Production Methods Flashcards
Tank Method (Cuvee Close, Martinotti and Charmat)
Developed in Italy in the late 1880s (Martinotti), refined by Frenchman, Charmat. Prosecco and Lambrusco are mainly made by Tank Method. Spumante (3 bars of pressure) or Frizzante (1-2.5 bars of Pressure).
Bubbles will always be large, aggressive and short-lived.
Enables large volumes processed quickly.
No riddling or disgorgement, typically no dosage.
1st fermentation (16-18*c), retains fruitiness, avoids characters of too-cold ferment. Sugar and yeast are added and a rapid 2nd fermentation occurs in a pressurised tank.
Fermentation is arrested by cooling wine to 2-4*c, paddles used to stire lees, yeast is removed by centrifuge or filtering. Wine is sterile filtered, bottled with a counter-pressure (gas in bottle, then wine)
Asti Method
A variation of tank method, using only one fermentation. Sugar comes from original must, not through later tirage. Must is fermented in reinforced tanks. Ferment is rapidly chilled to arrest, filtered under pressure, then bottled under pressure.
Carbonation Method
Least expensive, least prestigious. Injection with carbon dioxide under pressure. Used successfully for Petillant/lightly sparkling. Suitable for aromatic varieties, but base wine must be of good quality as carbonation will accentuate faults.
Traditional Method
Occurs in the same bottle the wine will be sold in. Liqueur de tirage (wine/must/sugar/cultured yeast/yeast nutrients/clarifying agent eg bentonite) is added to base wine. 24g sucrose|4 g/L sugar achieves 6 bars of pressure, this sugar does not effect final wine sweetness, just level of sparkle. Takes 4-6 weeks, sealed with a crown seal fitted with a small plastic pot to catch sediment. Stored ‘sur latte’ at 10-12*c.
Less aging varies, but shortest is 9 months for Cava, 15 months for NV, can last for 10 years. Can be kept on lees after autolysis as lees have anti-oxidative protection. These wines typically evolve faster once removed from lees.
Pupitres (hand riddling, takes 8 weeks) or remuage (gyropalettes takes 4 days). Disgorging in frozen brine to remove yeast from neck.
Liqueur d’expedition or dosage (wine and sugar/RCGM) added, bottle fitted with cork, wire muzzle (muselet) and metal capsule. Dosage balances acidity, sugar encourages development of toasted vanilla and is caused by Maillard reaction. Machines can disgorges 1800 bottles per hour/300 per minute.
Transfer Method
Developed in 1940s, avoids cost of manual riddling., while retaining brioche characters through in-bottle yeast autolysis. Reduces bottle to bottle variation.
Same as Traditional Method up until riddling, where instead, wines are disgorged into a pressurised tank, sweetened, so2 added, sterile filtered, then bottled under pressure. No fining agents added to liqueur de tirage as flocculation in bottle is not required.
Ancestral Method
Partially fermented must put into bottles, remaining sugar is converted into co2 and alcohol, priving the effervescence. No dosage is added, rarely are the wines disgorged. Outcome may vary, fermentation can slow down or stop if yeast runs out of nutrients, resulting in an off-dry wine. Fermentation may begin again later in some bottles. Often called Pet-Nat, not set regulations, bottles without so2, cider-like flavours, intended for early drinking.
How many grams of residual sugar are in the Brut categories? (3)
Brut Nature/Bruto Natural/ Naturherb/Zero Dosage: 0-3g/L, dosage cannot be added to these wines
Extra Brut/Extra Bruto/Extra Herb: 0-6g/L
Brut/Bruto/Herb: 0-12g/L
How many grams of residual sugar are in the Sec categories? (3)
Extra Sec/Extra Dry/Extra Trocken: 12-17g/L
Sec/Secco/Dry/Trocken: 17-32g/L
Demi-Sec/Semi-Seco/Medium-Dry/Abbocatto/Halbtrocken: 32-50g/L
How many grams of residual sugar are in the Doux/Dulce/Sweet/Mild category?
50+ g/L
What are sparkling corks made from?
Commonly composed of agglomerated cork (ground up cork off-cuts with synthetic binding agents), onto which two disks of natural cork have been glued. 31mm cork is compressed to half its size by a machine and inserted into bottle neck (18-21mm wide).
What reduces bubble formation during fermentation?
Botrytis
Production growth since 2000?
2002-2018 saw a 60% growth. In order, Italy, France, Germany, Spain and the USA accounted for 80% of production.
Sparkling wine consumption breakdown by country (2018 data)
Germany 17%
France 14%
USA 14%
Russia 9%
Italy 8%
Other 38%
Main export countries (2018 data)
Italy (43% volume), France (52% value) & Spain
Largest import markets?
UK and USA by volume, USA and UK by value
