Sparkling Basics Flashcards
Traditional - Winemaking Steps
”- Pressing
- Primary Fermentation (to dryness)
- Handling of Base Wine
- Assemblage (Blending)
- Second Fermentation (started by addition of Liqueur de Tirage)
- Lees Ageing
- Riddling and Disgorgement
- Liqueur de Tirage “
Liqueur de Tirage
“This is a mixture of wine and/or must, sugar, cultured yeasts, yeast nutrients and a clarifying
agent such as bentonite and/or alginate (seaweed extract to facilitate riddling). The amount of
sugar used depends on the degree of effervescence required.”
Transfer - Winemaking Steps
”- Same as traditional up to riddling (that does not occur) so, after lees ageing:
- Chilled and discharged into pressurized receiving tanks
- Sweetened, SO2, sterile filtration
- Bottling (““Fermented in Bottle””)”
Ancestral - Winemaking Steps (Pétillant Naturel)
”- Partly fermented must is put into bottles
- Remaining sugar is converted into alcohol and CO2 creating effervescence
- Fermentation creates deposit of dead yeast cells (choice to disgorge or leave in bottle)
- Typically no dosage
- *because it’s low intervention, outcomes vary”
Ancestral - Style
Low aclohol, slightly cloudy, dry to off-dry, unconventional flavors (often compared to cider), bottled w/o additional SO2, intended for early drinking
Tank Method - Alt Names
Cuve Close, Charmat and Martinotti.
Tank Method - Wine Making Steps
”- Pressing
- 1st fermentation (16 - 18 deg) to maintain primary aromas
- Sugar + Yeast added
- 2nd fermentation in pressurized (reinforced) tanks
- Fermentation is arrested by cooling when desired pressure and residual sugar reached
- *occasionally aged on lees but often not
- Wine is cold stabilised to precipitate tartrates
- Yeast removed via centrifugation or filtration
- Adjustmented to sugar and SO2
- Sterile filtration
- Bottling with a counter-pressure filler (like soda)”
Tank Method - Grapes
Semi-aromatic (Glera) and aromatic (Muscat)
Tank Method - Pros
”- Pros: Inexpensive, quick, reduced labor cost = can be released for sale quickly; preserves primary aromas
- Cons: seen as lower quality, often lower quality grapes”
Asti Method - Summary
Variation of the tank method that produces a sparkling wine in a single fermentation
Asti Method - Wine Making Steps
”- Sugar in the original must gets converted into alcohol + CO2 during fermentation that takes place in reinforced (pressurized) tanks
- COz is allowed to leave the tank though a valve during the first stages but the valve is shut to retain desired level of CO2
- Wine continues to ferment causing sugar levels to drop and pressure to increase
- Once desired level is achieved, fermentation is stopped via rapid chilling
- Filtration under pressure to remove the yeast “
Carbonation - Winemaking Steps
”- Base wine is injected with CO2 under pressure
**maintains primary aromas”
Winemaking Step - 1 Pressing
”- Whole bunch pressing (gentle to minimise maceration and extraction)
- Pneumatic and basket press = common, gentle
- Press fractions are often separated an dconfrolled
- Juice is clairified via fining if needed”
Winemaking Step - 2 Primary Fermentation
”- 57 -68 deg to retain fruit flavors but ensure temps aren’t too cold for the yeast (low pH is already stressful for yeast)
- Stainless Steel
- Cultured yeast reliable ferment to dryness (challenging w/ high acid and low pH); some yeasts promote certain flavors (e.g. thiols or esters) which are good for tank (primary aroms) or neutral flavors which are good for autolytic”
Yeast Considerations
”- Moderate Temp 61
- Floculate (congeil) readily
- Withstand pressure
- Low pH environment
- Flavors
- Commencing fermentation in 9.5 - 11% environment”