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WSET level 3 2020 > Sparkling Wine Production > Flashcards

Sparkling Wine Production Flashcards

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1
Q

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?

A

High in acid
Low in sugar
Herbaceous, green flavours

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2
Q

By how many percent might secondary ferment increase the ABV of a sparkling wine?

A

1.2-1.3%

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3
Q

A still dry base wine will generally have an ABV of?

A

10-11%

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4
Q

Why is the retention of acid in grapes necessary for sparkling wines in general? And specifically for Champagne and some other Traditional Method wines?

A

Generally made in a refreshing style

You need acid to stand up to autolytic flavours

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5
Q

How can you make sparkling wine in warmer climates? Why shouldn’t you?

A

Picking early

Herbaceous, green flavours

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6
Q

The best sparkling wines are generally hand-picked, why?

A

To retain whole bunches and avoid splitting of grapes which allows for pressing without crushing, avoiding any extraction of colour or tannin

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7
Q

Why might you use machine harvest for inexpensive sparkling wines, aside from cost?

A

Efficient way to pick all the grapes before they accumulate too much sugar and lose acidity

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8
Q

When will grapes be pressed after harvest?

A

ASAP

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9
Q

Pressings are gentle as to? When is gentle pressing particularly important with sparkling wines?

A

Minimise the extraction of any tannins and colour

When pressing black grapes

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10
Q

In most EU regions there is legislation that determines the maximum amount of pressure that can be used during pressing and what else?

A

How much juice can be extracted from the grapes

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11
Q

What are the five main methods of producing sparkling wine?

A 
Traditional
Transfer
Tank
Asti
Carbonation
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12
Q

What are the seven steps in the traditional method?

A 
Making the base wine
Blending
Second alcoholic fermentation
Yeast autolysis
Riddling
Disgorgment and corking
Bottle ageing
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13
Q

What briefly defines the traditional method?

A

Wine that has undergone secondary fermentation in the bottle in which it is later sold

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14
Q

What vessel is typical for making base wine for sparkling?

A

Temperature controlled stainless

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15
Q

Describe typical base wine (sweetness, flavours, acidity)

A

Completely dry
Neutral flavours
High acidity

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16
Q

What will most likely be done with some of a vintages base wine?

A

Stored as ‘Reserve’ for later years

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17
Q

At what stage might a sparkling wine undergo MLF or oak ageing?

A

Base still wine phase

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18
Q

After a base wine is created, what happens in the traditional method?

A

Blending

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19
Q

What are the three main functions of blending before secondary? What might be blended? What is blended later in the traditional method?

A
  1. Consistent house style
  2. Balance the wine
  3. Complexity
    Varieties, vintages, wines from different vineyards/parcels/pressings
    Liqueur d’expedition (wine and sugar or dosage)
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20
Q

What might Chardonnay bring to a sparkling blend?

What might Pinot Noir bring?

A

Chardonnay brings citrus, finesse and age-worthiness where Pinot brings red fruit and body

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21
Q

How is complexity enhanced by blending in NV wines?

A

Reserve wine bringing aged characters such as dried fruit aromas to fresh young wine

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22
Q

Why might wines intended for sparkling production be fermented in many smaller parcels?

A

To give the winemaker more to work with when blending

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23
Q

What is added to bottled still wine to start secondary fermentation? What are it’s 5 ingredients?

A

Liqueur de tirage

Wine, sugar, yeast, yeast nutrients and a clarifying agent

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24
Q

During secondary, how is the bottle sealed?

A

Crown seal (with a plastic cup insert)

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25
Q

In what position are bottles stacked in a cool, constant cellar during secondary fermentation?

A

Horizontally

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26
Q

By how much is the ABV increased during secondary fermentation?

A

1.2-1.3%

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27
Q

What happens to the CO2 during secondary?

A

It dissolves into the wine

28
Q

How many atmospheres of pressure are typical of a sparkling wine?

A

5 to 6

29
Q

In the traditional method and after the second alcoholic fermentation, what happens to yeast?

A

They die and for a sediment of lees in the bottle

30
Q

Sediment of lees in the bottle will begin to do what over a period of months? What is this process called?

A

Break down and release chemical compounds into the wine

Yeast autolysis

31
Q

How long does yeast autolysis typically last? How long has it been known to continue for?

A

4 to 5 years

as long as 10 years

32
Q

What is the benefit of keeping lees in contact with wine after autolysis?

A

Can help maintain a wine’s freshness for years

33
Q

What is the first step when preparing a wine for disgorgement?

A

Riddling

34
Q

In basic terms, what does riddling involve?

A

Moving the bottle very slowly from horizontal to an inverted vertical position

35
Q

When riddling was/is done by hand, what is the name of the A-frame used? How long does the process take? What does the riddler do to the bottle?

A

Pupitre
Up to 8 weeks
Once a day, gently shakes the bottle and gives it a twist before setting it a little closer to vertical

36
Q

What is the hydraulic machine used in mechanical riddling?
How many bottles can it hold?
How long does it take to riddle the wine?

A

Gyropalette
500
days

37
Q

What are the steps of disgorgement?

A

Bottle is submerged in a very cold brine solution which freezes the wine in the neck
Bottle is inverted to upright with the frozen wine and sediment held in place at the top
The crown seal is removed and the pressure (5-6 atm from dissolved CO2) pushes the sediment and plastic cup insert out
Liqueur d’expedition (wine and sugar) is added
Bottle is sealed with a cork and wire cage

38
Q

What is Liqueur d’expedition?

What is the level of sugar sometimes known as?

A

Mixture of wine and sugar

Dosage

39
Q

What does the addition of sugar in the liqueur d’expedition help with? (2)

A

Balancing high acidity

Flavour development

40
Q

What are sparkling wines made via the traditional method called when no sugar is included in the Liqueur d’expedition? (2)

A

Brut Nature or Zero Dosage

wine will still be added to fill the bottle

41
Q

What is the final blending process in the traditional method? Is it important what wine is used? Why?

A

Liqueur d’expedition
Yes
It contributes to making the house style

42
Q

What shape is a sparkling wine cork when it goes in?

A

Cylindrical

43
Q

Why might a freshly cork-sealed bottle of sparkling wine made via the traditional method be further aged?

A

To allow the liqueur d’expedition to integrate with the wine

44
Q

To combat the difficulty of determining the age of a NV sparkling wine, what have some wine makers (particularly in Champagne) been putting on their labels?

A

Disgorgement dates

45
Q

What two steps of the Traditional method was the Transfer method developed to bipass? Why?

A

Riddling and disgorgement

Costly and complex steps

46
Q

When does the transfer method differ from the traditional method? What happens instead?

A

After autolysis
Before riddling
Wines are disgorged into a pressurised, sealed tank where they are filtered to remove lees

47
Q

Is liqueur d’expedition still added in the transfer method?

Is the wine returned to the same bottle it aged on lees in?

A

Yes

No

48
Q

Where a wine might be labelled ‘traditional method’ or ‘methode traditionnelle’ what might a transfer method wine be labelled?

A

‘Bottle-fermented’

49
Q

Why might a winemaker decide to use the Tank method, rather than traditional or transfer methods?

A

Retain the flavours of the base wine (no lees)

50
Q

What types of wine are suited to tank method? (2)

A 
Strong flavoured (Riesling, Muscat)
Fresh and fruity (Prosecco)
51
Q

Why is the tank method a popular method for producing sparkling wines?

A

Cheap, fast and less laborious

52
Q

Where would first fermentation take place during the tank method?

A

Temperature controlled, stainless steel

53
Q

What is added to still wine to initiate secondary fermentation?

A

Yeast, yeast nutrients, sugar and clarifying agents

‘liqueur de tirage’ without the wine

54
Q

What kind of tank must be used for secondary during the tank method?

A

Sealed tank able to withstand the pressure of CO2 dissolving into the wine

55
Q

When using the tank method, what are the next 2 steps after secondary ferment takes place?

A

Filtering and bottling under pressure

56
Q

Though rarely done, how might a winemaker impart autolytic flavours into a wine when using the tank method?

A

They could use paddles to stir up lees during the secondary ferment

57
Q

What is unusual about the Asti method?

A

Only one fermentation is used

58
Q

When using the Asti method, wine is chilled then warmed when needed, what happens during fermentation in pressurised tanks?

A

CO2 is allowed to escape at first

Partway through the tank is sealed to retain CO2

59
Q

When will the fermentation be stopped when using the Asti method? How is this done?

A

When the wine reaches approx. 7% ABV and has the pressure of 5-6 atmospheres
Fermentation stops via cooling and filtering out the yeast

60
Q

When is Asti typically sold after bottling?

A

Immediately

61
Q

What is the cheapest method of sparkling wine production? What sort of wines does it suit? e.g.?

A

Carbonation
Wines with strong varietal flavours
Sauvignon Blanc

62
Q

Must ALL the wine used in a vintage Champagne be from that single year?

A

Yes

63
Q

What might be allowed into vintage blends by some appellations and regions?

A

A small percentage of grapes from another year

64
Q

What are 3 ways in which colour might be altered to make a rose sparkling wine?

A

Blending red and white base wines
Short maceration
By using a certain colour Liqueur d’expedition

65
Q

Some sparkling wine appellations only allow the use of which process to colour their roses?

A

Short maceration

66
Q

What is a Prestige Cuvee?

A

Best wine(s) in a producer’s range

WSET level 3 2020 (41 decks)

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