Come Quickly, I Am Tasting The Stars!
As we approach New Years, sales of sparkling wine skyrocket, but how much do you really know about sparkling wine? Do you even know how the bubbles actually get in the wine? If the answer is no, don't be upset, there are very few people who actually do.
When making a fermented beverage of any sort, there are a few basic ingredients that are required. First, you must have a base liquid containing a substance to ferment, sugar. Lucky for us, the grape contains two primary types of sugar, glucose and fructose. Next, you need a catalyst to start the fermentation, yeast.
During the fermentation process, yeast convert sugar into alcohol, I think we can all agree on that. What most people don't realize though is that this process creates two byproducts in addition to alcohol; heat and carbon dioxide. In most wine production, the heat dissipates off the fermentation vessel and the carbon dioxide simply blows away. However, in sparkling wine production, the end goal is to capture that carbon dioxide in the bottle to be released later once the bottle has been opened. And that my friend, is what we're going to discuss.
History
Wine was made in the Champagne region long before it was produced in the style that is most recognized today. There are records of wine production dating back to the 5th century and Clovis, the first king of France. The wines of this time were light, pink wines made from Pinot Noir grapes, but they did not contain those legendary bubbles. This wouldn't happen until much later.
The bubbles actually occurred quite by accident. To understand why, you must first understand one key point in the fermentation process; once the temperature drops below a certain point, fermentation is arrested, however, once the temperature warms back up, the fermentation will begin again.
In the cold winters that the Champagne region is known for, the grapes harvested that season would undergo their primary fermentation in the cellars of the vignerons. As mentioned previously, in order for fermentation to take place, the ambient temperature must be in the 70º range, anything lower and you run the risk of the fermentation stalling. Which is exactly what would happen. As winter progressed, fermentation would stop and the winemakers, thinking the yeast had done their job and fermentation was complete, would bottle the wine. In the spring as the temperatures began to warm, the fermentation would pick up where it left off. Unfortunately, the "finished" wine had already been bottled and the additional carbon dioxide had nowhere to go. The results were problematic. The hand blown glass produced at the time was of insufficient strength to contain the pressure created by the carbon dioxide resulting in bottles that would explode.
As bottles became stronger, consumers began to enjoy the novelty of "bubbles" in their wine, however, the winemakers were still not consistently able to guarantee the sparkle.
As time progressed, the reason behind the sparkle began to be understood and winemakers were able to more reliably induce the secondary fermentation. Madame Clicquot (of Veuve Clicquot fame) developed techniques to remove the resulting sediment from the dead yeast cells (more on that later) and bottle Champagne that more closely resembles the style of wine which we all love today.
In no time at all, the Champagne wine industry would be up and running and control of the majority of production would be secured by several big names; Krug and Bollinger among a few select others.
Winemaking
Now that we've laid the groundwork, let's discuss the actual process of getting the bubbles in the wine. There are a myriad of ways to acheive the goal of getting wine to sparkle, however, there is one way that is considered superior to all the others; the traditional method.
When producing sparkling wine using the traditional method, there are several steps that must be followed in a very specific order. Just like in any wine growing region, grapes are harvested and taken back to the winery for fermentation. In the traditional method however, the grapes are harvested with lower sugar and higher acidity producing base wines that are almost undrinkable. These base wines are generally low in alcohol, due to the lower sugar levels, and extremely acidic. Great care is taken in producing base wines of exceptional quality as it is the basis on which the traditional method sparkling wine is formed. After primary fermentation, the still wine, often referred to as vin clair, is then transferred into a bottle with additional sugar and yeast, sealed with a crown cap containing a plastic pellet, and stored for an extended period of time in a horizontal position. During this time, the sugar and yeast combination, referred to as liqueur de tirage, creates a secondary fermentation in the bottle. Just as with a regular fermentation, the yeast convert the sugar to alcohol creating the byproducts of heat and carbon dioxide. The heat simply radiates off the bottles, however, the carbon dioxide has nowhere to go so it gets dissolved into the wine.
With no more sugar to consume, the yeast die off leaving a considerable amount of sediment in the bottles. This sediment, referred to as lees, is the second most important part of the traditional method. Through a process called yeast autolysis, the dead yeast cells begin to impart a distinct flavor to the wine. This process occurs over a very long time, often times over the course of multiple years, hence the minimum aging requirements for most wines made in the traditional method.
Once the winemaker has determined the wine has been aged on the lees sufficiently long enough to achieve the desired aromas, the dead yeast cells must then be removed from the bottles. The bottles, which have been stored horizontally for as long as a decade, are then transferred to a wooden A-frame rack with angles slots called a riddling rack. Over a period of many weeks, one of the winemakers know as the riddler (no, not the one you're thinking of) will go up and down the racks gently turning and inverting the bottles. As the bottles move from a horizontal position to a vertical position, the lees slowly begin to slide up to the neck of the bottle. This process, at one time extremely labor intensive due to the sheer number of bottles and the agonizingly slow method, is now almost entirely completed by large machines called gyropalettes. Even the larger houses in Champagne utilize the speed and efficiency of gyropallets, though they still keep around several riddling racks to feature on their tours.
Now that the lees have been transferred to the neck of the bottle, and they have been collected into the plastic pellet housed in the underside of the crown, the disgorgement process can begin.
The necks of the inverted bottles are placed in an extremely cold brine solution that freezes the wine in the neck of the bottle and trapping the sediment in the pellet. The bottles are then returned to their upright position and the crown cap is removed. The pressure inside the bottle will then shoot the plastic pellet along with the lees out of the bottle leaving behind crystal clear sparkling wine. It is at this time that the winemaker's next steps will determine what style of sparkling wine is produced. A final mixture of still wine and sugar called the liqueur de dosage or d'expédition is added to the bottle. Depending on how much additional sugar is added at this time will determine the final level of sweetness. Once the liquor de dosage is properly mixed, a mushroom shaped cork is pushed into the bottle and held in place with a wire cage or muzzle to help secure the cork against all the pressure built up inside. Now, the traditional method sparkling wine is ready for the market.
Styles
The basic style of Champagne most commonly seen on the market is the non-vintage brut. As the name implies, this sparkling wine is not the product of a single vintage but rather a mixture of multiple vintages blended together in an attempt to create a "house style". The logic behind this practice is rather simple, each vintage in Champagne is inherently different, more so than almost any other wine growing region, and the growers are at the mercy of the whims of Mother Nature. One year can yield an exceptionally bountiful vintage while the following year’s crop can be exceptionally poor. In an effort to mitigate some of the risk, the Champagne houses are required to hold back a certain percentage of wine from each vintage as a safeguard in the event nature does not cooperate with a future vintage.
That being said, you will occasionally see a bottle of Champagne that does feature a vintage year. This will happen a few times a decade when a Champagne house declares that a vintage was extraordinarily exceptional. In these instances, the overwhelming majority of Champagne in the bottle will have come from the declared vintage.
Another style of Champagne that has become increasingly popular over the years is rosé or pink Champagne. Rosé Champagne is made by either adding a small amount of still red wine to the final blend or by letting the juice remain in contact with the skins prior to the primary fermentation of the base wine. It should be noted that this method is employed by fewer and fewer houses.
There are a few more terms you will see on a bottle of Champagne that require additional context. One is the term blanc de blancs, which translates into white of whites and refers to Champagne made entirely from Chardonnay. Another is the term blanc de noirs, or white of blacks, and refers to Champagne made from the dark-skinned varieties of either Pinot Noir or to a lesser degree, Pinot Muenier.
The final sweetness level of the Champagne is determined by the amount of sugar included in the liqueur de dosage and is indicated on the label as either brut nature, extra brut, brut, extra dry, sec, demi-sec, or doux. These levels of sweetness can vary from either bone-dry to almost dessert wine sweet. The driest style of Champagne is referred to as either brut nature or zéro dosage, as you can imagine, there is little to no sugar added to final blend. This style has seen a massive surge in popularity, however, I’m not sure it’s a style that has staying power. In order to age properly, sparkling wine needs some sugar to balance it out. Time will ultimately tell but it is my opinion, despite the fact that I very much enjoy this style, that these wines will not be as long lived as their more traditional counterparts. The next step up in dryness levels is extra brut, this category has just a touch of sugar and is not seen terribly often. The next level up is brut, this is also the most common style and there is a pretty wide range of sugar levels that are permitted in this tier for winemakers to work within. The next levels of sweetness are extra dry followed by sec, demi-sec, and the sweetest level, doux.
Vine Varieties
Sparkling wines can be made with any number of grape varieties depending on the region. There are three main varietals used in Champagne production; Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier. In addition, there are a few varietals that are considered ancient varietals that the governing body within Champagne, the CIVC, will allow. This exception is limited to only certain producers for use in their blends. Those ancient varietals are Arbane, Fromenteau (Pinot Gris), and Petit Meslier.
In Italy, the variety Glera is responsible for the majority of Prosecco while the varieties Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Bianca are used to produce Franciacorta. Moscato d'Asti is produced from Moscato Bianco or, as the variety is more commonly called, Muscat Blanc a Petits Grains.
Back in France, Chenin Blanc is grown in the Loire Valley and produces sparkling wines from the region and in Germany, some produces make traditional method sparkling wine from Riesling.
In Spain, the sparkling wine Cava uses no less than eight different varietals, most of which you've never heard of; Macabeo, Xarello, Parellada, Chardonnay, Garnacha, Monastrell, Pinot Noir, and Trepat; although Trepat is only allowed in the rosés from the region.
Regions
The first region that comes to everyone’s mind when they think of sparkling wine is Champagne. Now Champagne is not the only fine wine region that produces sparkling wine in the traditional method but it is certainly the most popular.
When discussing Champagne, it’s important to get some of the basics out of the way. Not all Sparkling Wine is Champagne but all Champagne is Sparkling Wine (for the most part; there is a small amount of still wine that comes from the region but not enough to concern ourselves with at this time). The name Champagne refers to wine made in a very specific way from a very specific region in northern France and the French fiercely protect that name. Well, as fiercely as the French can protect a name.
That protected name, Champagne, is what is referred to as a protected designation. Only sparkling wine that is grown in the Champagne region and produced in the traditional method can use the name Champagne on a label.
Within Champagne, there are several distinct sub-regions; Montagne de Reims, Vallee de la Marne, Côte de Blancs, Côte de Sezzane, and the Aube. Each one of these regions specializes in a particular varietal but most grow all three.
Outside of Champagne, Spain produces their own version of sparkling wine called Cava. Unlike other countries in the EU, Spain does not have a specific geographical limitation on regions that produce Cava, however, EU officials have insisted on tightening up on the places where Cava can be grown. There are now only a half dozen municipalities where Cava can be produced and of those municipalities, 95% of production is within Cataluña.
In the northern part of Italy, the region of Lombardy produces a sparkling wine in the traditional method called Franciacorta. Still wine has been produced in the region since ancient times, however, sparkling wine from the area is still relatively new having only been awarded DOC status in 1967 and DOCG status in 1995.
Producers of Note
Billecart-Salmon - Aÿ
Chartogne Taillet - Merfy
Pierre Gimonnet - Cuis
Heath Sparkling Wines - Fredericksburg
Kir-Yianni - Naoussa
Moussé Fils - Cuisles
Raventós i Blanc - Sant Sadurní d'Anoia
Schramsberg - Calistoga
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