There is one drink that comes to mind when a celebration is at hand. Champagne! Its tiny bubbles always indicate a special occasion is eminent, but more recently, folks have begun to celebrate the smallest occasions for an excuse to drink some sparkling wine.

 

           First, some clarification on Champagne. It may only be called: Champagne, if it is made in the Champagne region of France. It is a rule designated by the European Union who is in charge of such decisions in order to retain the integrity of the products coming out of the country. All other “bubbly” is technically:sparkling wine.

 

           How is sparkling wine made? Good question. Sparkling wine is a category of wine and differs from all others in its production. Sparkling wine, domestic or foreign is usually made from Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier grapes. Occasionally Pinot Gris will be added. Some varieties are made from Chardonnay only.

 

Each winemaker will have their own processes and procedures for making sparkling wine, but for the most part it begins the same as white wine. When the proper point is reached, the winemaker then bottles the wine and begins a secondary fermentation inside the bottle. This process is called: methode champenoise. The winemaker adds a small amount of yeast (sur lees, or on the yeast) and sugar to each bottle, and the yeast begins to eat the sugar. The waste products of this process are alcohol and carbon dioxide, or bubbles. Usually during fermentation, the carbon dioxide dissipates into the air and is not an included part of the finished product.

 The wine goes through its primary fermentation in tanks like these. It may take several months for the primary fermentation to complete before the secondary takes place.

           Sparkling wine includes these bubbles as a part of the appeal of the wine. Sparkling wine then goes through a process called: riddling. This is after the yeast and sugar has been added and the secondary fermentation begins. The bottles are placed in special racks with the corks pointing down at a 45º angle. Nowadays, the racks are automated but before, there was a person designated as a remuer that would manually shake the bottles. This machine will gently shake at pre-designated periods to shake the yeast into the neck portion of the bottle. For the final period of riddling the bottles will be straight up and down. Finally, the necks are frozen and then disgorged by removing the cap and allowing the plug of yeast to be shot out. Then, a small amount of wine is added to top it off and the bubbles are now a part of the wine until it is opened!

 

 

Pics courtesy of world wide web

Modern riddling racks

Old-style racks

           There are 3 types of sparkling wine that can be differentiated by their production methods.

 

· The most inexpensive form is the style in which C0/2 or, carbon dioxide is injected into each bottle of wine. The bubbles will usually dissipate quickly and can be large in appearance. Very inexpensive sparkling wines are made in this manner.

· Charmat method: This is done by injecting carbon dioxide into a large vat of wine at one time and then bottling. The bubbles will be smaller than a traditional sparkling wine, but will probably last longer than the 1st method mentioned.

· methode champenoise: This is the most time consuming, and difficult method. Sparkling wines made in this method will tend to be more expensive due to the time and care that goes into their production. The bubbles in this bubbly are achieved by secondary fermentation within the bottle, and are usually longer-lasting than the others.

           When you enter the store to pick up some sparkling wine, you may be overwhelmed by all the different identifications/designations on the label. The following designations will indicate how much residual sugar is left in the wine and can tell you if it’s going to taste more “dry” or “sweet”.

· Extra Brut or Brut Sauvage: Completely dry

· Brut: Dry

· Extra Dry: Medium dryness

· Sec: Slightly sweet

· Demi Sec: Moderate sweetness

· Doux: Sweet

 

The above terms will help you select a wine to your taste. There are a few others that you may see in your search:

 

· Asti: A sweet, sparkling wine. This will be seen on a bottle from Italy.

· Moscato d’ Asti: A sweet sparkling wine made from the Moscato grape.

· Spumante: Italian term for sparkling wine.

· Prosecco: Popular sparkling wine made from a grape of the same name.

· Cava: This is a variety of sparkling wine made in Spain. It should be a red wine.

· Sekt: German for sparkling wine.

· Blanc de Noirs: White, sparkling wine made from red wine grapes. (Pinot Noir/Pinot Meunier)

· Blanc de Blancs: White, sparkling wine made only from Chardonnay grapes.

· Vintage: Sparkling wine made from grapes of the same year. Non-vintage would be made from mixed years.

 

 

            

 

 

 

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