Sparkling Wines Flashcards
What is the first step in the production of a sparkling wine?
The creation of a base wine. The base wine will typically be dry, high in acidity and low in alcohol. The base is usually made from a blend of different wines (producing, in the case of champagne, non-vintage champagne).
What is the second step in the production of a sparkling wine?
Sugar and yeast are added to the base wine. The yeast ferments, increasing the alcohol content by approximately 1.5%, and producing CO2. This must be done in a sealed vessel in order to prevent the CO2 from escaping.
In what sort of vessel does the second step in the production of a sparkling wine typically take place?
A sealed bottle (bottle fermentation) or a sealed tank (tank fermentation).
What is the traditional method (méthode traditionelle) of producing sparkling wines?
Sugar and yeast are added to the base wine, which is bottled and sealed with a crown cap. The second fermentation takes place inside the sealed bottle. The CO2 dissolves in the wine, creating bubbles. The yeast forms a sediment of lees in the bottle. The lees start to break down and impart a biscuit/bread taste to the wine. Before the wine is sold the lees are removed by a process caused riddling, in which the bottle is moved very slowly from a horizontal to an inverted vertical position allowing the lees to move into the neck of the bottle. Once it has been riddled, the neck of the bottle is frozen and the lees are trapped in a plug of ice. When the crown cap is removed, the pressure forces the lees and ice out of the bottle. The wine is then topped up with a mixture of wine and sugar (called liqueur d’éxpedition) before being resealed, in a process called dosage.
How was riddling traditionally carried out and how is it done today?
It was traditionally done by hand, but today it is typically automated using a gyropalette - a cube shaped machine that can process hundreds of bottles a year.
What is the name of the cube shaped machine which can automatically process hundreds of bottles of champagne a year in order to carry out riddling?
A gyropalette.
What is the name of the mixture of wine and sugar added to sparkling wines made in the traditional method?
Liqueur d’expédition.
What is the difference between Brut and Demi-Sec?
The dosage for each is different: most wines are Brut (where the dosage includes only a very small amount of sugar), whereas Demi-Sec indicates that the dosage contains more sugar resulting in a wine with medium sweetness.
What is the name of the process of adding the liqueur d’éxpedition to a sparkling wine?
Dosage.
From which grape varieties is the base wine for champagne typically made?
Chardonnay, pinot noir and meunier.
What is the climate like in the Champagne region and how does this affect the creation of the base wine?
The climate is cool, which helps create a base wine with low alcohol and high acidity.
What is the difference between non-vintage and vintage champagne?
Non-vintage champagne is made from a blend of base wines from several vintages. Vintage champagne is made from a base wine of a single vintage and typically spends a long time ageing in contact with lees, followed by extended bottle ageing after disgorgement.
What is Cava?
Cava is the Spanish word for sparkling wines produced via the traditional method in certain regions of Spain.
What Spanish region does the vast majority of Cava come from?
Catalunya.
When making Cava, why are the grapes in Catalunya sometimes harvested early?
Due to the high temperature, in order to make sure that the grapes retain high acidity.
