Sparkling Wine Production Flashcards
What should grapes used for sparkling production be high in and low in, while not being under-ripe? What flavours are avoided with ripe grapes?
High in acid
Low in sugar
Herbaceous, green flavours
By how many percent might secondary ferment increase the ABV of a sparkling wine?
1.2-1.3%
A still dry base wine will generally have an ABV of?
10-11%
Why is the retention of acid in grapes necessary for sparkling wines in general? And specifically for Champagne and some other Traditional Method wines?
Generally made in a refreshing style
You need acid to stand up to autolytic flavours
How can you make sparkling wine in warmer climates? Why shouldn’t you?
Picking early
Herbaceous, green flavours
The best sparkling wines are generally hand-picked, why?
To retain whole bunches and avoid splitting of grapes which allows for pressing without crushing, avoiding any extraction of colour or tannin
Why might you use machine harvest for inexpensive sparkling wines, aside from cost?
Efficient way to pick all the grapes before they accumulate too much sugar and lose acidity
When will grapes be pressed after harvest?
ASAP
Pressings are gentle as to? When is gentle pressing particularly important with sparkling wines?
Minimise the extraction of any tannins and colour
When pressing black grapes
In most EU regions there is legislation that determines the maximum amount of pressure that can be used during pressing and what else?
How much juice can be extracted from the grapes
What are the five main methods of producing sparkling wine?
Traditional Transfer Tank Asti Carbonation
What are the seven steps in the traditional method?
Making the base wine Blending Second alcoholic fermentation Yeast autolysis Riddling Disgorgment and corking Bottle ageing
What briefly defines the traditional method?
Wine that has undergone secondary fermentation in the bottle in which it is later sold
What vessel is typical for making base wine for sparkling?
Temperature controlled stainless
Describe typical base wine (sweetness, flavours, acidity)
Completely dry
Neutral flavours
High acidity
What will most likely be done with some of a vintages base wine?
Stored as ‘Reserve’ for later years
At what stage might a sparkling wine undergo MLF or oak ageing?
Base still wine phase
After a base wine is created, what happens in the traditional method?
Blending
What are the three main functions of blending before secondary? What might be blended? What is blended later in the traditional method?
- Consistent house style
- Balance the wine
- Complexity
Varieties, vintages, wines from different vineyards/parcels/pressings
Liqueur d’expedition (wine and sugar or dosage)
What might Chardonnay bring to a sparkling blend?
What might Pinot Noir bring?
Chardonnay brings citrus, finesse and age-worthiness where Pinot brings red fruit and body
How is complexity enhanced by blending in NV wines?
Reserve wine bringing aged characters such as dried fruit aromas to fresh young wine
Why might wines intended for sparkling production be fermented in many smaller parcels?
To give the winemaker more to work with when blending
What is added to bottled still wine to start secondary fermentation? What are it’s 5 ingredients?
Liqueur de tirage
Wine, sugar, yeast, yeast nutrients and a clarifying agent
During secondary, how is the bottle sealed?
Crown seal (with a plastic cup insert)
In what position are bottles stacked in a cool, constant cellar during secondary fermentation?
Horizontally
By how much is the ABV increased during secondary fermentation?
1.2-1.3%