Sparkling Wine Production Flashcards
Wset
Name 3 reason for blending when producing sparkling wine
1-When wineries create a ‘house style’, particularly non-vintage product, hey blend wine made with grapes from different vineyards, grape varieties, and/or vintages which can help to achieve consistency.
2-Different varieties are blended to improve balance in wine. E.g., Chardonnay brings citrus fruit, elegance and longevity to a blend, whereas Pinot Noir bring red fruit aromas and more body.
3- Blending can enhance the complexity, e.g. when old reserve wines with flavours of dried fruit are blended with young wines that bring freshness. Oak-matured wine can be added to the base wine. For this reason grapes are often fermented in many different small parcels, giving multiple blending options.
What is ‘liqueur de tirage’?
A mixture of wine, sugar, yeast, yeast nutrients and a clarifying agent
At what stage ‘liqueur de tirage’ is added?
Second alcoholic fermentation. Once it’s added, the bottle is closed with a crown cap and bottles are then stacked horizontally, where slow fermentation takes place.
What happens during second fermentation?
He alcohol is raised by around 1.2%-1.3% abv and the CO2 generated by the yeast dissolves into the wine creating the sparkle.
What is ‘yeast autolysis’?
Once the second fermentation is over, the yeast diw and form a sediment of lees in bottle. Over a period of months these dead yeast cells start to break down releasing chemical compounds into the wine.
These compounds contribute to the flavour of wines giving bread, biscuit and toasty notes.
Autolysis usually lasts for about 4-5 years, and there are examples of this process lasting for 10 years.
Wines that spend longer on the lees, develop more pronounced yeasty character.
Once the autolysis is complete, keeping the lees in contact with wine can help the wine to maintain freshness for years.
Riddling is not performed by…?
Gyropalette
A-frame rack used for riddling by hand purposes is called…?
Pupitre
What is ‘liqueur d’expédition’?
A mixture of wine and sugar
At what stage Liqueur d’expédition is added?
After disgorgement
The amount of sugar added to Liqueur D’expédition is known as?
Dosage
How are the wines made without any addition of sugar labelled?
Brut nature or Zéro dosage
Step by step process of Making Traditional Method sparkling wine?
1-making the base wine (inert or oak)
2-blending
3-second alcoholic fermentation (liqueur de tirage is added)
4-yeast autolysis
5-riddling (by hand using pupitres or gyropalletes)
5-discorgement (liqueur d’expédition is added)
6-corking
7-bottle ageing (allow liqueur d’expédition to integrate with the wine)
How does disgorgement process happen?
Once riddling is complete, the neck of upturned bottle is submerged in a very cold brine solution, which freezes the wine in the neck.
The bottles are then placed in a normal upright position and the frozen wine holds sediment in place, keeping the wine clear.
The crown cap seal is removed and the pressure created by the dissolved CO2 ejects the frozen wine taking the sediment with it.
How is transfer method different from traditional method of sparkling wine making?
The processes used for transfer method are the same up to ‘riddling’ stage, at which point wine is simply disgorged into a sealed tank under pressure. The wine in the tank is then filtered to remove the yeast lees, liqueur d’expédition is added and the wine is then rebottled into a fresh bottle.
This can give quality sparkling wine at cheaper price and with large batches.
How are sparkling wines made in transfer method labelled?
‘bottle-fermented’
What are the characteristics of sparkling wine made with tank method as opposed to traditional or transfer method?
‘tank method’ allows to retain variety flavours, which is especially beneficial when using aromatic varieties, e.g. Riesling or Muscat, and/or when making fruity sparkling wines, e.g. Prosecco.
Traditional and transfer method give wine flavours of bread and toast.
Describe process of making ‘tank method’ sparkling wine?
1-The first fermentation takes place in stainless steel tank to retain the pure fruit and floral flavour.
2-Yeast, sugar, yeast nutrients and clarifying agents are added to the wine and the second fermentation takes place in a sealed tank.
3-the wine is then filtered to remove yeast lees before it’s bottled.
4-most wines do not show any autolytic character as they don’t spend an extended time on the lees.
‘Asti’ method.
Principally used for the production of sweet sparkling wines in the Asti region of Piemonte.
It produces sweet fruity sparkling wines.
The difference is that only one alcoholic fermentation is involved.
1-the juice is chilled and stored until needed.
2-when it’s required, the juice is warmed and the fermentation takes place in pressured tanks.
3-initially C02 is allowed to escape.
4-part way through fermentation the tank is sealed so that the C02 is retained.
5-the ferment continues until alcohol reaches 7% ABV.
6-the fermentation is stopped early by chilling the wine, which is then filtered under pressure to remove the yeast. The wine is bottled for immediate sale.
