Sparkling Wine Flashcards
What is the ideal climate for grapes
Cool climate
How does the climate affect the grapes when growing?
Cool climate; to allow sugar and acid to increase slowly for correct levels
What levels should the sugar be in the grapes?
Should be low: base wine 10-11%abv, as second ferm that gives bubbles will increase alc by 1.2-1.2%abv;
What level should acidity be in the grapes?
High; many are made in a refreshing styles
What flavour characteristics should the grapes have?
Ripeness in flavours, no longer green herbaceous flavours
How are the grapes traditionally picked and why?
Hand picked; to keep whole bunches
How might the grapes be picked in warm climates and why?
Where grapes grown for inexpensive SP’s, machine harvesting may be the most efficient way b/f they accumulate too much sugar and lose acidity.
When should the grapes be pressed?
As soon as possible once arrived at the winery
What are pressing considerations?
Gentle to minimise extraction of tannins or colour
Why is gentle pressing of grapes important for black varieties
Especially important if using in white sparkling’s; use of whole bunches helps by avoiding crushing so that contact between skins and juice is minimised
EU region legislation determines what?
In most EU regions legislation determines the maximum pressure that can be used during pressing and the amount of juice that can be extracted from the grapes
What are the 7 Principle steps of the Traditional Method?
- Making the base wine
- Blending
- Second alcoholic fermentation
- Yeast autolysis
- Riddling
- Disgorgement and corking
- Bottle ageing
Where does the first alcoholic fermentation take place?
Large, temperature controlled stainless steel vat;
some still use oak vats/barrels
What should the base wine be like?
Completely dry, neutral flavours, high acidity
What decision will the winemaker make before the 2nd fermentation?
Whether or not to use MLF or oak maturation
When are most base wines used?
In the year after harvest
But some wines are stored for use in future years;
these ‘reserve’ wines are important for blending process
What can help improve the balance of a wine?
Blending
What can help enhance the complexity of a wine
Blending
What can blending from different vineyards/vintages/varieties do?
Can help keep house styles consistent yearly despite vintage variations
What can help bring texture and/or spice flavours to a wine?
Blending with wines matured in oak
How can winemakers make it easier to achieve aims?
Having many base wines available to them; thus grapes often fermented in small parcels to allow for multiple blending options
When is liqueur de tirage added?
Once the blend is made up, small amount added
What is liqueur de tirage?
Mix of wine, sugar, yeast, yeast nutrients and a clarifying agent
How is the bottle closed?
With a crown cap, includes a plastic cup insert
How are the bottled wines stores for their 2nd fermentation?
Closed with a crown cap; stacked horizontally, in cool constant temperature
How does the 2nd fermentation occur?
Co2 is generated by the yeast dissolving into the wine; creates sparkle
When does yeast autolysis occur?
After the second fermentation
When does the second fermentation occur?
After blending the wines
When does blending occur?
After making the base wines
When does riddling occur?
After yeast autolysis
When does disgorgement and corking occur?
After riddling
When does bottle aging occur?
After disgorgement and corking
What happens after the second alcoholic fermentation
Yeast dies and forms a sediment - lees - in the bottle
What are lees?
Dead yeast cells
What is yeast autolysis?
when over months, lees break down and release chemical compounds into the wine
What do lees add to wine?
Bready, biscuit, toast
How long is autolysis usually?
4-5 years; known to continue for as long as 10 years
When does riddling occur?
After the period of maturation the lees sedimet is removed by riddling and disgorgement
How is riddling done?
Moving the bottle very slowing from a horizontal to an inverted vertical position; the yeast sediment is dislodged and gradually slides down the side of the bottle; collecting in the plastic cup in the crown cap
How was riddling traditionally done?
By hand; bottle placed horizontally in the holes of an A-frame rack called pupitre and then daily given a gentle shake and twist and raised slightly closer to vertical
What is the A-frame rack used for riddling called?
Pupitre
How long can riddling take?
Up to 8 weeks
What is the machine called that is used for riddling?
Gyropalette
What is a gyropalette
A cage that holds 500 bottles on a hydraulic arm, regularly rotates and inclines;
simulates hand riddling but competes in days
What is disgorging?
Done after riddling is complete; neck of upturned bottle is submerged in very cold brine solution; this freezes the wine in the neck.
• Bottles then turned upright into normal position; frozen wine holds sediments in place, keeping wine clear
• crown cap seal removed, pressure created by dissolved CO2 ejects the frozen wine taking sediment and plastic insert with it.
• topped up with liqueur d’expédition, sealed with cork held by wire cage; small amount of wine added to top up bottle
• mechanised process; all done in a matter of seconds, avoiding loss of pressure and reducing risk of oxidisation;
• majority made (regardless of dosage) are sealed with cork; to maintain perfect seal has to be compressed considerably before it can be inserted; even with this a wire cage is added from secu
What is liqueur d’expédition?
Is a mixture of wine and sugar.
The amount of sugar used will determine the final level
of sweetness in the wine and is often known as the
dosage.
What is dosage?
The amount of sugar used to determine the final level of sweetness in the wine
Bottle ageing
- After its been corked, may age further in bottle to allow the liqueur d’expédetion to integrate
- most are considered to be ready to drink when released;
- some premium can benefit from further ageing
- Knowing precise range can be difficult, as most are not vintage-dated and impossible to know if young and fresh or more mature
- Number of producers now include disgorgement dates on labels to provide greater clarity
What is the differences between Transfer and Traditional?
Transfer method avoids costly and complex process of riddling and disgorgement;
Same method up to the point of riddling
Instead of riddling, the contents of bottles are disgorged into a sealed tank under pressure;
the wine in the tank is filtered to remove lees;
liqueur d’expédition is added;
then the wine is rebottled into a fresh bottle
What are transfer method wines like?
Good quality, lesser price,
large batches easy way to ensure consistent quality and style
What will transfer method wines labels possibly state?
Transfer: bottle-fermented
What will traditional method labels possibly state?
Traditiona method, méthode traditionnelle
Describe Tank Method wines
Retain base wine flavours; no added MLF or oak ageing
What is the Tank Method?
- First fermentation in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks to retain pure fruit and floral flavours of grapes;
- Base wines then do not undergo MLF or oak ageing;
- yeast, sugar, yeast nutrients and clarifying agents added to wine;
- second fermentation takes place in a sealed tank to withstand the pressure as the CO2 dissolves in the wine;
- wine is filtered to remove the yeast lees; then bottled under pressure
- Majority do not show yeast autolysis as do not spend extended time sur li; but character can be created by using paddles to stir up lees during second fermentation; but most Tank makers want to retain primary fruit flavs
What is the quality and cost of Tank Method?
- First fermentation in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks to retain pure fruit and floral flavours of grapes;
- Base wines then do not undergo MLF or oak ageing;
- yeast, sugar, yeast nutrients and clarifying agents added to wine;
- second fermentation takes place in a sealed tank to withstand the pressure as the CO2 dissolves in the wine;
- wine is filtered to remove the yeast lees; then bottled under pressure
- Majority do not show yeast autolysis as do not spend extended time sur li; but character can be created by using paddles to stir up lees during second fermentation; but most Tank makers want to retain primary fruit flavs
What is the Asti Method?
- Principally used for the production of sweet sparkling wines in the Asti region of Piemont, Italy
- Produces sweet, fruity SP’s, but unusual as only one alcoholic fermentation is involved
- Juice is chilled and stored until needed;
- when required, juice is warmed and fermentation takes place in pressurised tanks;
- Initially CO2 is allowed to escape;
- then part-way through fermentation the tank is sealed so the CO2 is retained;
- fermentation continues until the alcohol is about 7% abv and pressure is six atmospheres;
- fermentation is stopped early by chilling the wine;
- which is then filtered under pressure to remove the yeast;
- bottled and immediately for sale
What is the Carbonation?
- CO2 is injected into a still wine;
- then bottled under pressure
- Useful for producing fruity sparkling wines, that retain the flavours of the base wine
- Thus often used to make sparkling wines from grapes with strong varietal flavours: Sauvy B
- Cheapest of all methods
