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WSET Level 2 Award in Wines & Spirits > Sparkling Wine > Flashcards

Sparkling Wine Flashcards

1
Q

What are three methods for making sparkling wines?

A
  1. Bottle-fermentation
  2. Tank Method
  3. Adding CO2
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2
Q

What are the high level steps for bottle fermentation?

A
  1. Start with base wine
  2. Add sugar and yeast mixture
  3. Bottle, seal, store
  4. Second fermentation begins in bottle
  5. Age on lees
  6. Disgorge
  7. Dosage
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3
Q

How do bubbles form in the bottle-fermentation method?

A

Sugar and yeast kick off second fermentation, giving off alcohol and CO2. CO2 trapped in sealed bottles results in bubbles.

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4
Q

What gives bottle-fermented wines ‘autolytic’ flavors?

A

During the fermentation process, dead yeast cells form a sediment in the bottle called ‘lees’. The fermentation process is followed by a period of aging where the lees slowly release flavors into the wine: yeast autolysis.

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5
Q

What are the names of the methods for removing the dead yeast cells from sparking wine?

A
  1. Traditional method

2. Transfer method

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6
Q

How does the traditional method work?

A
  1. Bottle slowly tipped and jiggled so that the yeast cells slide into the neck
    - -Ridding: by hand
    - -Gyropalate: machine
  2. Yeast plug is frozen in neck
  3. When the bottle is opened, the pressure from the CO2 forces the yeast plug out of the bottle
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7
Q

What is riddling?

A

When the bottle is slowly tipped and jiggled by hand so that the yeast cells slide into the neck of the bottle so they can be easily disgorged.

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8
Q

What is a gyropalate?

A

Machine that tips and jiggles several hundred wine bottles at a time so that the yeast cells slide into the neck of the bottle so they can be easily disgorged.

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9
Q

What is dosage?

A

The amount of sugar added to sparkling wine after disgorgement. It determines the sweetness of the final bottled product.

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10
Q

How does the transfer method work?

A

The entire contents of the bottles are emptied into a tank under pressure. The liquid is then filtered to remove the yeast, dosaged, and rebottled.

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11
Q

What are the pros of the transfer method?

A
  • Less labor intensive

- Little impact on quality

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12
Q

Where is the transfer method permitted and not permitted?

A

Permitted:

  • New Zealand
  • Australia

Not Permitted:

  • Champagne
  • Cava
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13
Q

What are the pros and cons of bottle fermentation over the tank method?

A

Pros:
-Extended lees contact gives bready, biscuity flavors

Cons:

  • labor intensive
  • high production costs
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14
Q

What are other terms for “tranditional method” that you may see on a foriegn wine label?

A
  • Methode tradionnelle
  • Bottle-fermented (typically indicated transfer method)
  • Methode Cap Classique (South Africa)
  • Metodo Tradicional
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15
Q

Name three bottle-fermented sparkling wines.

A
  1. Champagne
  2. Cava
  3. Cremant
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16
Q

Describe the climate and soil of Champagne.

A
  • cool climate

- chalky soil

17
Q

What grapes are allowed in Champagne?

A
  • Pinot Noir
  • Pinot Meunier
  • Champagne
18
Q

Champagne base wine characteristics

A
  • high acid
  • medium body
  • light alcohol
19
Q

What are non-vintage Champagnes? Why are they made?

A
  • Base wine is a blend of several vintages.
  • Made to achieve quality and consistency year-to-year.
  • Because the climate is so cool and because the weather varies from year-to-year, the grapes do not ripen every year.
20
Q

What is a vintage Champagne? When are they made? What are they like?

A
  • Made only in exceptional years
  • Use only a portion of the best wine
  • complex
  • intense fruity and autolytic flavors
  • vegetal
  • nutty
  • honey
21
Q

Champagne characteristics (least expensive)

A
  • minimum legal period of yeast autolysis (12 months)
  • can be made from the least-ripe grapes
  • simple
  • high acid
  • green fruit (green apple)
22
Q

Champagne characteristics (more expensive)

A
  • long period of aging before release
  • dry
  • high acid
  • complex
  • green fruit (apple)
  • citrus fruit (lemon)
  • autolytic notes (bread, biscuit, toast)
23
Q

What are the famous champagne houses know as?

A

Grand Marques

24
Q

What is Cremant?

A

Sparkling wine made in the traditional method in France, but outside of the Champagne region.

25
Q

What is the major region for Cremant and what is it like?

A

Loire
-Saumur (Chenin Blanc)

  • high acid
  • green fruit
  • citrus fruit
  • sometimes autolytic flavors
  • rarely as complex as Champagne
26
Q

What is Cava? Where is the major region for Cava?

A

Spanish term for traditional-method sparkling wines made with local Spanish grapes.

-Catalunya

27
Q

Cava characteristics

A
  • neutral fruit (hint of pear)
  • medium acid
  • very little autolytic complexity
  • some blend Chardonnay (adds complexity)
  • best consumed on release
28
Q

What regions (other than France, Spain, and Italy) produce sparkling wine with the traditional method? What are they like?

A
  • New Zealand
  • Australia
  • South Africa
  • California
  • -Traditional and transfer methods used
  • -best wines use Chardonnay varieties
  • -can be very intense with long length
29
Q

What sparkling wine is made in Australia? What is it like?

A

-Sparkling red (Shiraz)

  • full body
  • medium acid
  • intense black and red berry fruit
  • fruity/dry OR dry with leathery complexity
  • traditional method (premium) and tank method used
30
Q

What are the high level steps for making sparkling wines with the tank method?

A
  1. Start with base wine in a pressurized tank
  2. Add sugar and yeast to tank
  3. Seal tank
  4. Second fermentation begins in tank
  5. Filtered and bottled under pressure
31
Q

What types of wine is the tank method ideal for?

A

Fresh, fruity styles of sparkling wine

32
Q

How are some sweet, sparkling wines like Asti made?

A
  1. Start with grape juice in pressurized tank
  2. Add yeast to tank
  3. At first, CO2 allowed to escape
  4. Toward end of fermentation, tank sealed
  5. Tank chilled when optimal alcohol content is achieved
  6. Filter lees
  7. Bottle under pressure
33
Q

Name four tank method sparkling wines.

A
  1. Prosecco
  2. Asti DOCG
  3. Moscato d’Asti
  4. Sekt
34
Q

Prosecco Characteristics

A

grape: glera
- sparkling wine from north-east Italy
- tank method typically used
- bottle-fermented versions do exist

  • medium body
  • dry or off-dry
  • delicate stone fruit
  • fully sparkling (spumante) or lightly sparkling (frizzante)
35
Q

Asti DOCG Characteristics

A

grape: muscat
Italy
-Piemonte

  • sweet
  • fruity
  • light body
  • intense floral and fruity (peach, grape, rose)
  • usually fully sparkling

Moscato d’Asti:

  • light sparkling
  • lower in alcohol
  • higher in sugar
36
Q

Sekt Characteristics

A
  • German & Austrian sparkling wine
  • Deutscher Sekt: can only be made from German base wines

Most:

  • simple
  • inexpensive
  • tank-method
  • medium or dry
  • light body
  • floral
  • fruity
  • use cheap base wines sourced anywhere in EU

Some:

  • high quality
  • bottle fermented
37
Q

Moscato sparkling wines

A
  • tank fermented
  • New World
  • full or lightly sparkling
  • typically sweet
  • lighter in alcohol

WSET Level 2 Award in Wines & Spirits (11 decks)

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