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How Sparkling Wine is Made
by: Marcia Parks
There are three methods that may be used to make sparkling
wine. These methods are: the Transfer Method, Charmat Bulk
process and Methode Champenoise. Methode Champenoise is the
most labor-intensive and costly of these.
Before we get into how sparkling wines are made, we should
first make a distinction between sparkling wine and champagne.
Champagne is sparkling wine, but sparkling wine is not necessarily
champagne. True champagne is produced in the Champagne region
of France by using the Methode Champenoise and is produced
from a high quality grape. In many circles in the United States,
the term "champagne" has become a general term to
include any sparkling wine. These are frequently made from
inferior grapes through bulk processing and are often sweetened
to mask their inferior quality. They are not true Champagnes.
Sparkling wines are made from both white and red grape varieties.
The quality of the fruit is critical to the outcome of the
finished product. In the Champagne region of France, Chardonnay,
Pinot Noir or Pinot Meunier are used. But in other internationally
recognized sparkling regions, like Asti, other varieties such
as Muscat Blanco may be used. The grapes are harvested earlier
than those picked for still (table) wine. There are several
reasons for this early harvesting. One reason is to obtain
a lower alcohol level in the cuvee (wine made from the initial
fermentation, also called "base" wine). During the
fermenting process the sugar is converted to alcohol, therefore
the lower the sugar content of the grapes, the lower the alcohol
content of the finished product. The reason for the lower
alcohol content in the base wine is that the wine will go
through another fermentation process that will increase the
alcohol level. Another reason for harvesting grapes while
at a lower sugar level is to produce a higher total acidity
and lower pH rating. This adds longevity and crispness to
the wine.
Now lets take a look at the three different methods vintners
may use to make sparkling wines. Methode Champenoise is a
more labor-intensive and expensive method than the other two
methods of producing sparkling wine. After harvesting the
fruit, the juice is pressed and put into containers for the
first fermentation. These containers are either stainless
steel vats or oak barrels. When the first fermentation is
complete, various lots of wine are blended together to produce
an assemblage (the final blend of varieties for the finished
wine). Then a mixture of yeast and sugar, called a triage,
is added to the base wine. The wine is bottled with a small
plastic cup that fits in the neck of the bottle and collects
any sediment. This small plastic cup is called a "bidule"
The second fermentation takes place in the bottle and due
to the sugar and yeast being added, alcohol and carbon dioxide
are produced. Due to carbon dioxide formation and pressures
up to 90 pounds per square inch, bottles for Champagne and
sparkling wine must be thicker than regular wine bottles.
During the second fermentation, temperature plays an important
role. Cooler temperatures produce finer bubbles. Once the
second fermentation is complete, dead yeast cells begin to
break down and form a sediment in the wine. This process is
called autolysis. The winemaker decides how long to allow
for the autolysis process and this in turn has an impact on
the final taste of the wine. The sediment must then be removed
without losing the carbon dioxide and sparkle. The first step
in doing this is riddling or remuage. In years past, this
was done by inserting the neck of the wine bottle into a rack,
called a pupitres, that would hold it at a 45 degree angle
so the dead yeast cells would settle into the neck where the
bidule was attached. Then every few days, a trained person,
called a remuer, would give each of the bottles a quick shake
and increase the angle of the bottles until they were eventually
positioned completely downward, thereby collecting all the
sediment in the neck. Today, the riddling process is automated.
Next the sediment is removed by disgorgement. This is where
the bottle is placed neck down in an icy brine to freeze the
sediment into a solid plug. The cap is then removed and the
pressure inside the bottle causes the frozen sediment to be
expelled. Then a "dosage" is added. This dosage
is a small amount of wine mixed with sugar and sometime brandy
and it determines the sweetness or dryness of the sparkling
wine. The bottle is then corked and secured with a wire hood.
The Transfer Method of making sparkling wine is similar to
the Methode Champenoise except that instead of riddling to
remove the sediment, the wine is transferred to a pressurized
tank where the sediment is filtered. It is then bottled, corked
and secured with a wire hood in preparation for sale to the
public.
The Charmat Bulk Process is the quickest and least expensive
method of making sparkling wine. With this process, instead
of the wine going through the second fermentation in the bottle,
the base wine is placed in a temperature-controlled, pressurized
tank to which sugar and yeast is added. The secondary fermentation
takes place in this tank without the release of any carbon
dioxide. This tank acts like a very large bottle. Once the
fermenting is complete, the wine is filtered under counter
pressure and bottled using a counter-pressure filler. Because
the wine has not spent the same amount of time in contact
with the carbon dioxide, the bubbles tend to be larger and
dissipate more quickly.
About The Author
Marcia Parks is a wine-reviewer and author of wine-related
articles. You can read her wine reviews by visiting: http://www.wine-reviewer.com.
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