Explore types of sparkling wine here. [ ? ]Subscribe To This Site Types Of Sparkling Wine There are many types of sparkling wine produced in several different countries of the world. They are made from a variety of grapes and with different production processes. The characteristic all sparkling wines have in common is the presence of bubbles, or that fizzy appearance and taste we associate with effervescent wine. The bubbles come from carbon dioxide that forms in the bottle during fermentation. There is more than one fermentation process that will create a sparkling wine. Throughout the world, different wine makers will use their preferred production method and/or those required by the laws of their individual region. France The most well known type of sparkling wine is Champagne. Champagne (with a capital “c”) is produced only in the region of Champagne in France. By law, it can only be made with Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier grapes. Much to France's annoyance, United States producers can legally call their sparkling wines "champagne" even though they are not produced in France. On a label in the United States, champagne must begin with a small "c" and the sparkling wine's geographic origin and production methods must be listed.

Some other regions of France also produce sparkling wines, most notable the Loire Valley where the sparkling wines are referred to as Cremant. Italy Italy's sparkling wine is called Asti. Many of us remember Asti Spumante, as it was once called. Asti in the Italian wine region of Piedmont and is made with the Moscato grape. Spain The Spanish wine region of Catalonia produces their well respected Cava sparkling wine. At one time it was referred to as Spanish Champagne, but that is no longer legal. Cava is made with several different grapes including the traditional Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes, only legally allowed in the past 30 years. United States United States produces several types of sparkling wine. In addition to Domaine Chandon, several French champagne producers have set up shop in the US, including Domaine Chandon and Tattinger in Napa Valley, and Roederer in Mendocino. Most now use the traditional champagne grapes of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, plus Pinot Blanc. United States producers Andre, Cooks, and Totts make less expensive sparkling wines using a more cost effective production process.

Germany and Austria Germany and Austria produce the little known Sekt. Sekt is made with Riesling, Pinot Blanc, and Pinot Gris grapes in Germany and Welschriesling and Gruner Vetliner grapes in Austria. Next time you have something to celebrate, we hope you’ll enjoy one of the types of sparkling wine you’ve learned about here. Wine Picks Infographics Apps & Quizzes Etiquette DIY Travel Longform Join Learn About Sparkling Wines Like Champagne, Prosecco & Cava We’ve all tasted sparkling wine, at the very least around the holidays or when celebrating a special occasion, yet many of us have no idea what the difference is between wines such as Champagne, Cava and Prosecco—or how they even get the bubbles into the wine in the first place. Let us explain. There are many legends of how sparkling wine came to be created, but the myth we like best is the story of Monk Dom Perignon. Sparkling wine is a carbonated wine, a wine that has bubbles, which usually takes on the name associated with the region or country specific to where the wine originated .

The carbonation in sparkling wine is created using one of two methods: Méthode Champenoise (Champagne method) or Metodo Italiano, which is also known as the Charmat-Martinotti method. There are many legends of how sparkling wine came to be created, but the myth we like best is the story of Monk Dom Perignon. As the story goes, in the 1600s the monk was making white wine in the Champagne region of France. He decided to bottle the wine he had fermented earlier than usual because, when he checked the fermentation tanks, it seemed to him that the yeast had finished converting all the sugar to alcohol. In fact, the temperature in the Champagne region had become so cold that the yeast in the tanks had simply gone to sleep, even though they weren’t done eating all the sugar. When the spring came and the wine in the bottles began to warm, the yeast woke up and hurriedly began eating all of the leftover sugar. As they ate the sugar, the carbon dioxide they were creating had no place to escape, as it would in a large fermentation tanks, so instead the CO2 was absorbed by the wine, thereby carbonating it.

When Dom Perignon went to check on his wine he encountered corks popping all around him; he tasted the wine and loved the results, thus the birth of Champagne. Since the discovery of the Champagne method, which is often called the traditional method, Champagne has exploded across the world, quickly becoming the most well-known and highly regarded sparkler. While the story of Dom Perignon is a myth, and we’re pretty sure it isn’t true, it is an excellent way to explain the Champagne method. Using this method, Perignon “discovered” that a secondary fermentation in the bottle could be used to create the bubbles we associate with a sparkling wine. Since the discovery of the Champagne method, which is often called the traditional method, Champagne has exploded across the world, quickly becoming the most well-known and highly regarded sparkler. It is for this reason that most other wine regions adopted the method as the way to make sparkling wine, including Spanish Cava. So if the majority of sparkling wine is made using the Champagne method, why don’t we call all sparkling wine Champagne? As you might expect, the French are pretty territorial over the name , allowing only sparkling wine that is actually made in the Champagne region of France to be called Champagne.

Just as Kleenex wouldn’t like it if a rival brand referred to their tissue as a Kleenex, the French hate it when wine that is not from Champagne is called Champagne. This why we had the creation of the name Cava to refer to sparkling wines from Spain. For a long time the Spanish referred to their products as Champagne, knowing that consumers’ familiarity with the name as a quality sparkling wine would benefit their sales, but the French cried foul, and lobbied the EU to forbid any other country from using the name Champagne unless it comes from that region in France. Sparkling wine has four levels of sweetness. The level of sweetness of the wine will be printed directly on the bottle. These levels are: Extra-Brut: This is the driest kind of sparkling wine you can buy. In this type of sparkler, the yeast has eaten absolutely all of the sugar, so there is a complete absence of it in the wine. Brut: This is the most popular type of sparkling wine. The wine is dry, but there is just a hint of sweetness. In this sparkler, the winemaker stopped the fermentation process just before the yeast ate all of the sugar, leaving a tiny amount behind in the wine.

Champagne is the most common sparkler to be labeled Brut. Extra Dry: This type of sparkler is dry, but not as dry as Brut or Extra-Brut, meaning it retains a slight sweetness. It’s not sugary sweet, although they are noticeably sweeter than Brut wines. Prosecco is most often Extra Dry. Demi-sec: This is a sweet sparkling wine. One would usually drink Demi-sec with desert, as there is a prevalent amount of noticeable sugar. While it’s the best known method for making sparkling wine, the Champagne method takes time and can be very expensive, as you have to allow the wine time to ferment in the tank and then again in each individual bottle for a minimum of fifteen months. Looking for a faster and cheaper way to create quality sparkling wine, Frenchman Eugene Charmat and, separately in Italy, Federico Martinotti discovered what is now known as the Charmat-Martinotti method. In this method, the wine is transferred from its first fermentation vat to a large sealed pressurized tank where it undergoes secondary fermentation to create the carbonation. Then the carbonated wine is bottled and shipped to market. This is how all Italian Prosecco is made.

The real difference between the Charmat-Martinotti method and the Champagne method is the ultimate taste of the wine. Wines in the Charmat-Martinotti method tend to be younger and fruitier while wines made using the Champagne method are often drier and less fruity. Keep Reading About Sparkling Wines Cava History - Spanish Sparkling Wine Updated August 23, 2016. The History of Cava, Spanish Sparkling Wine Champagne was the first sparkling wine and it is arguably the most famous in the world. However, only wines made in the Champagne region of France may be called Champagne nowadays. Spain produces many fine sparkling wines, called cava after the cellars in which the wine is produced. Many Spaniards may call this wine champán colloquially, but they are not allowed to officially label the wines this way-- despite the fact that these wines are made in the “méthode champenoise” or “Champagne method,” which is the same method that is used to make Champagne.

Josep Raventós Fatjó of the Codorníu estate is said to have been the first to produce wine made in this method in Sant Sadurní d’Anoia, (Cataluña,) Spain in 1872. He was so happy with the wine he made, that he ordered a cool cellar or cava dug in order to produce more sparkling wine. In a few short years , the family introduced their first bottles of cava to the public. continue reading below our video How to Turn Leftover Summer Produce into Jam It was an instant success, particularly with high society. Soon, sparkling wines from the Codorníu estate were being sent to the Spanish royal family. Today, thousands of visitors tour the Codorníu winery and cellars in Sant Sadurní d’Anoia in Cataluña. Besides Codorníu, there are hundreds of cava wine producers in the area south of Barcelona called Penedés. The other major sparkling wine producer which comes to mind immediately is Freixenet, pronounced “fresh-eh-net.” It's famous for its “cordon negro” product, a cava in a matte black bottle with gold writing.

How Cava is Produced High-quality sparkling wines, including cava and French champagne contain bubbles of carbon dioxide. How do the bubbles get there? First, the grapes are harvested and a white wine is produced. Several types of wine may be blended. Three grape varieties native to Spain are Xarello, Macabeo and Parellada. Tirajo is the second step - The bottle is filled with the blended wine, then a syrupy mixture of yeast and sugars is added, called licor de tirajo. The yeast will cause the secondary fermentation to occur in the bottle. At this stage, the bottled wine is then transferred to the cellar with a temporary stopper. The Second Fermentation is next – The yeasts convert the sugar to carbon dioxide. This second fermentation and bottle aging occurs in the bottle and lasts for nine months at a temperature between 55 and 59 degrees Fahrenheit. During the second fermentation/aging, the bottles are turned occasionally. This process is called remuage and in some wineries, this is still done by hand. This turning of the bottles causes the residue from the yeast to collect in the neck of the wine bottle.

The neck of the bottle is then frozen, which forces the sediment out and the bottle is re-corked immediately. Grades or Qualities of Cava In 1991 EU (European Union) legal specifications were implemented to make sure that there was a consistent quality standard for Cava and at the same time, the EU recognized the origin of cava. However, there are very few producers of cava outside Cataluña. A star with four-points is printed on the base of the cork of any true cava. The six official types are as follows, depending on the sugar content: Extra Brut – 0-6 grams of sugar per liter, the driest of the cava Brut – 0-15 grams of sugar per liter Extra Seco – 12-20 grams of sugar per liter Seco – 17-35 grams of sugar per liter Semi-Seco – 33-50 grams of sugar per liter Dulce – More than 50 grams of sugar per liter, the sweetest of the cava Buying Cava Fortunately for those of us living in the USA, it is easy to find in almost any large grocery store.

Prices of high-quality Spanish cava are very favorable, in comparison to French Champagne or California sparkling wine! In general, the more expensive, the drier the cava. The less expensive cava is much sweeter. If you read the label on the less expensive bottles, you'll see that it is probably Semi-Seco. Three brands of Spanish cava that you are likely to see in the store are: Codorníu – As we mentioned, the oldest and largest cava producer, with a variety of products available. If you are looking for something special, the company recently released a new product Gran Reserva Gran Codorníu, which according to the legal definition of a Gran Reserva has spent 30 months in the bottle. Freixenet – Again, a large cava producer, with a variety of products available. Although you may see their Carta Nevada Semi-Seco product in stores, in a clear glass bottle, the most popular (and higher quality) is the dramatic-looking Cordon Negro, which is a Brut cava and comes in a black bottle, with gold lettering on a black label.

Also sold in a black bottle, but with silver accents is the Gran Cordon Negro, a Brut cava and a bit better quality. Segura Viudas – is a relative new-comer. The winery was established in 1950 and sold their first wines publicly in 1959. They produce a variety of sparkling wines, their premier product being Reserva Heredad, which is sold in a bottle with a highly decorative metal ring around the bottom of the bottle and a metal crest on the side. This is a good quality cava and a nice holiday gift, as well. Enjoying Cava Spanish drink lots of cava during the holidays, especially at Christmas Eve Dinner , La Noche Buena and New Year’s Eve, La Noche Vieja. It is generally drunk after dinner and paired with Spanish sweets , such as turrón . We recommend that you put the bottle of cava in the freezer or an ice chest filled with ice and bring out each bottle only when you are ready to drink it.

(If you put bottles in the freezer, make sure not to forget about them or they will explode and you will have a sticky mess to clean up!) Cava should be served very cold to really enjoy it – about 46 to 48 degrees Fahrenheit. Serve in chilled flute champagne glasses so that the bubbles last longer, since they must travel farther before they break the surface. Place the glasses in the freezer for at least a half-hour before you will use them. Chilled glasses help to keep the cava cold. As you are sipping your Spanish Cava this Holiday season, make a toast as the Spanish do with a resounding… ¡Próspero Año Nuevo!, to a Prosperous New Year! sparkling wine Definition and Meaning - Dictionary Central Definition Wine wine with bubbles of carbon dioxide . Sparkling wines are produced worldwide. The most famous is Champagne from France; Spain has its Cava wines, Germany its Sekt and Italy its Asti spumante, and Prosecco.

In Portugal Sogrape produces Mateus Rosé; in New Zealand Lindauer and Selak are known for their good-quality sparkling wines, and in Australia Seaview and many others including Seppelt, BRL Hardy , Petaluma and domaine Chandon called green Point in the UK Among the notable producers in the US is California’s Anderson Valley. There are several different ways of producing sparkling wine, and practice varies according to the quality of wine and the country of origin.

These are: the traditional méthode champenoise , in which a dosage (a mixture of sugar, water or wine and yeast) is added to still white wine just before bottling to cause a second fermentation to take place in the bottle, creating carbon dioxide as a by-product; the largely superseded méthode rurale , in which the fermenting wine is cooled to almost stop fermentation before bottling and then warmed slightly to restart the fermentation in the bottle (the méthode dioise and the méthode gaillacoise are local variants of this); the transfer method , which is similar to the traditional méthode champenoise, except that the finished sparkling wine is filtered in a pressurised container to remove the sediment from the second fermentation; the Charmat or bulk process , which takes place entirely in a pressurised container; finally, the injection of carbon dioxide gas from a canister into the wine under pressure, which is used to produce the cheapest variety of sparkling wine. Nearby Definitions of “sparkling wine” Sparkling Wine Names - Wine Ponder Sparkling Wine Names Wine Instructions Do you know your sparklers? Sparkling wine names – or denominations – are designated based on the wine’s country of origin.

Depending on your location, you may refer to sparkling wines as Champagne, Spumante, or just… sparkling wine. This nomenclatural war started in the Champagne province of France where local winemakers (with the help of the French government) put up a big fuss about their fizz. See what I did there? ; ) Champagne has been legally protected under a European treaty that happened in 1891 in Madrid (Spain). The protection was reaffirmed in the Treaty of Versailles after World War I and adopted by over 70 countries. They all signed agreements with Europe that limit the use of the term “Champagne” to only those products produced in the Champagne region. The Champagne winemaking community has developed a comprehensive set of rules and regulations for all wine produced in the region to protect its economic interests. Those are some extremely intricate requirements that also regulates winemaking procedures within the Champagne region itself! They include varietals, pruning, vineyard yield, the degree of pressing, and the time that wine must remain on its lees before bottling. It can also limit the release of Champagne to market to maintain prices. Only when a wine meets these requirements may it be labelled Champagne.

One thing is for sure, it doesn’t regulate how we choose to call it. So we can use whatever name we want! The outside label may say something different, but the inside is universally pure bubble magic! However, for those who decide to call it what it really is, I just put together a list of sparkling wine denominations based on their country of production. • Italy : Spumante (sparkling in Italian), but also Franciacorta, Trento DOC, Oltrepò Pavese Metodo Classico and Asti, when the wine is from southeastern Piedmont and particularly focused around the towns of Asti and Alba. Prosecco is another Italian sparkling wine (dry or extra dry) made from Glera (the grape formerly known as “Prosecco”). Although the name is derived from that of the Italian village of Prosecco near Trieste, DOC Prosecco is produced in the regions of Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia.

• Portugal : Espumante (sparkling in Portuguese) • Spain : Cava (digging in Spanish) • South Africa : Cap Classique, which refers to the method of making sparkling wine by creating a second fermentation in the bottle (similar to the “Méthode Champenoise” aka traditional method). The term Cap Classique has been used in South Africa since 1992. • France : Champagne, which refers to the AOC (Appelation d’Origine Contrôlée) and the worldwide famous region of France. The Champenois vigorously defend use of the term “Champagne”. They are notoriously proud and protective of their heritage. Consequently, other regions of France are subject to the same restricting laws. Regions like Burgundy, Alsace and the Loire Valley came up with their own designations: Crémant (creamy) for those using the “Méthode Champenoise” and Mousseux (foamy) for the others. • United States : other than a few slang words for sparkling wines, the U.S. is poor in Champagne wine designations.

We sometimes refer to it as a bubbly, champansky, fizz, champer or champy, made “famous” by a line in Lady Sovereign’s song ‘Love Me or Hate Me’. I think it’s time we find something better and classier for our local sparklers! • German, Austrian, and Czech : Sekt (sparkling wine in German) • Hungary : Pezsgő (sparkling wine in Hungarian) • Soviet Union : Sovetskoye Shampanskoye (I have no idea what that means…) CHAMPAGNE TIPS: Opening Champagne bottles – Depending on the ambient temperature, there may be a lot of pressure inside the bottle. It is always a good idea to keep your hand on the cork at all time while removing the foil and the muselet (the wire cage that fits over the cork). Also, do not stand directly above the bottle… Corks travel at speeds of up to 65 mph upon leaving the neck of the bottle. I’m just saying. To reduce the risk of spilling or spraying any Champagne (not that there’s anything wrong with that), open the Champagne bottle by holding the cork and rotating the bottle at an angle in order to ease out the stopper.

This method, as opposed to pushing the cork out, prevents the cork from flying out of the bottle at speed. That said, I always let the cork fly out when the party is outside. If it is a family reunion, let the kids go on a cork hunt, and whoever finds the lost cork gets a prize ; ) A sabre can be used to open a Champagne bottle with great ceremony. This technique is called “sabrage” – the term is used for simply breaking the head of the bottle. Pouring Champagne – Pouring sparkling wine while tilting the glass at an angle and gently sliding in the liquid along the side will preserve the most bubbles, as opposed to pouring directly down to create a head of “mousse”. Colder bottle temperatures also result in reduced loss of gas. The Types of Sparkling Wine That Are Not Champagne The Best Sparkling Wines in the World (Not Named Champagne) Upgrade your next dinner party, gift basket, or date night with our free wine label printables . Posted on February 20, 2012 by Laina McConnell To call a sparkling wine “Champagne” simply means that it was produced in France’s Champagne region (which is how it derives its name).

However, there are numerous wines produced outside of France that utilize the same fermentation processes. Though many may taste nearly identical to Champagne, these wines must be called “sparkling wines” simply because they are not the exclusive products of the Champagne region. When exploring the vast world of non-Champagne, sparkling wines, remember these bits of wisdom: the thing is not the thing named, and a rose by any other name would smell as sweet. It is unwise to dismiss a wine simply because it bears a label denoting a place of origin other than the Champagne region. In fact, comparing the types of sparkling wines from around the globe can be exciting! The biggest sparkling wine producing countries in the world are France, Germany, Spain, Italy, the United States, and Russia. But big doesn’t mean best – let’s explore some favorites… Portugal “Espumante” is a Portuguese sparkling wine. While the many well-known varieties are made in the country’s Vinho Verde region, Espumante is produced all throughout Portugal, even in the southern region known for its extreme, unstable temperatures.

The most prized Espumantes often come from the Bairrada region, and from the Távora-Varosa wine region located in the northwestern section of the Beiras region. Spain Predominately produced in Catalonia, home to the magnificent architecture of Gaudi, a champion of Catalan Modernism, “Cava” is a white or pink sparkling wine often made from Parellada, Xarel-lo, and Viura grapes (with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir only recently allowed to be used as well). The most recognized names of its producers are Cordoniu and Freixenet. According to Spanish law, Cava must be made according to the “traditional method” meaning that the wine’s second fermentation process must occur in the bottle. Australia While known for their domination of the sparkling Shiraz market (Yes, that is a sparkling RED wine), Australia’s cooler areas (like Tasmania and Victoria) have been producing wines much similar to Champagne for several years. The Yarra Valley in Victoria, the picturesque Pyrenees mountains, and the Tasmanian Pinot Noir region have successfully grown quality Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier grapes for just such purposes.

They say the smaller the bubbles in your sparkler, the better quality the wine. And how many bubbles are in a bottle? One scientist suggested 49 million! Romania Most of the country’s sparkling wines are produced in the Romanian county of Panciu, which lies on the Susita river, in southern Moldavia. Its famous Panciu Cellars, dating back to the era of Stephen the Great and Saint (1457-1504), are legendary, as are its wines. Romania is one of the top 5 wine producers in Europe, and one of the top 10 in the world. When you try a good Romanian wine, you will easily understand why. Popular Romanian sparklers include those made by Zarea, and Angelli. Italy Prosecco grapes are used to make “Prosecco” in the Veneto region of Italy. Often intended as a casual drink for refreshment, its name conjures images of pleasant Venetian ease, and creative exploration in art, music, and architecture. It is found in “fully sparkling” (spumante) and “lightly sparkling” (frizzante) varieties.

These are but a handful of areas currently sharing the gift of sparkling wine with the world; there are many, many more! Be aware in your journeys, and see what sparkling wine discoveries you can make for yourself! The Best Sparkling Wines in the World (Not Named Champagne) A Guest Writer Related About the Author Laina McConnell is a wine enthusiast, world traveler, and writer for Classic Journeys , an adventure travel company that specializes in culinary tours throughout the world. Classic Journeys has been named one of the Best Adventure Travel Companies by National Geographic Adventure Magazine. Slow Down. Live a Life You Love. Download our FREE worksheet to learn how: * Wine 101: Sparkling Wines Sparkling Wines ... save the bubbles ... Wines with bubbles are associated, for many people, primarily with festivities and celebrations. More precious and complicated to make than still wines, they have traditionally been considered as occasional extravagances. With higher acidity, more delicate flavor, their unique palate tingle and lower alcohol than most table wines, they are, however, some of the most versatile wines to accompany food. Modern production techniques have brought sparkling wines to market that are more affordable and accessible for everyday enjoyment.

Bubbles in wine were known to vintners long before they could reliably capture and preserve this phenomenon in the bottle. As a natural by product of the fermentation process, carbon dioxide is released in the liquid to provide a "sparkle." In the Northern climates, cold weather sometimes arrives early after harvest, stopping fermentation before the sugar is completely used up. Warm weather in the spring often causes it to start up again, resulting in carbonated wine. The English imported wine in casks. They found also that adding sugar to tart, acidic wine would often soon cause it to sparkle and they developed a liking for it. English bottles were much stronger than those in France and not as inclined to burst when the pressure built up. Early success making sparkling wines in the French district of Champagne made its name famous, so much so that "champagne" has become generic for sparkling wine, to the eternal aggravation of the resident producers. 1 The Champagne Appellation has some of the strictest, most exacting standards for growing, producing and labeling of any area in all the wine world. Cheap American brands have long copied the Champagne name, while ignoring its quality standards and avoiding its exacting methods.

Producers of quality American sparkling wine, however, often emulate the standards and apply the traditional production methods, while, out of respect and in deference, they leave the Champagne name to the originals. The European Union continues to support and enforce protecting the Champagne name. The EU established and agreement with Australia to replace "Champagne" with "Australian Sparkling Wine" starting September 1, 2001. In January, 2008, Belgian customs agents destroyed 270 cases of California sparkling wine destined for Nigeria because it was labeled "André Champagne." 2 BASIC RULES of CHAMPAGNE (since 1927) 1. Growing Area: Champagne Appellation includes less than 78,000 acres of vines (although expansion is currently under consideration) 2. Cépage: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir & Pinot Meunier only. 3. Viticulture: specifies vine spacing (between rows), vine density (between plants), vine height, pruning, and grape yields. 4. Harvest: by hand only, no machine-picking. 5.

Bottle Age: 15 months minimum for non-vintage; 3 years for vintage, before release. The Méthode Champenoise involves many specialized steps in both viticulture and enology has taken centuries to evolve, through the contributions of scores of inventors, innovators, and workers, both famous and nameless. Modernization and refinement of the "traditional" sparkling wine process continues to this day, although its beginnings are in antiquity. Around the 1690s, a Benedictine monk named Dom Perignon made some very significant developments as cellar master at the Abbey of Hautvillers in Epernay. His celebrated remark "I am drinking stars" brought him great fame, but Dom Perignon did not, in fact, "invent" Champagne. There is even a possibility he may have uttered his phrase, not out of jubilation, but rather from remorse. It is fairly certain that Frere Perignon long attempted to find a way to remove or prevent the bubbles, before he accepted and embraced them. His innovations were probably initiated towards this end. Dom Perignon's contributions did provide the early impetus to eventually develop modern Champagne.

He had the idea to harvest selectively, over a period of days rather than all at once, so that only the ripest fruit was taken with each pass. He also is credited with inventing the Coquard or "basket" wine press and using it to make the first "Blanc de Noir." Another of his major developments was to blend wines of different vineyards and varieties to achieve better balance between their individual characteristics. He was an excellent taster and his cuvée system is still followed closely to this day by the house of Moêt & Chandon to produce their finest Champagne. Finally, although corks had already been used by the Romans as closures for wine bottles, and the seagoing and trading English had corks and made sparkling wine several decades earlier than the landlocked Champagne area, Dom Perignon has been credited with the idea of using string to secure these stoppers in the bottles, thus retaining the sparkle for long periods of time. Methode Champenoise Methode Champenoise would not be as we know it without the significant developments and improvements made by many persons during the Nineteenth Century, including Jean-Antoine Chaptal (quantified the proper amount of sugar to set the alcoholic strength, c.

1801), Madame Nicole-Barbe Clicquot (inventor of riddling and dégorgement, c. 1810), Jules Guyot (pioneer of planting vines in rows, training vines onto trellises, and pruning methods, c. 1835) Adolphe Jacquesson (inventor of the muselet, the wire cage/metal cap 3 contraption that retains sparkling wine corks, c. 1844), and more. Cuvée The only varietals allowed for (French) Champagne are Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier, and Pinot Noir. Blanc de Blancs on labels designates white wine made only from white (green) grapes; Blanc de Noirs is white or sometimes faintly pink wine made only from black (red) grapes. Rosé Champagne may be made by blending a small amount of red wine into a white wine base, but the finest are made by crushing the red grapes into a tank briefly to extract a bit of color prior to separating the juice from the pigment-containing skins, along with the pulp and seeds, by pressing.

The grape harvest for sparkling wine is always early in the season compared to the picking of still wines. Picking when sugars are relatively low keeps the alcohol low, since secondary fermentation will boost it later. Also, the youthful acids help to preserve the wine over the long course of its development. Except for those destined to be made into Rosé, the grapes are pressed immediately, by-passing the crushing equipment, to avoid both oxidation and color in the wine. Initial fermentation takes place most often in stainless steel tanks, although many varieties of container, from concrete vats to redwood tanks, are used. After the usual period of three weeks or more, when all of the natural grape sugar has been converted to alcohol, the wine is "dry." While the wine rests in a cold environment, solids and particles settle to the bottom. The clear wine on top is then racked or siphoned off the murky lees. Sometimes it is aged in oak barrels during or after this clarification and racking. The new wine is quite weak in flavor, very tart and low in alcohol. It may then be blended with stocks of older wine saved from previous vintages, to keep a consistent "house" style, or cuvée.

En Tirage At bottling, a small amount of sugar that has been dissolved in old wine, along with special yeast is added. This liqueur de tirage assures a uniform secondary fermentation in the bottles. Until the application of three scientific contributions, making sparkling wine could be more dangerous than making bombs. The proper amount of sugar to add for balanced wine was quantified by Jean-Antoine Chaptal in 1801; Pharmacist André François invented, in 1836, a way to measure the remaining amount of sugar in wine; and Pasteur explained the fermentation process in 1857. Some producers now insert a small plastic reservoir, called a bidule, which later aids in collecting and removing the sediment. After closing with cork-lined metal crown caps, the bottles are stored on their sides in cool cellars while the yeast ferments the sugar, boosting the alcohol and producing the bubbles of carbon dioxide. At this point, the wine is only half made, although the wine will become complete and reach the consumer in this very same bottle. The cuvée is now en tirage. This phase may span from two to several years.

Meantime, the bottle stacks are observed for the inevitable breakage that occurs; flawed glass is sometimes unable to withstand the pressure that gradually increases to 100 pounds or more per square inch. Remuage During the secondary fermentation, sediments form from dead yeast and solids left behind during the initial clarification procedures. Consolidating the sediments for removal is another long process, known as remuage. This sediment is very fine, sludgy and sticky. Removing it from the bottle, without removing the wine, is a problem. Getting it to collect in the neck, near the opening, is the first step. In 1805, Nicole-Barbe Ponsardin Clicquot, became a young widow and head of a major Champagne house. Seeking assistance from gravity, she cut holes in her kitchen table, in order to invert the bottles. She found that shaking helped loosen the sediments, although some still stuck to the bottle bottoms. In 1810, she employed Antoine Muller and he improved the procedure by beginning with the bottle at a 45° angle, gradually increasing the angle with each shaking, until the bottom was up, the neck straight down.

Traditionally, the bottles are placed at a forty-five degree angle, necks-down, in specially built "A-frame" racks, called pupitres. An experienced worker grabs the bottom of each bottle, giving it a small shake, an abrupt back and forth twist, and a slight increase in tilt, letting it drop back in the rack. This action, called riddling, recurs every one to three days over a period of several weeks. The shaking and twist is intended dislodge particles that have clung to the glass and prevent the sediments from caking in one spot; the tilt and drop encourage the particles, assisted by gravity, to move ever more downward; the time in between riddlings allows the particles to settle out of solution again. Computer-automated machines called Gyropalettes accomplish the riddling chore in batches, using movable bins containing hundreds of bottles rather than by the individual bottle. Invented in Spain, they became common in all sparkling wine producing countries the late 1970s. This mechanization has meant saving time, space and production cost for the producers. Hand riddling requires a minimum of eight weeks to complete; gyropalettes finish the task in under ten days.

While automation means that a bit of the romance of wine is lost for consumers, this application of modern technology compensates by increasing product consistency from bottle to bottle. Production cost savings also has allowed the introduction of traditional method sparkling wines into the lower price end of the market where formerly only bulk or mass-produced wines competed. Whether riddled by hand or machine, in the end, the bottles are standing nearly straight upside down, with the sediment now resting on the caps. Kept in this position, the bottles are transferred to bins where they are stored, necks down, until ready for shipping to market. The final operations that ready the wine for sale are removing the sediment formed during aging, topping up the contents, adjusting the sweetness level to the house style, replacing the crown caps with corks, wire hoods, and finally, applying foils and labels just before packing the bottles in cases for shipment. Dégorgement Removing the sediment from the bottles is a process called dégorgement, or disgorging. The bottle necks are dipped in a solution of freezing brine or glycol. This freezes a plug of wine and sediment in the top of the neck.

Skilled workers then invert each bottle as they uncap it, releasing a small amount of wine as the plug of frozen sediment flies out. The bottle is then topped up with a dosage of reserve wine, sweetened to the right amount for the determined style, also known as the liqueur d'expedition. Modern bottling lines accomplish these tasks mechanically with amazing speed and precision. Méthode Champenoise takes normally from two to five years to complete, depending on the house style. In addition to the normal smell and taste criteria of still wine, sparkling wine quality is judged by the size of the bubbles (smaller is better), their persistence (long-lasting is better) and their mouth feel (how well the bubbles are integrated into the wine and the relative smoothness or coarseness of their texture). Traditional disgorging at Schramsberg, 1977 ( click to enlarge ) Shortcuts to Bubbly Ends There are, in fact, other processes to put the sparkle in wine. Techniques have been developed that are very different and, many would argue, inferior to the Méthode Champenoise, based on sensory judgment.

Twentieth century technology brought, besides injected carbonation, the Charmat or "bulk" process, and the "transfer" process. Sparkling wine made by the transfer process, follows the same procedure as Méthode Champenoise, up to the point of bottling. The secondary fermentation does not take place in the actual bottle sold to the customer. The wine is bottled as would be for en tirage. However, after a short time following secondary fermentation, those fermentation bottles are emptied under pressure and the wine filtered into tanks. This replaces the rémuage, riddling, and dégorgement steps. The transferred wine is then bottled under pressure into a new set of bottles that are shipped to market. The French use only Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier, and Pinot Noir to produce Champagne. Many American producers of quality sparkling wines adhere to this list, although very little Meunier is grown here. Other sparkling wine producers worldwide can and do use anything from Thompson Seedless to various clones of Muscat. The Transfer Method, invented in Germany, does not have a proprietary name (possibly because no individual or commercial entity would claim it).

On wines sold in the United States, it is only announced by a deceptively subtle packaging regulation: the label statement "Fermented in this bottle" means Méthode Champenoise, whereas "Fermented in the bottle" refers to the transfer process ... so much for reading the fine print. Transfer is considerably less expensive and time-consuming than Méthode Champenoise. It begins much as Methode Champenoise up until aging en tirage, but after a short time in the bottles, they are emptied into a pressurized tank to be finished and bottled. The transfer method goes from harvest to bottling in as little as ninety days on up to one year. Proponents claim the transfer method produces a more consistent product from bottle to bottle; detractors say the process strips flavor elements, especially yeast flavors. In spite of this criticism, even genuine Champagne producers generally use the transfer method for any size bottle either smaller than 750 milliliter or larger than 1.5 liter. Eugene Charmat, a Frenchman, adopted a process in 1907, that was invented twelve years earlier by Federico Martinotti, an Italian.

Instead of individual bottles to produce the secondary fermentation, they used glass-lined pressure-capable tanks for the entire process. The wine stays under constant pressure in bulk, through the filtering and bottling process, which takes as little as ninety days from picking to bottling. For decades, Charmat was the popular term (because it sounds French?) for the Bulk Process in the United States. As Prosecco popularity and production have risen in the New Millennium, most recent references are now to the Italian Method. Both the transfer process and Italian method are time and money savers. There are knowledgeable wine critics who contend that the different manners of producing sparking wine can each produce equal quality product given the same fruit to begin with. These critics are in the minority and commercial attempts at high quality bulk process sparklers are few and far between, although Prosecco fans might take exception. Differences between the processes are readily noticeable in their end products. Both the transfer and bulk wines usually have larger, less-long-lasting bubbles. Méthode Champenoise bubbles are usually more integrated into the wine and longer lasting.

Also, because of the additional time Méthode Champenoise takes to clear the wine of sediment, the flavors of yeast autolysis (chemical breakdown) add complexity and a creaminess to the wine that is absent in the faster methods. SPARKLING WINE SWEETNESS What is Cava: Spanish Sparkling Wine | Wine Folly If you drink sub-$20 Champagne on New Year’s Eve, chances are it’s either Prosecco or Cava. So you’re probably wondering… What is Cava? Cava is Spanish sparkling wine. Cava is made the same way that Champagne is produced, but with different grapes. Let’s find out what Cava is and what makes it unique. You’ll be surprised to know that Cava is far closer to Champagne (in terms of taste) than Prosecco. If you’re looking for value bubbly, Cava might be your bag. A glass of Cava rosé is the perfect accompaniment with Iberican ham Monastrell (red) Taste the Difference of Cava Macabeu (aka called Viura in Rioja ) is the primary grape used in Cava production. Despite its importance, Macabeu tastes somewhat simple.

It has faint floral aromatics, a lemony flavor with a slightly bitter finish that tastes similar to green almonds. Xarel·lo (sounds like ‘Cheryl-ooh’) on the other hand, is much more aromatic with rich floral aromas and pear/melon-like notes. The last grape, Paralleda, is blended for its ripping high acidity and zesty citrus flavors. Together the three Spanish grapes create a balanced fruity sparkling wine that’s less sweet than Prosecco but not as nutty as Vintage Champagne . Is Cava sweet? No, not usually. Cava is far closer to a non-vintage Champagne or an American Sparkling wine. Let’s break down the styles of Cava: Learn how Cava is made Nutty and toasty Most people know Cava as a simple aperitif with zesty aromatics, but more producers are aging their wines. Vintage and Cava aged on the lees have incredible body with baked notes of apple and almond. Many of these prestige bottlings use Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes (the classic Champagne grapes ). While using French grapes doesn’t seem true to Spanish tradition, the wines make Champagne enthusiasts giggle with glee.

Learn More about Spanish Wine Check out all the Spanish wine regions and major Spanish wine varieties on this awesome map. See Spanish Wine Map Popular Cava Producers Cava DO (denominacion de origen) is the official classification of Cava. It can be produced throughout Spain but most Cava is made in Penedes (next to Barcelona) and in the Ebro River valley (in Rioja). There are now close to 200 producers registered with the Cava Consejo Regulador. What you see below is just a snapshot of many possibilities. a short list of decent producers of Cava sparkling wines How do the Spanish pull off high quality bubbles so cheaply? After visiting Jaume Serra just outside of Barcelona, we figured out how the Spanish can produce Cava so cheaply. They’ve fully adopted advanced mechanization in order to produce, store and bottle their Cava. Unmanned forklifts work tirelessly 24 hours a day to achieve high quality bubbles for sub-$10 retail It’s amazing if not a little creepy to see unmanned forklifts in perfect formation carefully collect, riddle and stack millions of bottles. The warehouse thunders with activity but there’s not a single human in sight.

Surprisingly, the wines are delicious. We are a lot closer to iRobot than you think. LIKE WINE FOLLY TO GET OUR TOP STORIES Do you like this post?

Question: The sparkling wine called cava originated in which country?
Answer: Spain