In my previous post, I talked exclusively about Champagne and how to define it. This included some tid bits on the region itself, but mostly I talked about the Champagne method (aka Méthode Champenoise) for producing sparkling wine. At this point, I feel I need to expand on the topic by talking about other sparkling wines around the globe that utilize this same method of production. I would also like to discuss alternative methods for creating sparkling wines.
As previously mentioned, Champagne is the benchmark for quality sparkling wine. However, there are producers outside of this iconic region that are giving Champagne a run for its money. It is worth noting that quality sparkling wines are produced all over France. Any sparkling wine produced in France, but outside of the Champagne region, that utilizes the traditional method of production is likely to be labeled as crémant.
Moving beyond the borders of France however, one of my personal favorites is Franciacorta. Franciacorta is produced within the Lombardy region of Italy. Italy is actually responsible for many great sparkling wines, including Prosecco and Asti, that I will discuss in greater detail later. Franciacorta is a DOCG (Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita). This is a category within Italian wine law that puts a wine at the top of the quality pyramid. Similar to Champagne, Franciacorta uses the red grape Pinot Nero (Pinot Noir) and the white grape Chardonnay in production. What’s a little different is that the white grape Pinot Bianco (Pinot Blanc) is also used. Pinot Blanc is technically allowed in Champagne, but is not commonly utilized. Franciacorta actually has more stringent aging requirements than Champagne. Standard multi-vintage/non-vintage Franciacorta mandates a minimum of 18 months on the lees (dead yeast cells inside the bottle) for a total of 25 months aging. Vintage or “millesimato” Franciacorta must age a minimum of 30 months on the lees and a total of 37 months. Compare that to Champagne’s requirement of 12 months aging on the lees; 15 months total aging for NV/MV and 36 months total aging for vintage (grapes coming all from one harvest). You may see metodo classico on the label.
Cava is another of Champagne’s contenders. Cava comes from Spain. While Cava may be produced in various areas throughout Spain, the vast majority of it is coming from the Catalonia region (Penedès in particular). Most Cavas produced are Blanc de blancs, meaning made only from white grapes. However, red grapes are allowed. The three key white grapes used are Macabeo, Xarel-lo and Parellada. Chardonnay is being used more and more in modern times. Cava must age for a minimum of 9 months on the lees. If you see Reserva on the label, then 15 months of lees aging was required. Gran Reserva requires no less than 30 months of aging on the lees. Cava may also be produced in a rosado or rosé style. Like Champagne, a range of sweetness levels may be produced. You may see método tradicional on the label.
South Africa also produces sparkling wines made in the traditional method. Sparkling wines here come from the cooler regions of the Cape and it will be labeled méthode cap classique (MCC). Typically these wines use Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.
The United States is another major producer of sparkling wines utilizing a variety of production methods (including the traditional method) and a variety of grapes. Many of these wines hail from California or Oregon.
The southeast section of England has become a hotbed for high quality sparkling wine most recently. The regions of Sussex and Kent in particular are having luck growing grapevines. Like many other traditional method sparkling wines the Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier grapes take center stage here. Bacchus and Ortega are unique white grape varieties also used.
In general, wines outside of Europe will have less strict requirements for wine production and grape growing, although this does not necessarily impede quality.
I’ve just mentioned some of the most well known traditional method sparkling wines, but there is certainly more than one way to get those bubbles into the bottle. I will start with the Tank Method (aka Charmat or cuve close). With the tank method, the secondary fermentation responsible for creating the bubbles takes place in a large pressurized tank instead of inside a bottle (all other steps remain the same). There are a few key advantages to using this method of production. This process saves time and money since you can produce sparkling wine on a much larger scale. It also eliminates the tedious task of riddling, since the wine is racked off of the sediment into a different tank and then bottled. Furthermore, this method works particularly well for aromatic grape varieties (such as Riesling or Muscat). The tank method helps to preserve the fruity characteristics of the wine since lees aging is avoided. Typically, wines made in this method are not aged. They are bottled young and ready for immediate consumption. Famous sparkling wines made this way include Italy’s Prosecco and Germany’s Sekt. Prosecco comes from the Veneto region of Italy and is made from the Glera (a white grape) grape variety. Sekt can be made from a wide variety of grapes including those traditionally used in Champagne. However, about 50% of Sekt produced in made from Riesling.
The Transfer Method is sort of a happy medium between the traditional method and the tank method. All steps in this method remain the same as the traditional method right up until after the completion of the secondary fermentation inside the bottle plus aging. Instead of going through the process of riddling, all bottles are emptied into a pressurized tank and filtered. The dosage (the sugar and wine combo added prior to bottling that determines the final sweetness level of the wine) is added while the wine is in the tank, and then the wine is bottled again for sale. This method might be used anywhere. In fact, the transfer method is used on occasion in Champagne. Remember those large format bottles I mentioned? Winemakers in Champagne will used the transfer method to relocate the wine into bottles that are particularly small or particularly large (can you imagine riddling a wall of Nebuchadnezzars?) In the U.S. you might know that a bottle of bubbly has gone through the transfer method if you see “Fermented in the Bottle” or “Bottle Fermented” on its label. This is a way of telling consumers that the wine was indeed fermented in a bottle, just not the same bottle that you are holding in your hand. To be clear, whenever you buy a bottle of sparkling wine made in the traditional method, the bottle you see on the shelf is the same bottle that the wine fermented in.
The Partial Fermentation Method creates a sparkling wine that is sweet, lower in alcohol and lower in pressure. With this method, the still base wine is allowed to ferment to just a few degrees of alcohol. The grape must is then chilled to just above freezing. This more or less paralyzes the yeast. At this point, the wine is racked off of the sediment and placed into a pressurized tank. The wine is then warmed up just enough to pull the yeast out of its stupor and it continues to ferment. Since the wine is now inside of a pressurized tank, the carbon dioxide is trapped and the bubbles are created. The wine will be sterile filtered and bottled once the desired alcohol and pressure levels have been reached. Classic examples of wine made in this method include Moscato d’Asti or Brachetto d’Acqui. Moscato d’Asti is made from the white grape Moscato; Brachetto d’Aqui is a red sparkling wine made from the Brachetto grape. Both wines come from the Piedmont region of Italy. Wines made in this method typically only have around 5% alcohol by volume, compared to more traditional sparkling wines that will have a final abv of 11-12%. There is no liqueur de tirage or dosage used in the partial fermentation method.
(Reminder: liqueur de tirage is the sugar and yeast combo that is added to the still wine in order to initiate the secondary fermenation).
The Ancestral Method mimics the days when sparkling wine production was not understood or done intentionally. This method is not widely used today. For this method, the still base wine will be bottled and sealed before the first fermentation has completed (while it is still sweet). The wine continues to ferment inside the bottle until all of the sugar has been converted into alcohol (and is thus dry). With the ancestral method, the wine is not disgorged. This means that the bottle you purchase will be slightly cloudy and have some of that yeasty sediment inside of the bottle. A classic example comes from the Languedoc region of France, called Blanquette de Limoux Méthode Ancestrale. This process is similar to the partial fermentation method in that no liqueur de tirage or dosage are used, but the resulting style of wine is very different. This method pays homage to the days when still wine was bottled during the cold winter season when fermentation was thought to have been completed. As spring and summer moved in, the wine warmed up and continued to ferment while in storage. So the creation of sparkling wine was truly an accident. Many people believe that Dom Pérignon invented Champagne. He was, in fact, a person frustrated by this phenomenon. Before embracing those bubbles, he was trying to figure out how to prevent them!
The last method that I would like to talk about is the Carbonation method. This is when wine is injected with carbon dioxide to create the bubbles, rather than to create the bubbles naturally through a secondary fermentation. This method is similar to soda production and really only applies to those sparkling wines on the bottom rung of quality. Since the bubbles are created artificially, they tend to be larger in size and shorter lived (meaning they go flat more quickly).
This is by no means a complete guide to sparkling wines. There are other methods of production, many exceptions to the rules and a myriad of product examples not mentioned. I did however cover the major categories for alternative sparkling wines. Between this post here and my previous post focusing on Champagne, I hope to have made shopping down the sparkling wine aisle less daunting!
The Wayward Winerd 