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WSET Level 3 RLM > Sparkling Wine > Flashcards

Sparkling Wine Flashcards

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1
Q

What is the ideal climate for grapes

A

Cool climate

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2
Q

How does the climate affect the grapes when growing?

A

Cool climate; to allow sugar and acid to increase slowly for correct levels

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3
Q

What levels should the sugar be in the grapes?

A

Should be low: base wine 10-11%abv, as second ferm that gives bubbles will increase alc by 1.2-1.2%abv;

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4
Q

What level should acidity be in the grapes?

A

High; many are made in a refreshing styles

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5
Q

What flavour characteristics should the grapes have?

A

Ripeness in flavours, no longer green herbaceous flavours

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6
Q

How are the grapes traditionally picked and why?

A

Hand picked; to keep whole bunches

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7
Q

How might the grapes be picked in warm climates and why?

A

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.

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8
Q

When should the grapes be pressed?

A

As soon as possible once arrived at the winery

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9
Q

What are pressing considerations?

A

Gentle to minimise extraction of tannins or colour

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10
Q

Why is gentle pressing of grapes important for black varieties

A

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

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11
Q

EU region legislation determines what?

A

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

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12
Q

What are the 7 Principle steps of the Traditional Method?

A
  1. Making the base wine
  2. Blending
  3. Second alcoholic fermentation
  4. Yeast autolysis
  5. Riddling
  6. Disgorgement and corking
  7. Bottle ageing
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13
Q

Where does the first alcoholic fermentation take place?

A

Large, temperature controlled stainless steel vat;

some still use oak vats/barrels

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14
Q

What should the base wine be like?

A

Completely dry, neutral flavours, high acidity

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15
Q

What decision will the winemaker make before the 2nd fermentation?

A

Whether or not to use MLF or oak maturation

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16
Q

When are most base wines used?

A

In the year after harvest

But some wines are stored for use in future years;
these ‘reserve’ wines are important for blending process

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17
Q

What can help improve the balance of a wine?

A

Blending

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18
Q

What can help enhance the complexity of a wine

A

Blending

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19
Q

What can blending from different vineyards/vintages/varieties do?

A

Can help keep house styles consistent yearly despite vintage variations

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20
Q

What can help bring texture and/or spice flavours to a wine?

A

Blending with wines matured in oak

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21
Q

How can winemakers make it easier to achieve aims?

A

Having many base wines available to them; thus grapes often fermented in small parcels to allow for multiple blending options

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22
Q

When is liqueur de tirage added?

A

Once the blend is made up, small amount added

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23
Q

What is liqueur de tirage?

A

Mix of wine, sugar, yeast, yeast nutrients and a clarifying agent

24
Q

How is the bottle closed?

A

With a crown cap, includes a plastic cup insert

25
Q

How are the bottled wines stores for their 2nd fermentation?

A

Closed with a crown cap; stacked horizontally, in cool constant temperature

26
Q

How does the 2nd fermentation occur?

A

Co2 is generated by the yeast dissolving into the wine; creates sparkle

27
Q

When does yeast autolysis occur?

A

After the second fermentation

28
Q

When does the second fermentation occur?

A

After blending the wines

29
Q

When does blending occur?

A

After making the base wines

30
Q

When does riddling occur?

A

After yeast autolysis

31
Q

When does disgorgement and corking occur?

A

After riddling

32
Q

When does bottle aging occur?

A

After disgorgement and corking

33
Q

What happens after the second alcoholic fermentation

A

Yeast dies and forms a sediment - lees - in the bottle

34
Q

What are lees?

A

Dead yeast cells

35
Q

What is yeast autolysis?

A

when over months, lees break down and release chemical compounds into the wine

36
Q

What do lees add to wine?

A

Bready, biscuit, toast

37
Q

How long is autolysis usually?

A

4-5 years; known to continue for as long as 10 years

38
Q

When does riddling occur?

A

After the period of maturation the lees sedimet is removed by riddling and disgorgement

39
Q

How is riddling done?

A

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

40
Q

How was riddling traditionally done?

A

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

41
Q

What is the A-frame rack used for riddling called?

A

Pupitre

42
Q

How long can riddling take?

A

Up to 8 weeks

43
Q

What is the machine called that is used for riddling?

A

Gyropalette

44
Q

What is a gyropalette

A

A cage that holds 500 bottles on a hydraulic arm, regularly rotates and inclines;
simulates hand riddling but competes in days

45
Q

What is disgorging?

A

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

46
Q

What is liqueur d’expédition?

A

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.

47
Q

What is dosage?

A

The amount of sugar used to determine the final level of sweetness in the wine

48
Q

Bottle ageing

A
  • 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
49
Q

What is the differences between Transfer and Traditional?

A

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

50
Q

What are transfer method wines like?

A

Good quality, lesser price,

large batches easy way to ensure consistent quality and style

51
Q

What will transfer method wines labels possibly state?

A

Transfer: bottle-fermented

52
Q

What will traditional method labels possibly state?

A

Traditiona method, méthode traditionnelle

53
Q

Describe Tank Method wines

A

Retain base wine flavours; no added MLF or oak ageing

54
Q

What is the Tank Method?

A
  • 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
55
Q

What is the quality and cost of Tank Method?

A
  • 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
56
Q

What is the Asti Method?

A
  • 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
57
Q

What is the Carbonation?

A
  • 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

WSET Level 3 RLM (7 decks)

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