Some Key Terms Used in the Production of Sparkling Wines

A Riddling Rack Used in the Production of Sparkling Wines (Photo by Claudio Schwarz on Unsplash)

Méthode Traditionnelle: This is the traditional method for making sparkling wine. With this process, the secondary fermentation takes place inside the bottle, creating the bubbles. The process begins with the addition of a liqueur de tirage (see below) to a bottle of still wine. This starts second fermentation inside the bottle. This results in the production of carbon dioxide and spent yeast cells, or lees, that settle in the neck of the bottle during the riddling process (see below). The lees are then “disgorged” (see Disgorgement below) from the neck of the bottle, and replaced with the “Dosage” (see below) that gives the sparkling wine its sweetness. All Champagne and most high-quality sparkling wines are made using this process. Note: This process is also known as méthode Champenoise or méthode classique.

Liqueur de Tirage: This is a solution of wine, sugar and yeast that is added to a bottle of still wine. The addition of the liqueur de tirage starts the secondary fermentation which gives sparkling wine its bubbles.

Secondary Fermentation: The process that creates the bubbles in sparkling wine. As the wine is bottled, a small amount of yeast and sugar is added before the bottle is temporarily sealed. The yeast ferments the sugars and creating both alcohol and carbon dioxide (CO2). The CO2 gas cannot escape and instead gets dissolved into the wine.

Riddling: This is the process of removing the sediment that remains in the bottle from the second fermentation. The bottle is placed in a rack at an angle with the neck down. The sediment begins to collect on the side of the bottle. As the bottles are riddled, or given a quarter-turn daily and gradually tilted fully upside-down, the sediment falls to the neck of the bottle.

Disgorgement: This technique is used to remove sediment from the neck of the bottle after the second fermentation. Through the riddling process (see below), the sediment settles in the bottle’s neck. The neck of the bottle is then dipped into cold brine and which causes the sediment to quickly become frozen. The bottle is turned upright and the temporary seal is removed. The plug of frozen sediment is popped out by the pressure of the built-up carbon dioxide.

Dosage (doh/zahzh): This is a small amount of wine (usually mixed with sugar) that is added back to the bottle once the yeast sediment is disgorged. This is also known as liqueur d'expedition.

Residual Sugar (RS): Unfermented sugar in the finished wine.

Styles of Sparkling Wine:

• Brut Nature - This style is bone dry meaning it has little or no residual sugar (0–3 g/L RS).

• Extra Brut - This style is also very dry but it can have 0–6 g/L RS

• Brut - This is the most common style having 0–12 g/L RS

• Extra Dry - This style is sweeter with 12–17 g/L RS

• Dry - Even higher sweetness of17–32 g/L RS

• Demi-Sec - Very sweet (32–50 g/L RS)

• Doux - This one, while very rare to find, is really sweet (50+ g/L RS).

Wine Fun Facts - Champagne

Champagne is probably the best known wine in the world. And, there’s a lot to know it about this wine.

Here are some fun-facts about Champagne:

• Champagne is not made from Champagne grapes

• Champagne is typically produced from three grapes — Pinot Noir (A red wine grape!), Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier (Another red wine grape!)

• To be called Champagne, it must be produced in the Champagne region of France. Otherwise, it’s called Sparkling Wine

• California can produce Champagne – such as Korbel, Cook’s or André – and it is perfectly legal to be called Champagne. The loophole that makes this legal stems from a ruling in 2005, after two decades of court battles, when the U.S. and the EU reached an agreement. In exchange for easing trade restrictions on wine, the American government agreed that Champagne would no longer appear on domestic wine labels – that is, unless a producer was already using the name

• The first step in making Champagne is to make the wine, like any other wine, in a barrel or tank and bottle it

• The wine becomes carbonated by a second fermentation inside the bottle that is initiated by adding a solution of sugar and yeast. As the yeast consumes the sugar, it gives off carbon dioxide which stays trapped in the wine since the bottle is capped

• Champagne bottle are stored with their neck down during the second fermentation so that the yeast will settle in the neck

• The upside down bottles are regularly turned to ensure all the yeast ends up in the neck of the bottle in a process called riddling

• The Champagne bottle is then opened and the spent yeast is removed or disgorged

• Finally, some additional wine and sugar is added (the dosage) to balance the Champagne’s acidity

• This process of making Champagne is called the méthode champenoise

So, there you have it. A few fun facts about the most famous sparkling wine in the world - Champagne. Cheers!

Ever Wonder What 'Expedition Liqueur" Is?

While recently reviewing a sparkling Rosé Brut from Chile, the tech notes mentioned the addition of 'Expedition Liqueur" after fermentation. It might come as a surprise to some that 'liqueur' is added to sparkling wine. But, it's actually a common practice used in the making of Champagne and other sparkling wines.

So first let's do a review of the making of Champagne and sparkling wine. Both begin like all wines, with traditional fermentation of the juice of the grapes to produce a still wine.  After this first fermentation is complete, the wine is bottled and a small amount of yeast and sugar are added to the bottle.

In the past, this process was referred to as the "Champagne method" or "Méthode Champenoise". But these terms were outlawed in 1994 for all wines other than those produced in the Champagne region of France. Now, if this process is used anywhere outside of the Champagne region of France, it must be referred to as the "traditional method". You may also see it referred to on labels as "méthode traditionnelle", "méthode classique", "classic method", or simply "bottle fermented".

Regardless of what it's called, this addition of yeast and sugar to the bottled wine leads to a second fermentation, this time occurring in the bottle. Because the bottle is tightly sealed, the carbon dioxide (CO2) produced during fermentation remains dissolved in the wine. This gives the wine its carbonation.

Once this second fermentation is completed, the bottle is unsealed and the dead yeast is removed (disgorged). But just before the bottle is sealed for the final time with the traditional Champagne-style cork and wire cage (muselet [myz-le]), a small amount of sugar and/or alcohol is added to the bottle.

The added sugar can come in several different ways. Typically, it is in the form of a sweet wine, but it can also be a mixture of sugar and wine. It's a rare practice, but if the sparkling wine needs its alcohol level raised a bit, additional alcohol may be added from a spirit, such as Cognac. Regardless, this final addition of ingredients determines how sweet the final product will be and its final alcohol level.

This final addition of sugar, and sometime alcohol, is most commonly known as 'dosage,' but the added liquid may also be referred to as expedition liqueur (or Liqueur d’expédition in French). So, yes, your Champagne, or sparkling wine, will have 'liqueur' added to it if is made in the traditional method. Cheers!