Sparkling Wines Flashcards
Name 5 most common grapes used to make sparkling wine
Champagne, Pinot Noir, Moscato, Meunier, Glera
Name two types of methods used to make Sparkling Wines
Bottle Fermentation and Tank Fermentation
Describe the typical acid, sweetness and alcohol level for base wine that is used to make sparking wines.
High acid, low alcohol, dry
The base wines used to make sparkling wines can be from different vintages, varieties and villages. True/False
True
What is the name of the process that sugar and yeast to the base wines
Second Fermentation
What is alcohol percentage increase that results from second fermentation
About 1.5%
The second fermentation takes place in oak vessels. True/False
False, it takes place in sealed vessels (bottle or tank)
What is the Traditional Method of Sparkling wine fermentation actually called.
Bottle Fermentation
Which fermentation method is used in Champagne and Cava
Bottle Fermentation
In the first step of the Bottle Fermentation method, what 3 items are added to the bottle before it is sealed with a crown cap?
Base Wine
Yeast
Sugar
What is yeast autolysis
The yeast form a sediment of lees in the bottle and then start to break down.
What flavours are present in the wine a a result of yeast autolysis
Biscuit, Bread
What is riddling
The process of moving the lees into the neck of the bottle
Describe the Riddling process?
The bottle is slowly moved from a horizontal position to an inverted vertical position which allows the lees to slide into the neck
What is a gyropolette
A machine used in the riddling process
Describe the disgorgement process
One riddled, the neck of the bottle is frozen and the lees are trapped in a plug of ice, the cap is removed and the pressure forces the plug of ice and lees out of the bottle.
What is liquer d’expedition?
A mixture of wine and sugar that is used to top up sparkling wines after disgorged.
What is the label given to wines made using the Bottle fermentation method that are dry with high acid and bubbles
Brut
What determines the final sweetness of the wine?
The dosage (the amount of sugar added at the dosage stage)
What is Demi-Sec
Medium sweetness
What is resealing
The final stage of the bottle fermentation process. Once the wine is topped up, the bottle is resealed with a thick cork and wire cage.
What are the three varieties used in Champagne AOC
Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Meunier
What does the term non-vintage mean when producing Champagne
The base wines are a blend of wines from several vintages
Base wine made from Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Meunier results in a wine that is ____________ alcohol and _________ acid
Low
High
When making Champagne, what is the legal minimum amount of time ageing on the lees is required?
12 months
Describe a less expensive champagne profile.
Sweetness
Acid
Flavours
Dry
High Acid
Apple and light autolytic
When using riper grapes for Champagne, do they typically age in contact with lees for a Longer or Shorter time than ripe grapes
Longer
Describe the flavours a very good quality champagne.
Green Fruit
Citrus Fruit
Autolytic (toasted bread and biscuit)
Vintage Champaign uses grapes from multiple years to achieve top quality. True/False
False
Describe the flavour profile of a vintage champagne
Apple
Citrus
Autolytic
Nuts
Honey
Where Cava produced
Spain
Which fermentation method does Cava use?
Bottle fermentation
Where does the vast majority of Cava come from
Catalunya
What grapes are outside of spanish local varieties are permitted in Cava
Pinot Noir and Chardonnay
What is the benefit of adding Pinot Noir and Chardonnay to Cava
They add both fruit flavours and acidity to the base wine
What is the climate in Catalunya
Warm
Are the grapes in Catalunya typically harvested early, or late
Early to retain high acid
What are the typical flavours in the base wine in Cava
Apple and pear
Does Canada age on the lees for a longer or shorter time than Champagne
Typically shorter
Cava typically has strong autolytic characters. True/False
False
Champagne does not require a PDO status on the label. True/False
True
Name four regions aside from France and Spain, that produce sparkling wines using the bottle fermentation process
Australia
New Zealand
South Africa
California
Which climate typically produces a higher quality sparkling wine
cool climates
What are the typical grapes used for base wine in regions outside of France and Spain
Chardonnay and Pinot Noir
What is the labelling term in South Africa to signify the traditional method of sparkling wine,
Methode Cap Classique
What is one other grape that is sometimes used in South Africa when producing sparkling wine.
Chenin Blanc
The tank method adds autolytic flavours to sparkling wines. True/false
False.
Describe the Tank Fermentation process
Yeast, sugar and the base wine are added to steel tanks
The second fermentation takes place in the tank, producing bubbles
The lees are removed by filtration
The wine is bottled under pressure and sealed with a thick cork and wire cage
The tank method is used to produce both Dry and Sweet sparkling wines. True/False
False, only dry
What is the name of the method used to produce sweet sparkling wines
The Asti Method
When using the asti method, what is used in place of dry base wines.
Juice
What is added to Juice when producing sparkling wines using the asti method
Yeast
Describe how CO2 is handled during the fermentation process when using the Asti method
It is allowed to escape in the beginning before being sealed and retained
How is fermentation stopped using the Asti method.
Filtering out all of the yeast before all of the sugar has been converted to alcohol.
Descibe alcohol and sweetness of an Asit wine
Low alcohol
Sweet
What is the labelling term for Asti wine
Asti DOCG
Where is Asti DOCG from
Piemonte
What grape variety is used to make Asti DOCG
Moscato
What is the grape variety used in Prosecco DOC
Glera
Describe the flavour profile of Prosecco
Light to medium body with light apple and melon flavours
Describe the sweetness of a Prosecco
Dry to off-dry
