Sparkling Wines for WSET® Level 2 Wine

What exactly are the bubbles in sparkling wine made of?

Dissolved carbon dioxide gas

(CO₂)

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How do bubbles get into wine?

A few ways:

Force carbonation (used for low quality, inexpensive wines);
As a by-product of fermentation, which can take place in tank or bottle (used for quality wines, e.g. Prosecco or Champagne).

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What are the 2 types of secondary fermentation used for quality sparkling wines (and add some examples)?

Tank Fermentation, e.g. Prosecco
Bottle Fermentation, e.g. Cava and Champagne

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What is a “base wine”?

A still wine that is a result of primary fermentation.

It is usually dry, low in alcohol (10-11%), and high in acid.

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Base wines are typically a blend of what?

1. Grape varieties

e.g. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir

2. Vintages

e.g. NV (Non-Vintage)

3. Villages/terroirs

e.g. Different vineyards across 2+ villages which can vary in soil type

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How is secondary fermentation initiated?

By adding a sugar + yeast solution to the base wine.

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What are the 2 major by-products of secondary fermentation?

CO₂
Alcohol

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How much alcohol is created by secondary fermentation?

About 1.5%

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CO₂ gas that’s created during secondary fermentation – how is that captured so that it stays in the wine?

By occurring in a closed vessel, be it a tank or a bottle.

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What is another term used for “bottle fermentation”?

Traditional Method (or Méthode traditionnelle)

Examples:
* Cava
* Champagne

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What is the main flavor objective for bottle fermented, or Traditional Method, sparkling wines?

Autolytic flavors, such as bread, toast, and biscuit.

Traditional method sparkling wines take on these bread-like flavors from their aging on the lees.

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In Traditional Method, what step happens after the sugar + yeast solution is added to the base wine?

The base wine + sugar + yeast mixture is bottled, sealed with a crown cap, and left to age for several months for autolytic compounds to develop.

Secondary fermentation happens inside that bottle and the CO₂ is captured and dissolved in the wine; the CO₂will only be released when the cap is removed.

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What are some of the things that are created inside a bottle after bottle fermentation is complete?

Bubbles/CO2
Alcohol
Flavor compounds
Sediment

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What 3 grape varieties make up the base wine of Champagne?

Chardonnay
Pinot Noir
Pinot Meunier (aka Meunier)

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What is the climate of Champagne?

Cool

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What makes the Champagne region ideal for making low alcohol, high acid base wines?

Cool climate causing grapes to struggle with ripening
* Acidity is higher - results in lower sugars
* Yeasts eat less sugar - results in lower alcohol

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Fill in the blank:

The majority of champagnes are a blend of base wines across many vintages because blending produces _____ year in and year out.

consistency

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What is the term used on champagnes or other sparkling wines when the base wines are blends of different vintages?

Non-vintage (NV)

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What is a Vintage Champagne?

A champagne that is made of 100% of the grapes from the year stated on the bottle;
Only made in exceptional years;
See extended periods of lees aging;
Complex and age-worthy

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Describe the profile of a non-vintage Champagne and a Vintage Champagne.

Non-vintage

Dry
High acid
Under-ripe/just-ripe citrus
Fresh apple/crunchy pear notes
Light autolytic aromas + flavors
Not particularly age-worthy/better drunk young

Vintage

Dry
High acid
Mature citrus
Bruised apple/pear notes
Medium to pronounced autolytic aromas + flavors
Honey
Caramel
Mushrooms
Extremely age-worthy/benefits from extended bottle aging

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What is the minimum requirement of lees aging for non-vintage Champagne?

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12 months

What is the climate of Catalunya?

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Warm

How do the grapes destined for sparkling wine in Catalunya, which has a warm climate, retain their acidity?

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Grapes are harvested early.

Generally, which has more pronounced autolytic aromas + flavors, NV Champagne or NV Cava?

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NV Champagne

Cava spends less time on its lees than Champagne, which translates to less pronounced autolytic aromas in the final wine.

**Where in Spain** is the majority of Cava made?

northeastern Spain ## Footnote Most regions in Spain are allowed to produce Cava, but the majority of Cava is made in Catalunya in northeastern Spain.

What **2 international grape varieties** are allowed in Spanish Cava and what do they add?

**Chardonnay and Pinot Noir** both add **acidity** and **fruit character** to Cava.

The majority of Cava is made by which kind of producer, **small, family-run businesses** or **big brands?**

**Big brands**, such as Freixenet ## Footnote Small producers work hard at crafting delicious, quality wines that punch above their weight. Producers to look for include Raventós, Avinyó, and Recaredo.

Besides Spain and France, name some **other countries and regions** make Traditional Method sparkling wine.

* South Africa * Australia * New Zealand * California * Oregon

What does the South African term **Méthode Cap Classique** indicate?

That the sparkling wine was made using **Traditional Method**.

Besides Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, what **other grape in South Africa** is widely used in Méthode Cap Classique?

Chenin Blanc

Most regions outside of Champagne receive more sunlight and are warmer in general than Champagne. What **fruit profile** would you expect these regions to express in their wines?

**Riper** and more **ample fruit aromas + flavors**. ## Footnote Note that in these warmer regions the grapes are grown in the coolest spots possible to help retain acidity and freshness.

# Fill in the blank: The sparkling winemaking method best for aromatic grape varieties is \_\_\_\_\_\_.

Tank Method ## Footnote This is because it avoids autolytic aromas + flavors; autolysis is not beneficial for aromatic grapes.

Which technique is more **cost effective**, Traditional Method or the Tank Method?

**Tank Method** ## Footnote The Tank Method is more cost effective because the wine undergoes secondary fermentation in large tanks instead of individual bottles, and filtration and disgorgement are done in mechanized, big batches.

What is **Asti method?**

It's a **variation of the Tank Method.** ## Footnote It starts with grape juice (not a dry base wine) and produces sweet, low alcohol sparkling wines.

What **Italian region** does Asti DOCG come from?

**Piedmont** in northwest Italy.

**What grape** goes into Asti DOCG?

100% Moscato

Asti DOCG wines are **fully sparkling** or **gently sparkling**?

**Fully** sparkling

Compare **Tank Method** and **Asti Method** - what style of wine results from each method?

**_Tank Method_** * Starts with dry, low alcohol, high acid base wine * Dry base wine goes through secondary fermentation in sealed tank, where bubbles are created and captured * Once secondary fermentation complete, wine is filtered off its lees and bottled under pressure * Final sparkling wine ~11-12% abv and dry **_Asti Method_** * Starts with grape juice + yeast put into tank to initiate fermentation, and bubbles allowed to escape * Partly through fermentation tank is sealed to capture the CO₂ being created * Yeasts filtered out before fermentation is complete leaving residual sugar in the wine * Final sparkling wine ~8% abv and off-dry/sweet

Where does **Prosecco DOC** come from?

**Veneto** in northeast Italy.

What **method** is typically used for Prosecco DOC?

Tank Method

What is the **grape** used to make Prosecco DOC?

Glera

What are the **styles** in which Prosecco DOC is typically made?

* Dry * Off-dry

Why is **Glera (Prosecco DOC)** made using Tank Method?

Glera is a **semi-aromatic grape** ## Footnote Semi-aromatic and aromatic grapes produce better sparkling wines that show off their fruitiness (rather than autolytic compounds via Traditional Method).

What **labeling law** is common between Champagne and Cava regarding their PDO status?

Neither **Champagne nor Cava** has to have its PDO/DO/AOC status on the label. ## Footnote On their labels you will see just "Champagne" or "Cava".

What is the **name of the process** when you manipulate and encourage dead yeast cells into the neck of the bottle by gradually turning bottles from their sides until they are fully upside down on their crown cap?

Riddling ## Footnote Today many sparkling wine houses use gyropalettes, which hold 504 bottles, to riddle their wines instead of doing it by hand.

What is the **name of the process** that removes the yeast-sediment plug that collected in the neck of a Traditional Method bottle of sparkling wine as a result of riddling?

Disgorgement ## Footnote The neck of the bottle is frozen so the plug is a solid mass, the crown cap is removed, and the CO₂pressure that built up inside the bottle is so strong it forces out the yeast plug.

What is the **liqueur d'expédition**?

The **final dosage made up of wine** and (usually) a bit of sugar which tops up a bottle of Traditional Method wine to replace any wine that was lost during disgorgement.

What does **the final dosage** (liqueur d'expédition) do besides top up the bottle?

Dictates the **final sweetness level** of the wine. ## Footnote The more sugar in the dosage, the sweeter the final wine will be, e.g. Demi-Sec will be more sweet than Brut.

How are **Traditional Method** and **Tank Method** bottles usually enclosed?

With a **thick mushroom cork** and **wire cage**.

Describe the subsequent steps a base wine goes through for **Traditional Method** after primary fermentation has occurred.

1. **Base wine + yeast + sugar placed in individual bottles** to kickstart secondary fermentation * CO₂ and ~1.5% alcohol created 2. **Dead yeast cells (lees) start to break down**, after secondary fermentation is completed, a process called autolysis * autolytic flavors include bread, biscuit, toast * the longer the wine ages on the lees, the more the autolytic flavors intensify 3. **Riddling** * move dead yeast cells into neck of bottle by turning bottles from sides to upside down 4. **Disgorgement** * bottle neck is plunged into freezing liquid to solidify yeast sediment * crown cap removed to allow yeast plug out 5. **Dosage** * bottle topped up with wine and, most of the time, sugar which determines final sweetness 6. **Reseal bottle**

Sparkling Wines Flashcards

Learn how to sparkling wine is made from grape to glass, the difference between bottle-fermented and tank-fermented wines, and important regions for both styles. (50 cards)