Sparkling Wines Flashcards
How are the bubbles in sparkling wine created
The bubbles in sparkling wines are created by dissolved carbon dioxide gas.
These bubbles can be added by pumping carbon dioxide through a wine, but most premium-quality sparkling-wine producers harness the carbon dioxide that is naturally created as a by-product of secondary fermentation.
What are the most common methods used to produce sparkling wine
Bottle fermentation and tank fermentation
Choice is driven by the style or flavours required
What style is the base wine used for sparkling wine
Dry, high acidity, low alcohol
Blended from different varieties, vintages or villages
What is the most common and highly regarded method of bottle fermentation
The traditional method
Sugar and yeast are added to the base wine and the bottle is sealed
Secondary fermentation takes place within the bottle
Used in the production of Cava and Champagne
What grapes is the base wine for champagne made from
Chardonnay, pinot noir and meunier
What is the minimum legal amount of ageing for champagne
12 months
What is the sign of a good quality champagne
Complex flavours of green fruit (apple), citrus (lemon) and autolytic notes (toasted bread, biscuit)
What is a vintage champagne
Only made in exceptional vintage years
Aged in contact with lees for a long period and extended bottle ageing after disgorgement
What is Cava
The Spanish term for traditional method sparkling wine
The majority comes from the Catalunya region
Made from local Spanish grapes, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are also permitted
Harvested early to retain acidity
Light flavours of apple and pear
What is the process for making traditional method sparkling wine
- Second fermentation and yeast autolysis
- Riddling
- Disgorgement
- Dosage
What is dosage
The addition of wine and sugar (liqueur d expedition)
The dosage determines the final sweetness of the wine
When is the tank method often used
When the winemaker doesn’t wish to add autolytic flavours to the wine
This may be the case if the base wine is made from aromatic grape varieties
How are the lees removed if using the tank method
By filtration
What is the Asti method
A variation of the tank method
Used to make the sweet low alcohol sparkling wines of Asti DOCG
Juice (not base wine) is put in a pressurised tank with yeast to ferment, initially the CO2 is allowed to escape, then the tank is sealed and the CO2 creates bubbles
The fermentation is stopped by filtering out the yeasts before all the sugar has been converted to alcohol
What is Prosecco
A sparkling wine from the north east of Italy
Typically made using the tank method
Made from Glera grape
Light to medium body, apple and melon flavours
Typically dry or off dry
