Standard Options in Sparkling Wine Making Flashcards
Explain why cool climates are ideal for making sparkling wine? (2)
- Slower ripening / less ripening means less sugar - base wines have 9-11% ABV
- Grapes retain acidity for freshness
How does sparkling wine made from grapes grown in warm areas compare to cool areas? (3)
- Riper fruit flavours
- Lower acid
- Suitable for short-aged wines or wines with dominant fruit flavours
Why may sparkling wine grapes be grown on poor sites for still wine grapes? (1)
- These sites would not achieve the concentration / ripeness needed for good quality still
Why is Chardonnay a good grape to use in sparkling winemaking? (4)
- Subtle apple and citrus aromas complement autolytic flavours
- Early ripening –> good to grow in cool climates
- Retains high acid + low alcohol while avoiding underripe flavours
- Can give high yield without quality reduction in good vintages
What are the problems with growing Chardonnay? (3)
- Early budding - vulnerable to frost
- Prone to coulure and millerandage
- Susceptible to powdery mildew, grapevine yellows, botrytis (although more resistant than PN)
What does Pinot Noir contribute to a sparkling wine? (1)
- Body
What are the problems with growing Pinot Noir? (3)
- Early budding - vulnerable to frost
- Quality drops if yield is high
- Disease prone due to think skin - downy mildew, powdery, bot, fan leaf, leaf roll
In general, how can a grape variety influence the style of a sparkling wine?
- Aroma intensity
- Ability to retain acidity
- How base wine responds to autolysis - Chard vs. Xarel-lo
Why are grapes for sparkling usually grown at higher yields?
High yields help achieve high acid, low sugar and delicate flavour by slowing ripening
Why is it especially important to remove diseased fruit at harvest? (2)
- Perception of off-flavour accentuated by effervescence
2. Laccase release by botrytised grapes can cause oxidation
What are the advantages of hand-harvesting grapes? (2)
- Allows selection to remove diseased grapes
2. Gentle, minimising splitting and crushing of grapes –> reduces oxidation and phenolic extraction
What are the disadvantages of hand-harvesting grapes? (2)
- Slow –> grapes may not be picked at desired ripeness
2. Labour intensive –> expensive
What are the advantages of machine-harvesting grapes? (4)
- Faster –> grapes picked at desired ripeness
- Night harvesting –> slows oxidation –> fresher wines
- Some selection by removing diseases bunches before harvesting begins
- Cheaper for larger estates
What are the disadvantages of machine-harvesting grapes? (2)
- Can rupture skins –> causes phenolic extraction and oxidation
- Reduced ability to be selective
Explain why whole-bunching pressing is used and its disadvantages
Gentlest form of pressing b/c stems create channels for juice to flow so less pressure needed –> delicate juice with low levels of solids and phenolics (tannins, anthocynanins)
- Fewer bunches can fit in the press –> time consuming
- Requires grapes to be hand harvested
Why is gentle pressing important?
- Minimises skin-contact and extraction of phenolic compounds (tannin, anthos) –> tannin could give bitterness
Describe the difference between press and free-run juice (1)
Press Juice - more phenolics, solids, higher pH –> better for early drinking wines
Why would a winemaker fine the juice and how?
- To remove excessive tannin and colour
2. Same options for white wine - caesin, gelatine, PVPP
Describe the typical choices for fermenting the base wine, including:
- Temp
- Vessel
- Yeast
Temp: 14-20c –> retain fruit but not too cold for yeast given low pH
Vessel: Stainless steel –> large vol to be fermented, temp control, easy to clean
Yeast: cultured –> reliably fermented to dryness despite low pH, some may enhance thiols and esters but neutral usually used, same yeast used for 2nd ferment so need a hardy yeast
Why is 2nd fermentation stressful for yeast? (5)
- Alcoholic conditions (9-11% ABV)
- Low pH
- Low temp
- Lack of nutrients
- High pressure
Name two strains of yeast commonly used.
- EC1118
2. LALVIN DV10 - works at low pH, high total SO2, low temp, neutral character
Why is malolactic in the base wine often desirable?
B/c it removes the risk of malo after 2nd ferment which would cause haziness
What impact does malo in the base wine have on the sparkling wine?
- Reduces acidity
- Enhances texture
- No buttery flavour - diacetyl is metabolised
How can a winemaker prevent malo from occurring in the bottle?
- Allow malo in base wine
2. Sterile filter
Give and explain the reasons for blending base wines
- Balance - grape varieties to balance body and acidity, warmer and cooler sites
- Consistency - ensure unchanged style despite vintage variation by blending years
- Style - producer blend to make use cheaper wine for early-drinking style and wine with concentration and acidity for blended for top wine designed to age
- Rosé - blend of white and red base wines
- Complexity - different grapes, vineyard site, vintages, wines with different elevage
- Minimisation of faults - blended down with good wine
- Volume - small holdings blended together
- Price - blending in cheaper varieties like PM may help keep price of wine affordable, may use more press juice
True or false, all base wine should be stabilised for tartrates and proteins before 2nd ferment?
True
Name the components of liqueur de tirage.
- Wine / must
- Sugar
- Cultured yeast
- Yeast nutrient
- Clarifying agent e.g. bentonite / alignate
How much sugar is typically added with LdT?
24 g/L = +1.5% ABV & six bars of pressure
How does changing the amount of sugar in LdT impact the wine?
- Changes eventual pressure of wine
2. Does NOT change sweetness - yeast ferments until dry
What problem may occur if malo doesn’t happen before 2nd ferment?
Wine may turn hazy in bottle
Aside from being able to withstand high ABV, low pH and high pressure, what else must the cultured yeast strain be able to do?
Flocculate - produce a coarse sediment that can be removed efficiently
Describe the process of secondary fermentation including how the bottle is capped and stored (4)
- Stored horizontally with crown cap (small plastic insert to catch sediment) at constant temp of 10-12c
- Ferment length depends on temp - cooler temp = slower ferment
- Ferment lasts 4-6 weeks
- Stable temp important for yeast viability
How are wines stored during lees aging? (2)
- Horizontally in stacks or in metal cages
2. Temps ~10c
Describe the impact of lees aging over different lengths of time.
- 9 months - minimum, no impact on flavour
- 15-18 months, typical, autolytical character detectable
- 4-5 years, towards the upper limit of autolysis, pronounced autolytical character, wine less stable once disgorged
- Up to 10 years, some autolysis has been known to continue for this long
What is the impact of a keep a wine on the lees once autolysis has finished?
Lees has an anti-oxidative quality - however the wine will evolve faster once disgorged (older wines less able to handle sudden oxygen shock of disgorgment)
Are R.D. or L.D. traditional method wines designed to be aged or drunk soon after disgorgement?
Soon after - extended ageing on lees means oxygen impact of disgorgement is more severe
Describe the two alternative methods of riddling (remuage)?
- Hand riddling
- Takes up to eight weeks
- Labour intensive
- Only suitable for small scale producer / useful for marketing purposes - Gyropalettes
- 3-4 days
- Requires capital but much cheaper for even relatively few bottles, can send wine to larger producer for riddling / disgorging
How is wine stored prior to disgorgement?
Sur pointe - upside down to keep lees in neck
Describe the process of modern disgorgement?
- Cool bottles to ~7c
- Immerse neck in frozen brine - freezes yeast in neck, making extraction easier, increases solubility of CO2, reducing gushing of wine when opened
- Machine turns bottle upright and removes crown cap
- Pressure forces frozen plug of yeast out
- LdE added
- Cork, wire and capsule added
What does LdE contain?
Wine and sugar (dosage)
OR
RCGM
What is the role of LdE and dosage?
LdE - tops up wine that may have been lost during disgorgement
Dosage - determines sugar level of final wine:
- Balances acidity
- Sugar encourages the development of post-disgorgement aromas via Malliard reaction - toasted nuts / vanilla
How does the anticipated bottle ageing change the dosage required?
Perceived acidity rounds with age so less dosage required for wine intended for extended post-disgorgement maturation
Why may wine be stored for a few months after disgorgement before being released?
To give time for aromas associated with the Malliard reaction to develop
Describe the transfer method
- Same as trade up to riddling stage - fining agents not added to LdT as not flocculation in bottle required
- Bottles chilled to 0c after second ferment
- Opened by machine into pressurised tanks
- Dosage and SO2 additions made
- Wine sterile filtered to remove yeast under pressure
- Bottled under pressure
What are the advantages and disadvantages of transfer method?
Advantages
- Avoids costly / time-consumering process of disgorging and dosing individual bottles
- Reduces amount of wine lost when disgorging
- Retains autolytical properties of wine
- Reduces bottle variation
- Easier to make final adjustments to wine
- Used to fill small bottles and bottles >300cL as these are difficult to riddle
Disadvantages
- Specialist equipment required
- Cost / time advantages diminished by automatic riddling machines
How can transfer method wines be identified?
Labelled as “fermented in bottle”
Describe the ancestral method
- Partly fermented must added to bottles and sealed
- Remaining sugar fermented in bottle w/o addition of yeast
- Optional to disgorge and remove deposit from dead yeast
- No dosage added
Why can the exact style of wine vary from bottle to bottle when using ancestral method?
Yeast may become unviable after a few months leaving residual sugar and lower pressure than other bottles which continue to ferment
Describe the typical style associated with ancestral method wines
Low alcohol, dry-off-dry, cloudy, unconventional, cider-like flavours and intended for early drinking
Tank method is used for what kind of wines?
- Cheap
- Early-drinking
- Primary fruit-focused wines / little-to-no autolysis
Why is tank method associated with lower quality wines?
- Prestige of trad method
2. Due to lower cost, poorer quality grapes used
Why is tank method cheap?
- No riddling or disgorgement so takes less time and labour
2. No extended lees aging so further reduces time / space requirement for aging
Describe tank method
- First ferment at cool temp 16-18c
- Sugar and yeast added and 2nd ferment in pressurised tank - as little as a month
- Stop ferment when desired pressure / RS reach by cooling to 2-4c
- Some lees aging may occur
- Wine cold stabilised
- Yeast removed via filtration or centrifugation
- Adjust sugar and SO2
- Sterile filtered
9 Bottled
Describe the process of lees aging for tank method wines
- Wine cooled to 2-4c
- Paddles used to stir lees
- Typically for months rather than years - desire for fresher character and cost of tying up expensive pressurised tank
Describe the process of bottling a tank method wine?
- Wine chilled to -2 to stabilise and counteract effervescence
- Bottles filled with CO2 under pressure
- Wine enters bottle replacing CO2 - retains pressure and prevents oxygen from entering
Describe the Asti method
- First stage of ferment CO2 allowed to escape via valve
- Valve closed part way through ferment to retain CO2 - timing dependent on desired pressure and sugar
- Ferment stopped by chilling rapidly and filtering under pressure to remove yeast
Describe how sparkling wine is made using carbonation and what styles of wine are best
CO2 injected under pressure - best for petillant wines
Best for aromatic, fruity wines as primary aromas retained and no autolytic character
Base wine must be of good quality as carbonation accentuates faults
Match the labelling terms to corresponding levels of RS
- Brut Nature/Zero dosage
- Extra Brut
- Brut
- Extra-Sec/Extra-Dry
- Sec/Dry/Trocken
- Demi-sec/Medium-Dry
- Doux/Sweet
- Brut Nature/Zero dosage 0-3g/L (no dosage may be added)
- Extra Brut 0-6g/L
- Brut 0-12g/L
- Extra-Sec/Extra-Dry 12-17g/L
- Sec/Dry/Trocken 17-32 g/L
- Demi-sec/Medium-Dry 32-50 g/L
- Doux/Sweet 50+ g/L
+/- 3 g/L witin each band
Describe the type of cork typically used for sparkling wine and the process of corking
Agglomerate cork with natural cork disks glued on most common - impossible to cut a cork to required width from cork tree
Fat cork compressed to half its diameter and inserted into the neck with a clamp where it expands
Why has there been an increase in use of technical corks e.g. Diam?
Tech that has enabled removal of cork taint from particles
What factors can influence the amount of CO2 (bubbles) in a wine?
- Amount of sugar available - more sugar = more CO2 produced
- Capacity of CO2 to dissolve into wine e.g. grape variety, botrytis reduces bubble formation, winemaking
- Lees aging - CO2 lost during time on lees, but wine will foam for longer when opened
- Disgorgement - poor disgorgement means more CO2 lost
- Time in bottle and type of closure
- Glassware and service temp - lower temp = less CO2 released
