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How is Sparkling Wine Made?

Sparkling wines are largely associated with celebrations,

though we’d argue that no such excuse is needed to simply enjoy the magic of a well-made bubbly, produced from noble grapes from regions rich in viticultural history.

But how is this luxury drink made?

As the makers of delicious sparkling rosé wine, we’re always keen to talk about the methods used to achieve a cold, crisp bottle of bubbly bursting with fruity flavors and perfectly balanced with acidity.

Of course, it all starts with the harvesting of suitable grapes, which in our case, is the Xinomavro grape, indigenous to Greece. A base wine (that’s one without bubbles) then needs to be created using the white wine process, which involves pressing and removing all of the grape skins before going through what is essentially the wine’s first fermentation process.

What happens then, however, depends on which method of sparkling wine making that you choose.

What is the traditional method of making sparkling wine?

Also known as the bottle method of sparkling wine making, the traditional way of creating this glorious drink starts with the base wine. This is put in thick, strong bottles, with yeast and sugar added to it before it’s tightly sealed. The yeast ferments the sugar, but with nowhere for the resultant carbon dioxide gas (CO2) to go. This causes the CO2 to dissolve within the wine, which forms those tiny little bubbles that you’ll recognise in any good sparkling wine.

A crucial part of this process is the time allowed for the wine to rest; at least 9 months in a horizontal position is generally recommended. Before the sparkling wine is anywhere close to being opened and enjoyed, the yeast needs to be removed, and for that, there’s a very clever method indeed. Either manually or automatically, the bottles are slowly rotated from horizontal to vertical (with the neck of the bottle pointing downwards), so that the yeast makes its way into the neck of the bottle. This is known as riddling.

The neck of the bottles are then placed in an environment below 0 degrees celsius, forming a frozen plug of yeast. The caps are then removed, expelling the yeast plug from the bottles, and leaving behind a glorious bottle of sparkling wine that is then resealed, typically with a cork and a cage. For sweeter wines, sugar is added prior to being resealed; this is known as the dosage.

What is the tank method of making sparkling wine?

The tank method is also called the transfer method; it should all become clear why very soon. While the traditional method of sparkling wine making achieves that famous sparkle on a bottle-by-bottle basis, the tank method ferments the base wine on more of a mass scale. That base wine is ‘transferred’ to a large tank instead of bottles, with yeast and sugar added before the tank is tightly sealed, which traps the CO2 that the yeast and sugar produce so that it has no option but to form bubbles in the wine.

The other big difference between the tank wine-making method and the traditional method is the way that the yeast is removed from the wine. Riddling isn’t required in the tank method; instead, a pressurized tank removes the dead yeast using filters, before the liquid is bottled using pressurized filling equipment.

The traditional method of sparkling wine production is labor intensive and time consuming, whereas the transfer, or tank, method of production allows quality sparkling wine to be produced quicker to keep up with consumer demand.

What other methods of making sparkling wine are there?

The Pét-Nat method of producing sparkling wine predates even the traditional method, and involves interrupting the fermentation of the base wine by bottling it. The wine is bottled, and then sealed under a crown cap. Then yeast that is still viable works with nutrients and sugar to allow the primary fermentation to continue happening. Carbon dioxide is then produced, and this forms the famous bubbles.

The following methods have all previously been used to make sparkling wine too:

Dioise

Common in northern Rhône, the Dioise method of producing sparkling wine involves controlling the production of yeast by freezing during the process and forbids the use of extra sugar or carbon dioxide to aid the production of bubbles.

Continuous

The continuous method is one that takes place in steel tanks, but that also includes the use of special rings or added oak chips. The wine is circulated slowly, which clears the liquid before it’s bottled. It’s also known as the Russian method of sparkling wine production.

Soda

In the case of cheaper sparkling wines, CO2 is added manually by a carbonator; much like it is with sparkling water. The bubbles produced will differ from the delicate ones produced using more traditional methods of sparkling wine production, and instead can be large and volatile.

How is Sparkling Wine Made?

though we’d argue that no such excuse is needed to simply enjoy the magic of a well-made bubbly, produced from noble grapes from regions rich in viticultural history.

But how is this luxury drink made?

What is the traditional method of making sparkling wine?

What is the tank method of making sparkling wine?

What other methods of making sparkling wine are there?

The Aphrodise difference