Ch.1 – Standard Options in Sparkling Winemaking

Question 1

Describe the key stages in second fermentation in the Traditional Method

Answer 1

In trad method 2nd ferment occurs in same bottle in which wine later sold.

1. Add liqueur de tirage
2. The yeast converts the sugar to alcohol (+1.5% for 24g/l) and CO2. CO2 cannot escape so creates pressure (6 bars)
3. Any sugar added now is converted to alcohol so does not affect sweetness of wine.
4. After adding the liqueur de tirage and inoculation, seal bottles with crown cap (holds plastic pot to catch sediment)
5. Store bottles horizontally “sur latte” (on the strip - of thin wood) at constant 10-12C, 4-6 weeks (cooler longer, more complex)
6. Stable temp important for yeast viability

Question 2

Machine-harvesting pros and cons

Answer 2

(depends on location, local wine laws)

• PROS
  
  • faster
  • cheaper
  • night time poss (keeps grapes cooler/fresher)
• CONS
  
  • will rupture grapes skins (Phenolic extraction and oxidation)

Question 3

Explain requirements for grape growing for sparkling wines

Answer 3

• Higher yields than still wines:
• achieve high acid, low potential alcohol, delicate flavours
• also maximises vineyard/ more chance some of crop avoids disease in rainy climates (like Champagne)
• Priority is clean, healthy fruit

Question 4

Why and when would you use malolactic conversion in making sparkling wine?

Answer 4

1. WHY To reduce excessive acidity
2. WHY To enhance texture
   
   • malo buttery flavours NOT found in sparkling because diacetyl metabolised during 2nd ferment
   • lactic acid creamier than e.g. tartaric acid

• WHEN during first ferment. Otherwise may happen in 2nd, which could turn wine hazy – a problem in trad method as difficult to rectify in bottle.
• If malo not desired may sterile filter wine

Question 5

The key steps in The Tank Method

Answer 5

1. First fermentation slow and cool to retain fresh, floral and fruit aromas and flavours
2. Sugar/ yeast added - rapid second fermentation in reinforced tanks. Wine in tank for as little as 1mo.
3. Fermentation arrested when desired pressure/ resid sugar by cooling wine to 2–4ºC
4. Remove immed from lees, retain fruity aromas/flavours (Sometimes up to 9mths lees for style, but many of economic benefits lost.)
5. After ferment/ lees wine cold-stabilised to precipitate tartrates. Yeast removed by centrifugation or filtration.
6. Sugar levels checked, SO2 checked/ corrected prior to sterile filtering and bottling.
7. Wine chilled to -2ºC to stablise/reduce effervesence, bottled with counter-pressure filter. (Counter pressure-filling: bottle first filled CO2 under pressure, filled with chilled wine replacing the CO2, thereby preventing O2 ingress and loss of CO2)

Question 6

When do you harvest grapes for sparkling wine?

Answer 6

• When they are just ripe (unripe flavours get more prominent as wine matures)
• Earlier than still wines to achieve
  
  • high acid
  • low alcohol (2nd ferment adds alcohol)
  • avoids rainy Autumns in cool climates (less fungal risk)

Question 7

Pros & Cons of tank method vs. trad method

Answer 7

PROS

• Makes large volumes of sparkling wine inexpensive, quickly, much less labour
• No riddling, disgorgement, dosage, long lees ageing
• Ideal for fresh, fruity style wines semi-aromatic (e.g. Glera) or aromatic (e.g. Muscat)

CONS

• Seen as inferior method than trad
  
  • partly because of a bias for the prestigious trad method
  • partly because it is inexpensive, so uses lower quality grapes

Question 8

Chardonnay is one of the two most commonly used grape varieties for premium sparkling wine.

What are pros and cons of it?

Answer 8

PROS:

• Subtle apple/citrus aroma/flavours compliment not compete with biscuity yeast autolysis (chardonnay can become creamy)
• adds finesse and longevity to a blend
• early ripening asset in cool climate
• retains acidity/low level alcohol but not unripe
• high yields and quality in best years

CONS:

• early budding, so prone to spring frosts
• Prone to coulure and millerandage
• More disease resistant than Pinot Noir, but susceptible to powdery mildew, grapevine yellows and botrytis bunch rot if wet before harvest

Question 9

Describe pressing for sparkling wines

Answer 9

1. Quick and gentle to minimise phenolic compunds in the juice (esp black varieties, least skin contact/extraction - unwanted colour/tannin)
2. Whole bunch for premium (as gentle, minimise solids/ phenolics and stems create channels, less pressure needed)
3. Pneumatic and basket presses (gentle)
4. Common to split juice: different press fractions give blending options.
5. Juice is clarified before fermentation

Question 10

EU Labelling Terms for Sweetness in Sparkling Wines

Answer 10

• Brut Nature / Bruto Natural / Naturherb / Zéro Dosage 0-3g/L - N.B. dosage cannot be added.
• Extra Brut / Extra Bruto / Extra Herb 0-6g/L
• Brut/ Bruto / Herb 0-12 g/L
• Extra-Sec / Extra-Dry / Extra Trocken 12-17g/L
• Sec / Secco / Seco / Dry / Trocken 17-32 g/L
• Demi-Sec / Semi-Seco / Medium-Dry / Abboccato / Halbtrocken 32-50 g/L
• Doux / Dolce / Sweet/ Mild 50+ g/L

Question 11

1. What does a wine maker do after blending and before second fermentation?
2. Does it differ between wines made by the traditional method and others?

Answer 11

1. Whatever method, all base wines should be clarified (using methods for any still wine)
2. Yes. Traditional method wines: you need to stabilise tartrates and proteins to avoid risk of spoilage.
   
   • Once it’s in bottle it’s much more difficult to correct faults or inbalances.

Question 12

What is prise de mousse?

Answer 12

“Capturing the sparkle” = second fermentation

Question 13

Explain the Transfer Method of making sparkling wine

Answer 13

• Developed in 1940s to avoid cost of manual riddling, yet retain bready/ biscuit notes from yeast autolysis in bottle.
• Nowadays mainly used for in champagne for small/large bottles as diffcult to riddle (e.g. esp by hand).
• Like trad method but instead of riddling, after lees ageing chill wine to 0C, transfer machine opens bts and pour into pressurized tanks.
• Wine is us. sweetened, add SO2, sterile filter just before bottling.
• Back labels may say “fermented in bottle” rather than “in this bottle”
• No riddling, so no fining agents needed to aid flocculation in liqueur d’expedition)

Question 14

What is the liqueur de tirage?

Answer 14

• A mixture of sugar, yeast, yeast nutrients and clarifying agent added to the base wine to achieve 2nd ferment
• The sugar is for the yeast to convert into alcohol, but more importantly into CO2 to provide the fizz. Usually 24g of sucrose per litre (which creates + 1.5% alcohol)
• The special yeast inoculates the wine. It must be able to
  
  • i) commence ferment in 9.5-11%
  • ii) moderate 16ºC
  • iii) high acid (PH <3)
  • iv) increasing pressure up to 6 atmospheres (bar)
  • v) flocculate readily
• The yeast nutrients (nitrogen etc) help feed the yeast
• Clarifying agent eg betonite and/or alginate (seaweed extract to facilitate riddling)

Question 15

What is the ideal climate for making “elegant, balanced, long-lees aged sparkling wines”

and give examples

Answer 15

• Cool climate
  
  • grapes just ripen (^{therefore can grow grapes in places for sparkling wine that couldn’t use for quality still wines)}
  • retain acidity
  • little fruit flavour
  • sugar accumulates slowly= low alcohol (9-11%)
  • Important as 2nd ferment adds extra 1-2% abv
• Greater latitudes (Champagne, England Tasmania)
• Cooling influences
  
  • Near Coast (Sonoma)
  • High altitude (Trentodoc)

Question 16

Describe the role of yeast in primary fermentation

Answer 16

1. Reliable healthy ferment to dryness is priority in sparkling.
   
   1. In high acid and low PH
   2. In cool 14-20ºC (if want primary fruit)
   3. Can promote flavour (eg thioles or esters if want fruity style)
   4. Use neutral yeast if autolytic style wanted

Question 17

Hand-harvesting pros & cons

Answer 17

(depends on location and local wine laws)

• PROS
  
  • any growing environment/slope etc
  • sorting at picking/post harvest
  • minimises crushing of grapes (and therefore oxidation/ pigment/ tannin extraction)
• CONS
  
  • slow
  • labour intensive (so prob. expensive)

Question 18

What is Liqueur d’expédition?

Answer 18

• “Liqueur of dispatch” - a mixture of wine and sugar (dosage) or RCGM (rectified concentrated grape must)
• It tops up bottle and determines sweetness
• Dosage balances acidity (esp in young wines): age softens acidity: older wine at disgorgement, less dosage
• Some sugar usu. needed to encourage classic post-disgorgement aromas (Maillard reaction)
• Small, growing trend of no dosage (Brut Nature, though it is rare to have sufficient balance, texture & complexity if bone dry) or Extra Brut (v. small dosage wine at <6g/l)

Question 19

Pros and cons of Pinot Noir

Answer 19

PROS

• early budding, early ripening (cool climate)
• adds body, structure, aroma and complex red fruit flavours to chardonnay blend

CONS

• prone to
  
  • spring frosts
  • coulure
• quality drops if yields too high
• thin-skinned and disease prone
  
  • esp. downy mildew
  • powdery mildew
  • botrytis bunch rot
  • fan leaf
  • leaf roll

Question 20

What is lees ageing?

Answer 20

1. Lees are yeast particles left over from autolysis (the breakdown of yeast cells by enzymes created in fermentation)
2. As yeast cells break down release tiny sugars (polysaccharides) and amino acids which over time (15-18 months for autolytic effects)
   
   1. add creamy body/texture to wine
   2. add flavours of biscuit, bread, toast, cheese, buttermilk, floral, elderflower, sweet, nutty aromas
3. Lees ageing is leaving the wines horizontally in stacks or gyropalettes at @10ºC

Question 21

Reasons for blending (assemblage)

Answer 21

1. Balance (eg PN body v C acidity. Warm v cool site)
2. Consistency (NV brands)
3. Style (cheap/early drink v aged concentrated)
4. Rosé (if blend red & white base wines)
5. Complexity (eg oak aged/ old and young)
6. Minimise faults
7. Volume
8. Price (Meunier cheaper/ more press wine v free run)

Question 22

Asti method is a variation of the the Tank method.

How does it differ?

Answer 22

1. Only one fermentation!
2. The must is fermented in pressurised tanks.
3. At begin of fermentation, CO2 allowed to escape. Once alcohol 6% (for a wine that will be 7-7.5%) tank closed. CO2 from sugar producing last 1.5% creates 5 bars.
4. Fermentation stopped by chilling to retain desired resid sugar.
5. Yeasts/remaining yeast nutrients filtered to ensure stabilised wine, despite high level of fermentable sugar remaining.

Question 23

Why use whole bunch pressing for premium traditional sparkling wines?

Answer 23

• Gentle: delicate juice low in solids and phenolics (incl tannins and anthocyanins that give colour)
• Stems provide channels for liquid (so less pressure)
• Fewer bunches in press v crushed grapes so takes more time (costlier)

Question 24

What is LALVIN DV10?

Answer 24

the trademarked name of an Epernay selection yeast by company Lallemand, which they claim works in

• low PH,
• high total SO2,
• low temperatures
• gives neutral flavour
• low foaming

Question 25

Describe the qualities of the perfect yeast in secondary fermentation

Answer 25

1. Common to use same yeast for 1st & 2nd ferment.
   
   1. Must be able to start fermentation in abv 10%
   2. low PH
   3. low temp
   4. high pressure
   5. poor nutrients
   6. rapid autolysis - in trad method wines
   7. easy flocculation (process where fine particles clump together) - in trad method wines

Question 26

Options for riddling (remuage)

Answer 26

• Riddling (remuage) is the process of slowly rotating bottles at an angle to loosen the sediment from the second fermentation until it flocculates and collects in the neck of the bottle prior to disgorgement.
• By hand (bottle are placed in pupitres - racks) 8 weeks
• Or by machine (gyropalettes 504 bts; 3-4 days)

Question 27

What is the Ancestral Method?

Answer 27

• Single bottle, single fermentation sparkling
• Fermentation is paused (ie partly fermented must) then bottled, so remaining sugar converted into alcohol and CO2, providing fizz. No dosage
• Sugar levels in must can be measured accurately so final pressure can be judged
• There will be sediment (dead yeast cell); often kept, as style of certain wines (eg Jura, Loire)
• Often called Pet Nat (pétillant nature), as no set regulations
• Often low alcohol, cloudy, dry/off dry, often cider like flavours. No additional SO2, early drinking.

Question 28

What is Champagne RD?

Answer 28

• “Recently disgorged” champagne (eg Bollinger RD)
• A champagne kept on lees AFTER autolysis finished: Anti-oxidative qualities of yeast cells protect wine v disgorged wine of similar age.
• But longer kept on lees like this, faster evolves once disgorged. (Older it becomes, less able to withstand the shock of oxygen)
• Therefore RDs intended to be drunk soon after release

Question 29

What is the Maillard reaction?

Answer 29

• The development of roasted, toasted, vanilla aromas (the browned food/ butter smell) caused by the reaction of sugar in the liqueur d’expedition with compounds formed during yeast autolysis.
• Corked-sealed sparkling wines may be stored extra few months to ensure integration of these aromas before sale.

Question 30

Name a commonly used yeast in trad method wines

Answer 30

“Prise de Mousse” EC1118

Question 31

Describe disgorgement

Answer 31

• Wines are (stored) sur pointe prior to disgorgement so lees in neck of bottle
• Need to remove lees with min loss of wine/pressure
• Bottles cooled to 7ºC, necks immersed in frozen brine
  
  • i) Freezes sediment - won’t fall back into bottle when turned upright
  • ii) increases solubility of CO2, reducing risk of gush
• Disgorging machine inverts bottle to upright, removes crown cap, allows ejection of frozen yeast plug under pressure.
• Liqueur d’ Expédition added, then cork, wire muzzle and metal capsule

Question 32

Three synonyms for tank method

Answer 32

1. Charmat
2. Cuvée Close
3. Martinotti

Question 33

Pros & Cons of the carbonation method?

Answer 33

• The carbonation method is simply taking a still wine and and injecting it with CO2 in a pressurised tank.
• PROS
  
  • It is the least expensive. Good for cheap/bulk.
  • Does not alter aroma/flavour of base wine, so good for aromatic/fruity
  • Bubbles die quickly, but good for pétillant, lower pressure wines.
• CONS
  
  • Bubbles die quickly.
  • Base wine needs to be good quality as bubbles accentuate any faults.
  • Perceived as a cheap, lower quality method

Question 34

Define press fractions and what are their benefits?

Answer 34

• A press fraction is a portion of juice extracted from the press. The more pressure applied the more phenolics (can make wine bitter/coarse, add unwanted colour) solids and PH
• Diff regions have diff max allowances of press juice v free run
• Diff fractions offer blending options
• Wines from press juice faster maturing, so useful in wines for immediate consumption

Question 35

Explain how corking works

Answer 35

• “ordinary” cork but significantly fatter - 31mm diameter
  
  • imposs to cut cork this width from tree of right age, so use agglomerate + disks natural cork (glued)
• Cork compressed by machine’s jaws to half its diameter, inserted into 18-21mm bottleneck (compressed to 60-70% original, clinging to glass and prevents leak)
• DIAM reconstitute corks to remove cork taint aromas from cork particles and ensure consistent porosity

Question 36

What are the main risks in grape growing for sparkling wines

Answer 36

• Aim is to produce clean, healthy grapes with high acid, low potential alcohol, delicate flavours. These are best achieved in cool climates, with high yields.
• RISKS
  
  • Rain/ damp = fungal
  • Perception of off-flavours exacerbated by effervescence
  • Enzyme laccase released by botyritis infected grapes can cause serious oxidation

Question 37

How does a wine maker make a lower pressure traditional wine?

Answer 37

Adds less sugar in the liqueur de tirage

Question 38

Describe sparkling wine made in a warmer climate

Answer 38

• Ripe fruit flavours, lower acidity
• Therefore better for short aged wines with short times on lees as fruit provides only/dominant flavours
  
  • Tank method
  • (Transfer/ trad method) + short time on lees
• Often less expensive wines (Lambrusco, Prosecco)
  
  • land cheaper
  • easier to cultivate high yields - flat, fertile plains

Question 39

What is inoculation in wine?

Answer 39

The technique of adding an active yeast culture or malolactic bacteria to juice, must or wine to activate (1st, 2nd, malo fermentation)

Question 40

What happens after pressing and before fermentation?

Answer 40

• Clarification of the must - using any options available to still white wine makers eg 1) sedimentation (settling) 2) centrifugation 3) flotation 4) clarifiying agents
• Need some grape solids as nutrients for healthy 1st and 2nd ferments
• If excessive tannin or colour may fine eg 1) casein 2) gelatine 3) PVVP (polyvinylpolypyrrolidone)

Question 41

Why would you age wine on the lees?

Answer 41

1. Style. Lees-aged character diff from fresh-fruit - adds a biscuity complexity
2. Law: Eg min 9 mths in Cava, 12mths NV champage -usually much longer. NB Autolysis us. continues 4-5yrs up to max 10yrs
3. Price (does ageing make sense?)
4. Financial/physical ability to invest in long ageing

Question 42

Name four types of bottle closures for sparkling wine

Answer 42

1. The cork - by far most popular (usually agglomerate with 2 disks of natural cork, as v diff to cut 31 mm width cork from tree of appropriate age)
2. Diam (technical cork, removing cork taint aromas)
3. Crown cap (ancestral)
4. Synthetic re-sealable (eg Yellowtail)

Question 43

WSET says too many variables affect formation and size of bubbles, transition through the wine, way collect on surface to take it seriously. What are these?

Answer 43

• More sugar converted to alcohol more CO2
• Capacity of CO2 to be dissolved - depends on grape variety, grape health (eg botrytis reduces bubble formation), winemaking processes
• Time on lees: some CO2 lost as more time on lees, but longer lasting foam
• How much CO2 lost at disgorgement
• Time in bottle/ type of closure
• Size/shape glasses, how wine served, temp when served ( lower temp, less CO2 released)
• Gen rule tank-fermented not lees-aged lively short-lived bubbles, trad method > 18mths lees finer, longer lived

Question 44

Average/max yields per major style of sparkling wine?

Answer 44

• Champagne:
  
  • by weight: av 10,500kg/ha; max 15,500 kg/ha.
  • by vol: max 79hL/ha (exceptionally 98hL/ha)
• Cava:
  
  • by weight: max 12,000 kg/ha;
  • by vol: max 80hL/ha
• Cava de Paraje Calificado (single estate/vineyard)
  
  • max yield 8,000kg/ha;
  • max yield 48hL/ha after pressing.
• Crémant: max yield at pressing 100L/150kg
  
  • Crémant d’Alsace: max yield 80hL/ha
• Prosecco DOC: max yield 125hL/ha
• Prosecco DOCG max yield 94.5 hL/ha
  
  • Rive: max yield 90hL/ha
  • Superiore di Cartizze / Cartizze (don’t use word Prosecco): max yield 85hl/ha
• Asolo Prosecco DOCG: max yield 94.5hL/ha

Question 45

What is the main problem making high quality sparkling wine in a warm climate?

Answer 45

• Sugar levels can rise and acid levels can drop off very quickly
  
  • you have to pick early to get the correct levels of acid and sugar
  • this often means picking grapes that are green and herbaceous
  • such faults are amplified in sparkling wines

Question 46

Why are cool climates better for makeing quality sparkling wine

Answer 46

• You want
  
  • low sugar (base wine 10-11% abv, 2nd ferment adds 1.2-1.5%)
  • high acid (refreshing style)
  • yet the flavours must be sufficiently ripe to avoid green and herbaceous characters (amplified by sparkling)
• In cool climates the changes to sugar and acid levels happen slowly and at the same time as changes to the grapes’ flavours