Sparkling Wine

Question 1

Basic grape requirements for Sparking Wine?

Answer 1

Relatively low sugar levels (picked early)
High Acid (picked early. Cool climate)
Ripe enough for fruit

Question 2

Quality sparkling wine grapes…
How picked?
Crushed?
Pressed?

Answer 2

Whole bunches, picked by hand (mandatory for Champagne)
NOT crushed at all (don’t need the colour)
Gently pressed (EU has max. pressures)

Question 3

Why pick whole bunches for quality sparkling wine?

Answer 3

Minimise the colour and tannin from the red grapes being pressed.

Question 4

Name the five methods of making sparkling wine.

Answer 4

Traditional (three names for this btw: cava, cremant, cap classique)
Transfer
👆🏼——— above have bottle fermentation 
Tank
Carbonated
Asti

Question 5

Basic steps for Traditional

Answer 5

• Press (gentle)
• First fermentation -> base wine, complete dryness.
• (Option of MLF and/or oak maturation)
• Blending
• Second fermentation (liqueur de tirage)
• Yeast autolysis
• Riddling (pupitre or gyropalette)
• Disgorgement (liqueur d’expédition, dosage)
• Cork and cage
• Bottle ageing

Question 6

How does the Transfer method differ from Traditional?

Answer 6

All the same upto and including second bottle fermentation.
Rather than riddle and disgorge, the wine gets poured into a tank, filtered and liqueur d’expedition (dosage) is added.
Then bottled.

Question 7

How might a label indicate Transfer Method rather than Traditional?

Answer 7

Often states “Bottle fermented” as opposed to “méthode traditionnelle”

Question 8

Which flavours differentiate Transfer and Traditional method sparklers?

Answer 8

The bready, yeasty notes from the yeast autolysis in the quality wine.

Question 9

The Tank method benefits which types of grapes?

Answer 9

Aromatics.

The tank preserves the fruit flavours of, for instance, Muscat, Reisling or Glera (Prosecco)

Question 10

Would an aromatic tank made sparkler have had any MLF or oak?

Answer 10

Nope.

Question 11

The Asti method.

Basic steps?

Answer 11

• Press grapes
• Chill juice
• Store until needed
• Warm up the juice and ferment in tanks
• Seal tanks after a bit to carbonate
• At c.7 degree ABV, chill wine, filter, bottle and flog

Question 12

Basics of Carbonation

Answer 12

• Make still wine
• Blend
• Add CO2
• Bottle

Question 13

EU Sweetness Terms…

Name the three and the residual sugar levels

Answer 13

Brut Nature ….. 0 to 3g/L (Dosage free)
Brut …………….. 0 to 12g/L

Demi-Sec ……. 32 to 50g/L

Question 14

How does sparkling Rosé become rosey?

Answer 14

Blending red and white.
Maceration.
Liqueur d’expédition

Question 15

Traditional method sparkling wine may usually spend how long on the lees?

Answer 15

Between four and five years

But as long as ten

Question 16

Lees contact of wine is said to benefit the wine how?

Answer 16

It’s freshness

🤔

Question 17

Time spent on lees.
Champagne : 
Cremant, Saumur, Vouvray, Cava : 
Cap Classique : 
California :

Answer 17

(In months)
Champagne : 12
Cremant, Saumur, Vouvray, Cava : 9
Cap Classique : 9 to 12
California : 60+

Question 18

Name two sparkling appellations from the Loire Valley

Answer 18

Vouvray

Cremant de Loire (from Saumur)

Question 19

Cava is easier to drink that Champagne because…

Answer 19

…of its lower acidity.

A few are aged on the lees £££

Question 20

Asti… comes from which part of Italy?

Answer 20

From left to right…
A (asti) from Piedmont P (prosecco) from Veneto
N o r t h W e s t N o r t h E a s t

Question 21

Asti is made from….
Tastes of…
ABV?

Answer 21

Muscat à Petits Grains
Fruity, peachy, grapey, floral
7% ABV

Question 22

Prosecco.
Best area...
Made from...
Production method...
Tastes...

Answer 22

Conegliano-Valdobbiadene DOCG
(a couple of towns)
Grape: Glera
Tank method
Fresh green apple, melon
(Sweetness from interrupted fermentation)

Question 23

Sekt.
Method:
Difference between “Sekt” and “Deutscher Sekt”.

Answer 23

Tank
Grapes for “Sekt” can come from France and Italy.
“Deutscher Sekt” grapes must come from Germany

Question 24

Australian sparkling wines from which three areas?

Answer 24

Adelaide Hills
Yarra Valley
Tasmania

Question 25

Australian sparkling wine method?

Grapes?

Answer 25

Traditional

Chardonnay, Pinot Noir

Question 26

New Zealand sparkling…
From ?
Grapes ?
Method ?

Answer 26

From Marlborough
Grapes: Chardonnay, Pinot (all New World sparklers use only these at L3)
Method: Traditional
The maritime climate and cool sea breezes allow a long ripening peroid

Question 27

South Africa call their traditional method…

Answer 27

Cap Classique

Question 28

USA areas?
Grapes ?
Lees autolysis peroid?

Answer 28

Los Carneros (winds)
Anderson Valley (latitude, altitude)
Grapes: chip and pin. As usual
Can be 60 months (FFS)