Bubbles! by Emily

Sparkling wine might just be the most technical of all wines in the world–even if it is so easy to drink! The reason most sparkling wine is so complex is because of the need for two fermentations; one to make wine and the other to make bubbles. Since sparkling wines were first introduced (starting in the mid 1500’s), several processes have been developed and each result in a unique sub-style of sparkling wine.The French terms Mousseux and Crémant refer to sparkling wine not made in the Champagne region, such as Blanquette de Limoux produced in Southern France or cremant de Loire, from Loire valley. Sparkling wines are produced around the world, and are often referred to by their local name or region, such as Espumante from Portugal, Cava from Spain, Franciacorta, Trento DOC, Oltrepò Pavese Metodo Classico and Asti from Italy (the generic Italian term for sparkling wine being spumante), and Cap Classique from South Africa

How Sparkling Wine is Made
There are 6 major methods by which sparkling wines are produced, each resulting in a different carbonation level
and, ultimately, a different style of bubbly! We’ll discuss all the styles, but the two worth paying attention to the
most are Traditional Method (used for Champagne, etc) and Tank Method (used for Prosecco, etc).
Traditional Method
Tank Method
Transfer Method
Ancestral Method
Continuous Method
Carbonation
Under Pressure
Sparkling wines have different pressure levels which affect our perception of their taste. The higher the pressure,
the more fine the bubbles. Here are some accepted terms for sparkling wine in terms of bubble pressure:
Beady: a wine bottled with <1 additional atmosphere of pressure (14.7 psi). Bubbles appear on the sides of the
bottle (or glass) when the wine is opened.
Semi-Sparkling: (a.k.a. Frizzante, Spritzig, Pétillant, Pearl) a wine with 1–2.5 atmospheres (14.7–37 psi) of
pressure that is slightly sparkling.
Sparkling: (a.k.a. Mousseux, Crémant, Espumoso, Sekt, Spumante) The EU has deemed that bubbly wines with
3 or more atmospheres can be labeled as sparkling.


Traditional Methoda.k.a. Méthode Champenoise, méthode traditionnelle, Methode Cap Classique, Metodo Classico, klassische
flaschengärung
Examples: Cava, Champagne, Crémant, some Sekt, Italian Metodo Classico wines (including Franciacorta and
Trento)
Bottle Pressure: 5–7 atmospheres or ~75–99 psi
The traditional method of sparkling winemaking was awarded a UNESCO heritage in Champagne in 2015. It is–
arguably–the most appreciated method for sparkling wine production in terms of quality, and at the same time it is
also the most costly in terms of production. The most important facet of the traditional method is that the
transformation from a still to a sparkling wine occurs entirely inside the bottle.
Base Wine or “Cuvée”: grapes are picked (usually just a tinsy bit younger to preserve acidity) and fermented into a
dry wine. The winemaker then takes the various base wines and blends them together into what the French call a
“cuvée”, which is the final sparkling wine blend.
Tirage: Yeast and sugars are added to the cuvée to start the second fermentation and wines are bottled (and
topped with crown caps).
2nd Fermentation: (inside the bottle) The second fermentation adds about 1.3% more alcohol and the process
creates CO2 which is trapped inside the bottle thus carbonating the wine. The yeast dies in a process called
autolysis and remain in the bottle.
Aging: Wines are aged on their lees (the autolytic yeast particles) for a period of time to develop texture in the
wine. Champagne requires a minimum of 15 months of aging (36 mos for vintage Champage). Cava requires a minimum of 9 months of aging but requires up to 30 months for Gran Reserva Cava. Most believe the longer the wine ages on its lees, the better.
Riddling: Clarification occurs by settling the bottle upside down and the dead yeast cells collect in the neck of the bottle.
Disgorging: Removing sediment from bottle. The bottles are placed upside down into freezing liquid which causes
the yeast bits to freeze in the neck of the bottle. The crown cap is then popped off momentarily which allows the
frozen chunk of lees to shoot out of the pressurized bottle.
Dosage: A mixture of wine and sugar (called Exposition liqueur) is added to fill bottles and then bottles are corked,
wired and labeled.

Tank Methoda.k.a. Charmat Method, Metodo Italiano, Cuvée Close, autoclave
Examples: Prosecco, Lambrusco
Bottle Pressure: 2–4 atmospheres (ATM) 30–60 psi
The tank method came about during the industrial advancements made in the early 20th century and is the main
process used for Prosecco and Lambrusco wines. The major difference between the tank method and the
traditional method is the removal of the individual bottle as the vessel used to turn a still wine into a sparkling one.
Instead, base wines are added together with the sugar and yeast mixture (Tirage) into a large tank. As the wine
has a second fermentation, the CO2 released from the fermentation causes the tank to pressurize, whereafter
wines are then filtered, dosed (with Expedition liqueur) and bottled without aging.
Tank method sparkling wines have a much more freshly made character with stronger secondary (yeasty) flavors.
Some may argue that the tank method is not as high-quality of a production method as the traditional method of
sparkling wine. While the process is more affordable (and thus is popular with lower quality wines), it is still used
for fine sparkling winemaking.
Transfer Methoda.k.a. Transversage
Examples: Small format (187 ml) and large format (3L+) Traditional Method sparkling wines
Bottle Pressure: 5–7 atmospheres (ATM) or ~75–99 psi
This method is identical to the Traditional method except that wines need not be riddled and disgorged in the
same manner. Instead, the bottles are emptied into a pressurized tank and sent through pressurized filters to
remove the dead yeast bits (lees). Then, the wines are bottled using pressurized fillers. You’ll find this method
used most commonly for non-standard sized bottles (splits or jerobaum and above).
TIP: Transversage method is slightly different than transfer method in that wines are riddled and disgorged into
tanks and do not require the filtration step.

Ancestral Method
a.k.a. Méthode Ancestrale, Méthode Rurale, Pétillant Naturel (a.k.a. “Pet-nat”)
Examples: Loire, Jura,
Bottle Pressure: 2–4 atmospheres (ATM) or 30–60 psi
This method of sparkling wine production uses icy temperatures (and filtration) to pause the fermentation
mid-way for a period of months and then wines are bottled and the fermentation finishes, trapping the CO2 in the
bottle. When the desired level of CO2 is reached, wines are chilled again, riddled and disgorged just like the
traditional method, but no expedition liqueur (sugar) is added. The technique is referred to as the Ancestral
Method because it’s assumed that this is one of the earliest forms of sparkling winemaking.
Méthode Diose Ancestrale: This variant of the Ancestral Method empties the wines into a pressurized tank and
filters instead of riddling and disgorging.
TIP: Several producers of Pétillant Naturel wines opt to close their wines with a crown cap.
Carbonationa.k.a. Gas Injection, Industrial Method
Examples: NewAge
Bottle Pressure: 3 atmospheres (ATM) 45 psi
The carbonation method simply takes a still wine and carbonates in a pressurized tank. While it’s possible that
this method has benefits, at the moment the only carbonated wines are produced this way are lower quality bulk
wines.  (BTW, New Age is a carbonated sweet white wine blend of Torrontés and Sauvignon Blanc).
Continuous Methoda.k.a. Russian Method
Examples: Lancers
Bottle Pressure: 4–5 atmospheres (ATM) or 60–75 psi
The Russians may have it with the strangest sparkling wine production method yet! The process gets the name
from a continual addition of yeast into pressurized tanks thereby making it possible to increase the total pressure
to 5 atmospheres (or as much as most Champagne). Wines are then moved into another tank with yeast
enrichments (sometimes wood shavings) which the dead yeast bits attach to and float around in the wine. This
gives the wines a similar-tasting autolytic character to the traditional method. Finally, the wines move into the last
set of pressurized tanks where the yeasts and enrichments are settled out, leaving the wine relatively clear.
All in all, the process takes about a month. At the moment, there aren’t many producers who use the continual
method save for a couple of large companies in Germany and Portugal (and Russia).

Salty pig bubbles

Jeio177 hectares spread out over 35 plots immersed in the steep hills that lead from Valdobbiadene towards
Conegliano, the most prestigious area of the appellation. The land is extremely fragmented and studded with
small plots, so much so that the average size of each property is little more than a hectare.
Valdobbiadene is a town in the province of Treviso, Veneto, Italy.
Produced from Merlot and Pinot Noir grapes. The vineyards are all located at the top of steep hills, exposed to
the south, assuring excellent balance, sapidity and personality.
A brief period of maceration gives the wine its slightly pink colour and determines the action of the aromatic
varietal substances that bring out the grapes' floral, fruity and surprisingly typical characteristics. The long and
gradual fermentation cycle together with a sustained period in the presence of yeasts, both in the wine and during
re-fermentation, confers delicacy and elegance on this cuveé and makes it persistent on the palate.

Cleto Chiarli
Alcohol content: 8% vol.
Grape variety: Grasparossa
The Grasparossa grape thrives to the South of the City, around Castelvetro, where low hills start to rise gently. In
1960 Cleto Chiarli founded the first wine-producing company in the Emilia-Romagna region, following the
success that his homemade Lambrusco enjoyed enjoyed in his 'Osteria dell'Artigliere', his restaurant in Modena.
This was the start of a tradition of excellence leading to Chiarli's steady growth which has made it the greatest
privately-owned Lambrusco company.
Vinification: Traditional pressing with a 36-hour long maceration. Fermentation at 18°-20° C. Second fermentation
(‘Pris de Mousse’) in ‘cuve close’: a method of producing sparkling wines that is quicker than the Methode
Champenoise where the secondary fermentation takes place in a sealed tank rather than in a bottle.
"Centenario" Lambrusco Grasparossa di Castelvetro DOC Amabile
Very fruity, all the grapes’ fragrances can be felt. Its smoothness makes it surprisingly pleasant, though avoiding
excesses. Captivating.
Accompaniments:  pairs perfectly with charcuterie, great suggestion for sangia lovers. Apart from being a good
companion for traditional cuisine from Emilia, it is also indicated as an accompaniment to desserts.
Service temp.: Cool (10°-12° C.)
Size: 75 CL

Contratto was the first company in Italy to produce a classic method sparkling wine and boasts a prestigious history
that has lasted 150 years.
Contratto was founded by Giuseppe Contratto in 1867. The winery is known as the oldest sparkling wine producer in Italy. In fact, the classic 1919 Contratto Extra Brut method was the first vintage Sparkling wine ever produced in the country.
The winery has a long and prestigious history. At the end of the twentieth century, its wines left Canelli for destinations all over the world (mainly towards royal families), and Contratto was the personal supplier of the Vatican as well as of the Italian royal family. Awards and medals from exhibitions and international competitions of the time highlight the reason why the name of Contract has long been synonymous with prestige and quality in the world of sparkling wines.

Sektkellerei Szigeti (pronounced ZIG-it-ee)

A sparkling wine house located in the winemaking village of Gols in Burgenland.

Method traditional.

Grape, Gruner Veltliner

Burgenland Austria

9-15 months aging on the lees. The wine acquired a distinctive mousseux due to the use of yeasts indigenous to

Champagne, France. The dosage was made with local sweet wine.

A great apertif, pair with seafood, linguine, burrata salad or app, lecco pizza with pros

Pierre Peters

Grape Chardonnay

Region Champagne, France

Our vineyard, of just over 19 hectares, is located primarily in the area of the "Côte des Blancs" and more

specifically in the villages of Mesnil sur Oger, Oger, Cramant and Avize. These great terroirs (soils), located a few

miles south of Epernay lay on a chalky outcrop which is a real water tank. The hillside vines are oriented to the

east which protects them against the westerly winds. Aware of our precious vineyards, we use sustainable farming

methods with the aim to produce the finest grapes while respecting our land, the environment and nature.

100% Chardonnay

Canelli, Italy

Traditional method