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20 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Production methods: Traditional method HARVEST |
- harvest by hand to ensure healthy, whole berries (minimizing phenolic extraction and oxidation) - lower must weights than still wines are desired (10.5-11%abv) - best sites are cool and best grapes don't deliver unripe green fruit flavours and have low levels of sugar and high acid - yield ist no one of the defining factors for quality - base wine cannot have faults since the bubbles magnify them |
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Production methods: Traditional method PRESSING |
- gentle pressing with minimal phenolics - pressing must happen asap after harvest - Champagne producers have press houses in their vineyards - whole bunch pressing provides channels for juice to escape (stems) - extraction is often limited by the law - vertical presses are used (in Champagne) or "thin layer" presses |
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Production methods: Traditional method FIRST FERMENTATION |
- usually rapid and warmer than most white wine fermentation - the esters produced by cool fermentation are not desirable - stainless steel is commonly used but oak vessels are favoured by fewer producers - MLF may be encouraged (excessive acidity) - maturation in stainless steel or barrel |
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Production methods: Traditional method BLENDING |
- true art of making sparkling wine - a large Champagne house may be able to use over a hundred different base wines - can include wines from different vintages, vineyards and grape varieties but also wines that have undergone MLF, been fermented or aged in oak, etc. - non-vintage blends are house style; vintage wines reflect character of the year - as soon as wine is blended, it undergoes cold stabilization to prevent tartrates from forming |
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Reserve wines |
- make the young SW easier to drink when young - provide mellowness, character and complexity - useful tool to keep consistency - may be kept in inert tanks or in magnums with tiny amounts of sugar and yeast to promote a slight petillance |
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Production methods: Traditional method SECOND FERMENTATION |
- called prise de mousse in French - sugar can come from beet, cane or grape base - base wine will be added to very strong, dark bottles - tirage (mixture of sugar & yeast) is added to encourage second fermentation - sugar is usually 24g/l to create an extra 1.2 - 1.3%abv alcoholic strength and 5-6 atmospheres after disgorgement - during prise de mousse the bottles are stored horizontally at 10-12C for 4-8 weeks - selected strains of yeast are used to deal with low temperature, low pH and alcohol and sulfur dioxide concentration - riddling agents (gelatine, bentonite, tannins) are added with yeast and sugar to make yeast slide down the bottle neck easier for disgorgement - the cooler it is the longer it takes - the longer it takes the more complex the resulting wine will be (between 10 days and 3 months) |
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Production methods: Traditional method LEES AGEING |
- minimum 9 months for most sparkling wines - minimum 15 months for non-vintage champagne - yeast autolysis creates toasty bread flavours and reduces risk of oxidation - the most obvious effect of lees autolysis seems to be only after 18 months |
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Yeast autolysis |
= lees ageing, enzymatic breakdown of yeast cells - takes several months to react with the wine's compounds - 12 months min. ageing on lees for Champagne is relatively short - more autolysis character can be obtained in vintage wines and prestige cuvée wines - most active: 18 months to 3 to 4 years after fermentation - related reactions will continue to take place after ten years: the better the wine, the longer it will benefit from autolysis - effects: enhances the structure, body and mouthfeel, increases aromatic complexity |
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Production methods: Traditional method RIDDLING |
- the timing of riddling is the second most important factor in SW production in determing quality and style - undertaken for cosmetic rather than oenological reasons (prevent wine from being cloudy) - known as remuage - was initially done by hand but is now mechanised with the gyropalette (504 bottles at a time) - mechanisation takes 3 days, by hand 6 weeks |
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Production methods: Traditional method DISGORGMENT & DOSAGE |
- done mechanically for speed and quality control - can be done by hand (à la voleé) - bottle neck is frozen so it forms a plug of yeast and ice - crown cap is removed and plug is released - bottle is topped up with dosage (or liqueur d'expedition = mixture of wine and sugar) and sealed with a champagne cork and wire cage - further period of ageing can allow better integration of dosage - many bigger producers use a method called jetting: a small dose of wine or bisulphate dissolved in water is inserted into the bottle before sealing neck to push out any oxygen - the longer the wine ages on its lees the less dosage it needs - typical dry SW will contain 5-12g/l residual sugar after dosage is added - for vintage wines, the dosage wine does not have to be from the same vintage |
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Production methods: Traditional method AGEING |
- continues life in an oxidative environment - Maillard reaction creates bisquity, patisserie aromas - the longer the wine was kept on its lees the faster it will age after disgorgement |
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Production methods: Transfer Method |
- known as Carstens in the US - same as traditional method up to and including lees ageing - wine incl. dead yeast deposit is chilled and transferred into a tank - when emptied into a tank after disgorgement it is called transversage - wine is clarified, dosage added, wine is bottled - used for Champagne larger than Jeroboams and most quarter bottles - wine loses some gas during the transfer - makes sense when there is no need for super premium pricing - likely to be abandoned as it has all disadvantages of traditional method but does not produce all its qualities in wine |
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Production methods: Continuous method |
- developed in USSR for Soviet sparkling wine - now used in Germany and Portugal for large volume SW - involves usually 5 tanks under 5 atmospheres of pressure - at one end, base wine together with yeast is pumped in which causes 2nd fermentation - yeast cannot grow under pressure so yeast has to be added continuously - second and third tanks are filled with wood shavings (offer substantial surface area and a certain amount of autolysis) - in the 4th and 5th tanks there are no yeast cells and wine emerges clear - average: 3-4 weeks - issues: no cleaning possible as it is a continuous process, it is a very short process, no lees ageing or stirring possible |
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Production methods: Tank method |
- Charmat Method, Martinotti Method, cuve close (French), autoclave (Italian) and granvas (Spanish) - base wine undergoes 2nd fermentation in tank which retains CO2 under pressure - tirage is added to the tank to initiate 2nd fermentation - once suitable pressure is reached (5atmospheres) wine is cooled to -5C to interrupt fermentation - dosage is added and wine is bottled under pressure - fruit flavours retain due to minimal lees contact - cheaper, faster, less labour intensive - more suitable to wines with lack of ability to age - there is no evidence that this is an inferior method of production - HOWEVER: because it is a bulk production method it attracts mediocre wines and a quick throughput, fermentation is conducted at higher temperatures - Technically, if the finest base wines were put through a cool, slow 2nd fermentation and were aged at least 3 years on lees it could result in Champagne-style wines - most useful for aromatic varieties |
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Production methods: Carbonation |
- CO2 gas is pumped from cylinders into a tank of wine which is bottled under pressure - the wine must be clear and stable - cheapest method and used for 10% of the cheapest SW - useful for retaining aromatic fruit; bubbles can fade quickly |
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Production methods: Asti method |
- single fermentation - must is stored at 0C until needed - fermentation in tank; initially CO2 escapes; halfway tank is sealed and CO2 retains to create a little sparkle - must ferments until alcohol has reached aprox. 7%abv and pressure of 5-6 atmospheres |
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Production methods: Methode ancestrale |
- Methode rurale - lightly sparkling wine often with some sweetness and sediment - young wine is bottled before all residual sugar ferments - fermentation continues in bottle - resulting wine is sweeter and less fizzy and no dosage is allowed - not disgorged - risky and difficult to control - increasingly common in Jura, Loire |
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Production methods: Methode dioise ancestrale |
- variation on methode ancestrale producing wines similar to Asti - base wines are fermented in stainless steel at very low temperatures for several months - wine is filtered to remove most but not all yeast, bottled, and fermentation continues in bottle until alcohol reaches 7-8.5%abv - disgorgement 6-12 months after bottling - filtered again and transfer into new bottles - tirage and dosage are prohibited and unnecessary - min. residual sugar content is 35g/l |
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EU Sweetness levels |
0-3g/l = Brut nature, Zero Dosage, naturherb 0-6g/l = Extra Brut 0-12g/l = Brut 12-17g/l = Extra-Sec, Extra Dry, Extra Trocken 17-32g/l = Sec, Dry, Trocken 32-50g/l = Demi-Sec, Halbtrocken, Medium Dry <50g = Doux, Mild, Sweet |
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Maillard reaction |
- chemical reaction between amino acids and reduced sugars that gives brown foods its distinctive flavour |
