dry

4 Light - Medium

8 Light apple

Melon

Question 30

Riddling

The aim of riddling is to move the deposit of ___ into the ___ of the bottle.

The bottle is moved very slowly from a ___ to ___ position, allowing the ___ to slide gradually into the ___.

Answer 30

lees

neck

horizontal

inverted vertical

lees

neck

Question 31

Riddling

by hand or machine?

Answer 31

It was traditionally done by hand, but today, it is mostly automated using a gyropalatte - a cube-shaped machine that can process hundreds of bottle at a time.

Question 32

Disgorgement (removal)

Once riddled, the neck of the bottle is ___ and the lees are trapped in a ___. When the ___ is removed, the pressure created by the ___ forces the plug of ice and lees ___ of the bottle.

Answer 32

frozen

plug of ice

crown cap

dissolved CO2

out

Question 33

Dosage

Before it is resealed, the wine is topped up with a ___ and, usually, ___. This mixture is known as the ___.

Answer 33

mixture of wine

sugar

liqueur d’expédition

Question 34

What does the final dosage do besides top up the bottle?

Answer 34

Determines the final sweetness of the wine.

The more sugar in the dosage, the sweeter the final wine will be.

Question 35

For wines labelled ___, a very small amount of sugar is added, but the wine tastes___ due to the high ___ and ___ in the wine.

The term ___ indicates ___ sweetness.

Answer 35

Brut

dry

acidity

lively bubble

Demi-sec

medium

Question 36

How are Traditional Method and Tank Method bottles usually enclosed?

Answer 36

With a thick cork and a wire cage.