Italian sparkling Flashcards
Tank method what % of Italy sparkling?
96%
of which half is Proescco
Tank method Italian sparklers (2)
Prosecco
Lambrusco
(Asti method a variation of it)
How are tank method wines classified?
Their level of pressure in the bottle, i.e.
spumante: min 3 bar of pressure
frizzante: 1-2.5 bar
Traditional method what % of Italy sparkling?
4%
Mostly Franciacorta and Trentodoc
% breakdown of tank vs trad method in Italy
96% tank
4% trad
Italian traditional method sector what fraction the size of Champagne?
1/10
one-tenth
Prosecco style
Light to medium (-) intensity Apple and pear Light body Medium to medium (+) acid Low to medium alcohol Brut to Demi-sec; Extra Dry most common Fully sparkling or frizzante
Prosecco intensity: DOC vs DOCG
DOC: light intensity
DOCG: medium intensity, greater definition and range of primary fruit
Three DOC/Gs for Prosecco
Prosecco DOC
Conegliano Valdobbiadene - Prosecco DOCG
Asolo Prosecco DOCG
Land under vine for Prosecco DOC
23,000ha
Topography of Prosecco DOC
There are hills and mountains BUT most vineyards on flat plain
Additional geographic labels for Prosecco DOC
Treviso
Trieste
If grapes grown and wine made within these areas
More volume from Treviso or Trieste?
Treviso
Land under vine for Prosecco DOCG
7,700ha
Location of Conegliano Valdobbiadene
Hill, historic area between towns of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene
Vineyards 200-320m
Wording requirements on Conegliano Valdobbiadene-Prosecco DOCG
Producers must use either or both names (Conegliano and Valdobbiadene)
Spumante category: Superiore can be added and/or Prosecco can be omitted
Asolo Prosecco DOCG land under vine
1,800ha
Volume breakdown (%) of Prosecco DOC vs DOCG vs Asolo
DOC: 82%
DOCG: 16%
Asolo: 2%
Prosecco DOC climate
Warm and moderately continental
Moderate rainfall
Flat plain gets moist air and fog from rivers = need to spray
Prosecco DOCG climate
Cooling influences from altitude
Higher dirunal temperature ranges
Longer, slower ripening
DOCG higher acidity and more intense fruit
Soils in Prosecco?
Large region, lots of variation
More fertile soils on plain: hgiher yields and lighter intensity wines
Glera grape
Vigorous
Semi-aromatic
Very high yields
Glera prone to ____
Millerandage
Powdery, downy
Drought in summer
Grapevine yellows
Planting density in Prosecco?
Low to medium
3,000 v/ha
Due to vigour of variety
Up to what % of other grapes allowed in Prosecco
Up to 15%
i.e. min 85% Glera
Sylvoz (Prosecco)
High cordon training Shoots hang downwards High vigour sties where aim is high yields Inexpensive to create Minimal winter pruning Suitable for machine (...lower cost) Height protects from frost Encourages overcropping Needs careful monitoring, need to avoid excess shading
Double-arched cane (Prosecco)
Replacement cane pruning
Canes bent into arches
Improves evenness of growth and fruitfulness of Glera
Good ventilation = reduced fungal
Common on hillside DOCG (high quality fruit aim)
Costly (branches tied in on every plant)
Vineyard management Prosecco DOC
Machine for vineyard and harvest work
Large vineyards, economies of scale
High yields on plain = low concentration
Mechanical harvest saves cost
Vineyard management Prosecco DOCG
Best sites south-facing hillsides
more concentrated wine = reduced fertility (poorer soils, ebtte drainage)
diurnal range = slower growth
longer season for flavours to develop, higher acidity
Lower (but still ig0 yields = higher concentration
Ciglione
Grassy banks that terrace the steepest parts of Prosecco DOCG
Vyd work by hand/machine Prosecco DOCG
By hand in steeper parts of hills (higher cost)
Producers can choose hand or machine
Cartizze, Rive and sui lieviti: hand only
Ferment for Prosecco base wine
15-20 days
18C = preserve primary fruit
MLF blocked = retain fruit, acid
How long does Prosecco base wine ferment take?
15-20 days
Second fermentation for Prosecco
In tank One month 12-15C Short time on lees (weeks), chilled, filtered and bottled Noa being requirement
Ageing requirement for Prosecco
none
How long does Prosecco second ferment take?
One month
Is there dosage in Prosecco?
Traditionally no final adjustment of sweetness
Winemaker calculates how much sugar required as tirage, for both CO2 and sugar levels for final wine
How do you slow down Prosecco second ferment?
Lower the temperature
Quality-focused producers looking for complexity
Longer form of tank method is called what?
Charmat lungo
Keep wine in contact with lees for 9 months
Agitate the lees with an insert within the tank
Charmat lungo
Longer form of tank method
Lees contact 9 months with stirring
Prosecco Col Fondo
Pet nat akak sui lievirti
Cloudy, dry frizzante
DOCG or DOC
“rifermentazione in bottiglia”
“Rifermentazione in bottiglia” must appear on what wine style?
Prosecco Col Fondo
aka sui lieviti
Prosecco Col Fondo usually finished with what kind of closure
Crown cap
Tranquillo
Still wine made in Prosecco
Max yields for Prosecco DOC, DOCG, Asolo
DOC: 125hl/ha DOCG: 94.5hl/ha DOCG (w/ "Rive"): 90hl/ha Superiore di Cartizze DOCG/Cartizze: 85hl/ha Asolo: 94.5hl/ha
Vintage Prosecco what % from that vintage
85%
Rive
Local Prosecco name for steep hill, followed by place name (eg Rive di Soligo) There are 43 Rives Hand picked Lower max yields (90hlha) Vintage shown on label
Superiore di Cartizze DOCG
Cartizze DOCG
Historic single vineyard 108ha Located within Valdobbiadene Lower yield (85hl/ha) Spumante only Steep hillsides, high quality, fuller body, Brut or similar Word "Prosecco" doesn't usually appear Valdobbiadene Superiore di Cartizze DOCG, for example
Prosecco around what % of Italian sparkling production
Around half
Breakdown spumante vs frizzante for Prosecco
75% Spumante
25% Frizzante
Average vineyard holding in Prosecco
2.5ha
How many growers in Prosecco?
10,000
How many producers of base wine in Prosecco?
1,200
How many makers of sparkling wine in Prosecco?
350
Example of big Prosecco producer
Zonin
Co-ops account for what % of fruit grown in Prosecco
50%
Prosecco: what % volume is domestic market?
25%
Steady growth
50-50
Key export markets for Prosecco? And how is it perceived there?
UK, USA, Germany
2/3s of export volume
“Prosecco” a soft brand, an everyday luxury
Sometimes an alternative to discounted Champagne or to rose
Prosecco cocktails
Key challenges for Prosecco business today?
After huge growth, stabilise and maintain current sales levels in the face of increasingly competition
Protect the name (King Valley)
Most common sweetness level for DOCG Prosecco?
Extra Dry (around 60% of volume) Brut (30%)
Extra Brut category for DOCG Prosecco
Introduced 2019
0-6g/L
Most DOCG Prosecco sold where?
60% sold in Italy
Of that, majority in northern Italy
DOCG prosecco exports
40% exported
Exports outperforming (growing) sales domestically
Germany, UK, Switzerland
Two DOCG prosecco producers
Bisol
Nino Franco
Bisol and Nino Franco are major producers of what?
Prosecco DOCG
Challenges for DOCG Prosecco business
Improve recognition of higher quality wine
(consumers see Prosecco as generic brand)
Achieve higher price
DOCG land is fully planted; continued growth must come through higher prices
Asti DOCG and Moscato d’Asti DOCG from what grape
Moscata Bianco
aka Muscat Blanc a Petit Grains
Asti from what three provinces of Piemonte?
Asti
Alexandria
Cuneo
Asti style
Pronounced orange blossom, grape, peach
Medium acid
Low alcohol
Sweet
Asti vs Moscato d’Asti
Asti (aka Asti Spumante) higher alc, fully sparkling
Moscato d’Asti lower alcohol, semi-sparkling, higher RS
Climate for Asti DOCG
Moderate continental
Cold winter
Hot dry summer
Enough rainfall (spring and autumn)
Asti grapes msut be grown where?
Hillsides (better sun interception and drainage)
Limestone and clay preferred
Max yields for Asti
75hl/ha
Moscato Bianco: budding and ripening
Early budding
Mid ripening
Moscato Bianco prone to what?
Powdery
Botrtytis bunch rot
Why is Moscato Bianco attracted to bees,w asps, etc
Thin skin
Aromatic scent
Clonal selection of Moscato Bianco seeks what?
Make it disease resistant
Perfumed
Higher yielding
Planting density Asti
medium
Most aromatic Moscato Asti from what soils?
Limestone
But vines planted on clay too following commercial success
Asti or Moscato d’Asti picked earlier?
Asi slightly earlier = ensure high acid
Moscato d’Asti later = aromatic intensity
First phase of Asti production?
production, clarification and filtration of must, followed by chilling and storage
Must that isn’t immediately needed is fridged 2-3C, kept fresh for later ferment
release multiple batches throughout year when freshest
How long can clarified adn chilled Asti must be kept before second ferment?
Up to two years without losing fresh fruit
Second phase of Asti production?
Single ferementation of warmed-up must, on demand
Investment needed for makign Asti?
Lots of investment Presses Flotation tanks Filtration or centrigue equipment Large heat exchangers Power for fridge, machinery, storage
Asti ferment
Pressure-resistant temperature-controlled tanks Low 16-18C Primary fruit Neutral cultured yeasts MLF prevented = preserve acid
Tirage in Asti production?
No. Sugar comes from the must
RS in Asti comes from where?
Original must
Fermenteation is stopped before dryness, not through dosage
Asti DOCG alcohol level
min 6%abv
Moscato d’Asti DOCG alcohol level
4.5-6.5%
Biggest company for Asti
Martini & Rossi
Four big companies make what % of Asti wine?
60%
Martini & Rossi is biggest
Role of co-ops in Moscato/Asti
Providing chilled, clarified and filtered juice to large companies
Martini & Rossi gets 35% from growers; the result from co-ops
Asti Secco
an off-dry style
Asti Dolce
another name for Asti
Promotional body for Piedmont
Piemonte Land of Perfection (also Barolo, Barbaresco, Gavi)
Most Asti sold where
Europe
Is there more Asti or Moscato d’Asti produced?
Asti
70% Asti
30% Moscato d’ASTI
Lambrusco wine styl
Strawberry, red cherry, plum Medium to medium (+) tannin High acidity RS Pale pink tpo deep ruby
Topogarphy of Emilia-Romagna where Lambrusco made
Low hills 150m
Inland
Climate for Lambrusco
Warm and continental
Adequate rainfall
Threat of rain at harvest
Irrigation in Lambrusco?
Yes
Ensure adequate water supply at critical points
Soils for Lambrusco
Alluvial
Predominantly clay and silt
Good water-holding capacity
Prone to compaction (so grassed between rows)
Soils high or low fertility in lambrusco?
High fertility
High yielding grapes
Why fungal threat in Lambrusco?
Humidity on the river plain, spraying necessary
Also fight through better canopy magmt etc
Lambrusco Salamino grape
Fragrant, deep coloured, full bodied wines, hgih acid
DOC: Lambrusco di Santa Croce
DOC Lambrusco Salamino di Santa Croce
Lambrusco Salamino grape 85%
max yield 133hl/ha
Lambrusco Grasparossa grape
Bset on clay and silt
Only one on hillsides
Deep colour, full bodied, medium (+) tannin
DOC: Lambrusco Grasparossa di Castelvetro
DOC Lambrusco Grasparossa di Castelvetro
Lambrusco Grasparossa grape 85%
126hl/ha
Lambrusco di Sorbara grape
Pale, lighter body, high acid
DOC: Lambrusco di Sorbara DOC
DOC Lambrusco di Sorbara
Grape: Lambrusco di Sorbara (same name) 60%
Yield 126hl/ha
DOCs for Lambrusco
DOC Lambrusco Salamino di Sante Croce DOC Lambrusco Grasparossa di Castelvetro DOC Lambrusco di Sorbara DOC Reggiano Lambrusco (or DOC Reggiano) DOC Lambrusco di Modena (or DOC Modena)
Highest-yielding Lambrusco DOC
Lambrusco di Modena/Modena DOC
161hl/ha
Low levels of fruit concentration
Pre ferment maceration for Lambrusco
1-2 days because high levels of antocyanins
Restricts amount of tannin extracted
Fuller bodied wines (Lambrusco Grasparossa), 3-4 days on skins
First ferment for Lambrusco
Low temps 18-20
retain fruit
MLF blocked
MLF in Lambrusco?
Blocked, to preserve high acidity
unusual for red wines
Most Lambrusco made with what method?
Tank method
Lees ageing for Lambrusco?
No. Preserve primary fruit
Dosage in Lambrusco?
No. Sweet wines have the fermentation stopped at desired sweetness level, or blended with must/RCGM
Other than tank method, how else is lambrusco made?
Traditional method
Undisgorged bottle-fermented (ie ancestral method0
Amabile or dolce Lambrusco
min 7% abv
Min abv for Lambrusco
11% spumante
10.5% frizzante
Average size of vyd in Lambrusco
Small
3ha
(but has doubled since 2000, growers leaving industry)
Domestic-export split for Lambrusco
1/3 domestic
2/3 export
Cleto Chiarli
Producer of high quality Lambrusco
What do most Lambrusco growers do with their grapes?
Take for vinification at co-op
Sell to large private wineries
Franciacorta style
Ripe apple and paech
Biscuit, autolytic
Medium alc
Medium (+) acid
Franciacorta climate
Warm continental w/ moderating influences
Cool air from Alps
Spring frosts
Adequate rain, but a problem at harvest somestimes
Franciacorta topography
Vines on gentle slopse
Surrounded by low hills
Lake Iseo at northern boundary
Main grape in Franciacorta
Chardonnay 75%
Also Pinot Noir, Pinot Blanc
What % of Franciacorta estates are organic?
75%
Aspires to be 100%
Whole bunch pressing mandatory in Franciacorta?
Yes
Ensure high quality juice w/ low phenolic content
(Pinot Noir for rose and red wine can be destemmed)
Franciacorta yield
65hl/ha max after pressing
Why don’t producers label their Franciacorta as vintage even when it is?
Long time on lees (30 mths) required to be sold as Millesimato
NV Franciacorta lees ageing
18 mths
Saten Franciacorta
White grapes only (usually 100% Chard)
24 mths lees
Less sugar a tirage, max 5 atmospheres pressure
Brut only
Rosé Franciacorta
35% Pinot Noir min
Most are Chard/Pinot blends
Colour: direct pressing or short maceration, or blending with red wine
24 mths lees
Millesimato Franciacorta
30 mths on lees
Single vintage - 85% from that year
Riserva Franciacorta
60 mths on lees
Franciacorta ageing times
NV: 18 mths Saten: 24 Rosé: 24 Millesimato: 30 Riserva: 60
Guido Berlucchi, Ca’ del Bosco and Bellavista produce what?
Franciacorta
Three key Franciacorta producers?
Guido Berlucchi
Ca’ del Bsco
Bellavista
Domestic/export split for Franciacorta
90% domestic
10% export
Key export markets for Franciacorta
Switzerland
Japan
Germany
USA
Trentodoc from what wider region
Trentino
Topography of Trentodoc
Hillside sites below high mountains
Trentodoc style
Ripe apple, biscuitMedium alcohol
Medium (+) to high acid
Trentodoc climate
Warm continental
Marked cooling influences (Alps)
Daytime summer temperatures high (especially this far north) and at this altitude
Diurnal range = grapes ripen slowly
Soils in Trentodoc
Stony and well drained
Poorer in nutrients on steeper slopes
High flavour intensity wines (slow steady growth)
Trentodoc elevation
400-700m
some higher
What does high elevation mean for Trentodoc?
Fruit takes longer to ripen as there’s a higher diurnal range
Builds up flavour intensity while retaining acidity
Two weeks later for harvest vs Franciacorta
Vineyard work in Trentodoc: hand or machine?
Hillsides and steep slopes by hand
Considerable cost
Vine training in Trentodoc
Guyot on sloping vineyards
Pergola system on steep terraces
Planting density for Trentodoc
4,500-6,000 v/ha
Diseases in Trentodoc
Powdery
Downy
Botrytis
Trentodoc: where is Chardonnay planted?
Cooler sites (longer, cooler ripening)
Trentodoc: where is Pinot Noir planted?
Warmer sites
South- and south-east facing slopes
Yield in Trentodoc
max 105hl/ha
many producers do lower
MLF in Trentodoc?
Yes, acidity typically very high here (higher than Franciacorta)
Lees ageing in Trentodoc (standard NV)
15 months minimum
In practice a lot longer: 20-30 months
Trentodoc Vintage lees ageing
24 mths
Trentodoc Riserva lees ageing
36 months
In practice: 5-10 years
Lees ageing for NV, Vintage and Riserva Trentodoc
NV: 15 mths
Vintage: 24
Riserva: 36
In practice generally longer
How many producers in Trentodoc/
54
Trentodoc: top four companies producer what % of sparkling wine?
95%
Biggest producer in Trentodoc?
Ferrari
Ferrari produces what?
Trentodoc
Trentodoc land under vine?
800ha
Top four companies in Trentodoc
Ferrari
Mezzocorona co-op (Rotari brand)
Cavit co-op (Altemasi brand)
Cesarini Sforza
Domestic market what % of Trentodoc sales?
80%
Efforts to promote Trentodoc in export markets
Sponsorship of IMW