Sparkling Wines

Question 1

What basic formula is needed to make Sparkling Wine?

Answer 1

sugars in grapes + yeast = alcohol + carbon dioxide

Question 2

How is a second fermentation created for sparkling wine and by what 2 methods?

Answer 2

CO₂ created by fermentation is trapped and dissolved in wine either by:

• bottle fermentation
• tank fermentation

Question 3

What grape varieties are used to make Champagne in France?

Answer 3

Pinot Noir
Chardonnay
Meunier

Question 4

What grape variety is used to make Asti in Italy?

Answer 4

Moscato (Muscat)

Question 5

What grape varieties are used to make Cava in Spain?

Answer 5

local varieties
Chardonnay
Pinot Noir

Question 6

Which types of sparking wine use the bottle fermentation method?

Answer 6

Champagne

Cava

Question 7

Which types of sparking wine use the tank method?

Answer 7

Prosecco DOC

Asti DOCG

Question 8

What grape varieties are used to make Prosecco in Italy

Answer 8

Glera

Question 9

What steps are used to make sparkling wine by Tank Method

Answer 9

dry base wine
yeast + sugar added
sealed tank
second fermentation
lees removed (filtration)
bottled under pressure
dry sparkling wine

Question 10

What steps are used to make sparkling wine by Bottle Fermentation (Traditional Method)?

Answer 10

Second Fermentation and Yeast Autolysis (in bottle)
- Base wine + yeast + sugar
Riddling (for moving yeast deposits)
- Gyropalates
- Hand -riddling
Disgorgement (for yeast removal)
- frozen wine and yeast being ejected
Dosage
- Wine and sugar added
Resealing

Question 11

What are some labeling terms associated with sparkling wine?

Answer 11

Brut
Demi-Sec
Non-Vintage/Vintage
Traditional Method/ Méthode traditionnelle
Méthode Cap Classique (South Africa)

Question 12

What are the main characteristics of the grape variety Glera (for Prosecco)?

Answer 12

light- or medium-bodied
dry or off-dry
fruit flavours: apple, melon

Question 13

What steps are used to make sparkling wine by Asti Method of tank fermentation?

Answer 13

grape juice
partial fermentation in pressurised tank
tank sealed to retain CO₂
fermentation stopped by filtration before fermentation is complete
low-alcohol sweet sparkling wine

Question 14

What are the main characteristics of the grape variety Moscato (Muscat) for Asti?

Answer 14

sweet
light-bodied
pronounced floral and fruit flavours:
- grape
- pear
- peach
- blossom

Question 15

What is a “base wine”?

Answer 15

Base wine is a still wine that is a result of primary fermentation.

It is usually dry, low in alcohol (10-11%), and high in acid

Question 16

Base wines are typically a blend of what?

Answer 16

Any of the following:

1. Grape varieties
   e. g. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir
2. Vintages
   e. g. NV (Non-Vintage)
3. Villages/terroirs
   e. g. Different vineyards across 2+ villages which can vary in soil type

Question 17

What are the 2 major by-products of secondary fermentation?

Answer 17

CO2

Alcohol

Question 18

How much alcohol is created by secondary fermentation?

Answer 18

About 1.5%

Question 19

What is the main flavor objective for bottle fermented, or Traditional Method, sparkling wines?

Answer 19

Autolytic flavors, such as bread, toast, and biscuit.

Question 20

What is the term used on champagnes or other sparkling wines when the base wines are blends of different vintages?

Answer 20

Non-vintage (NV)

Question 21

What is a Vintage Champagne?

Answer 21

• A champagne that is made of 100% of the grapes from the year stated on the bottle;
• Only made in exceptional years;
• See extended periods of lees aging;
• Complex and age-worthy

Question 22

What is the minimum requirement of lees aging for non-vintage Champagne?

Answer 22

12 months

Question 23

What is the climate of Catalunya, Spain?

Answer 23

Warm

Question 24

How do the grapes destined for sparkling wine in Catalunya, a warm climate, retain their acidity?

Answer 24

Grapes are harvested early.

Question 25

Generally, which has more pronounced autolytic aromas + flavors:

NV Champagne
NV Cava
Why?

Answer 25

NV Champagne

Cava spends less time on its lees than Champagne, which translates to less pronounced autolytic aromas in the final wine.

Question 26

Where in Spain can Cava be made?

Answer 26

Most regions in Spain are allowed to produce Cava, but the majority is made in Catalunya in northeastern Spain.

Question 27

What does the South African term Méthode Cap Classique indicate?

Answer 27

That the sparkling wine was made using Traditional Method.

Question 28

Besides Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, what other grape in South Africa is widely used in Méthode Cap Classique?

Answer 28

Chenin Blanc

Question 29

The sparkling winemaking method best for aromatic grape varietals is ___.

Why?

Answer 29

Tank Method because it avoids autolytic aromas + flavors; autolysis is not beneficial for aromatic grapes.

Question 30

Which technique is more cost effective:

Traditional Method
Tank Method
Why?

Answer 30

Tank Method is more cost effective because the wine undergoes secondary fermentation in large tanks instead of individual bottles, and filtration and disgorgement are done in mechanized, big batches.

Question 31

What Italian region does Asti DOCG come from?

Answer 31

Piedmont in northwest Italy.

Question 32

Where does Prosecco DOC come from?

Answer 32

Veneto in northeast Italy.

Question 33

Define riddling.

Answer 33

Riddling is the process of manipulating and encouraging dead yeast cells into the neck of the bottle by gradually turning bottles from their sides until they are fully upside down on their crown cap.

Question 34

Define disgorgement.

Answer 34

Disgorgement is the removal of the yeast-sediment plug that collected in the neck of a Traditional Method bottle of sparkling wine as a result of riddling.

The neck of the bottle is frozen so the plug is a solid mass, the crown cap is removed, and the CO2 pressure that built up inside the bottle is so strong it forces out the yeast plug.

Question 35

What is the liqueur d’expédition?

Answer 35

The final dosage made up of wine and (usually) a bit of sugar which tops up a bottle of Traditional Method wine to replace any wine that was lost during disgorgement.

Question 36

What does the final dosage (liqueur d’expédition) do besides top up the bottle?

Answer 36

Dictates the final sweetness level of the wine.