Sparkling Wine Production Flashcards
What are the 3 main grape varieties that came to be used in the Champagne region for sparkling wine?
Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier
What is the grape used in the Loire Valley for sparkling wines?
Chenin Blanc
What is the grape used in Germany for sparkling wines?
Reisling
What are the grapes used in Spain for sparkling wines?
Xarel-lo, Macabeo and Parellada
What are the grapes used in Italy for sparkling wines?
Moscato, Brachetto and Prosecco (Glera)
The method of making sparkling wine in Champagne is known as the
Traditional or Classic Method
Crements are
Sparkling wines made in the Traditional Method from France but outside of Champagne.
Crements use what method of making sparkling wines?
Methode Traditionelle
What method do most premium New World sparkling wines use?
Traditional Method
How long does the second fermentation in the bottle take when making a sparkling wine?
30 days
What is the traditional Champagne press called?
Basket press
The more common type press used in Champagne and other regions is a
Bladder press
The French term for the second fermentation of a sparkling wine is
Prise de mousse (setting the foam)
In sparkling wine vocabulary, pupitre is
the riddling rack
In sparkling wine vocabulary, remuage is
riddling
In sparkling wine vocabulary, reserve is
still wine from earlier vintages, used in blending
In sparkling wine vocabulary, transversage is
transfer between bottles
The blending stage of base wine in the making a sparkling wine is sometimes referred to in France as
assemblage
A blend of many different wines, often used to refer to the base wine in the production of Traditional Method sparkling wine is know as the
cuvee
The Prestige cuvee implies what?
Cream of the crop cuvee, from the earliest part of the first pressing of the best grapes, often also vintage
The mixture of sugar and yeast added to the cuvee in the production of Sparkling wine is called the
liqueur de tirage
A second fermentation will raise the alcohol level in a sparkling wine by how many percentage points?
1 or 2. (Starting from 10% or 11% in the base wine/cuvee)
How long can the second fermentation take in production of a sparkling wine?
1 mth or longer, due to cool cellar temps, and the already 10 or 11% alcohol level.
6 atmospheres of pressure equals
90 lbs per square inch
What is the gas inside a bottle of sparkling wine?
Carbon dioxide
What is the process of autolysis in the production of sparkling wine?
When the yeast cells die and decompose, releasing compounds that create toasty, nutty flavors in the wine.
The longer the sparkling wine remains on the yeast lees (sous tirage) the finer and smaller the bubble size in the glass. T or F
True. It allows the carbon dioxide to dissolve more thoroughly into the wine.
Turning a sparkling wine bottle upside down and gently shaking it to get the dead yeast to collect near the bottle cap is a process called
riddling
What is the process of disgorging in sparkling wine production?
Carefully opening the bottle and removing the plug of dead yeast.
What is a gyropalette?
An automatic riddler used in sparkling wine production.
What is the liqueur de expedition/dosage in sparkling wine production?
Adding extra cuvee and sometimes sugar into the sparkling wine immediately after disgorgement.
Why is it standard practice to add at least a little sugar in the dosage of sparkling wine?
Because the high acid of the base wine is amplified in the mouth by the bubbles. The sugar adds balance.
What are the levels of sweetness in sparkling wine?
Brut natural (no sugar added) Extra Brut (sugar added but very dry) Brut (dry) Extra dry (off dry) Sec (slightly sweet) Demi sec (sweet) Doux (very sweet)
The most common sweetness level found in Champagne and other sparkline wines is
Brut, followed by Extra Dry
Bottle aging in sparkling wine production is at least _____ to give the dosage time to integrate before the wine is released.
a few months.
What are the three methods of sparkling wine production?
Traditional/Classic Method Tank Method/Charmat/Cuve Close / Bulk Transfer Method Partial Fermentation Method Ancestral Method Carbonation
Sparkling wine and Champagne that are in bottles other than 750 ml tend to use what production method?
Transfer. Avoids the riddling, disgorgement, etc.
The transfer method of Sparkling wine production differs from the traditional method in what way?
After the second fermentation in the bottle, the bottles are emptied into a pressurized tank for filtering and dosage, then put back into the bottles.
Moscato d’Asti and Brachetto d’Acquie are sparkling wines from the Piedmont and use what method of production?
Partial fermentation
A partial fermentation method will produce what style of sparkling wine?
Low alcohol, sweet sparkling wine such as Moscato d’Asti and Brachetto d’Acquie from Piedmont.
A Salamanazar bottle holds
9 litres/12 bottles
A Nebuchandnezzor bottle holds
15 litres/20 bottles
A Magnum bottle holds
1.5 litres/2 bottles
A Jeraboam Champagne bottle holds
3 litres/4 bottles
A Jeraboam still wine bottle holds
4.5 litres/6 bottles
A Jeraboam USA wine bottle holds
5 litres/6.6 bottles
A Balthazar bottle holds
12 litres/16 bottles
A Methuselah bottles holds
6 litres/8 bottles
An Imperial size bottle in the USA is the same as
Methuselah
A Rehoboam Champagne bottle holds
4.5 litres/6 bottles
