Sparkling wine
From EncycloWine
Sparkling Wine is a wine with significant levels of carbon dioxide in it, making it fizzy. The carbon dioxide may result from natural fermentation, either in a bottle, as with the méthode traditionnelle, or in a large tank designed to withstand the pressures involved, as in the Charmat process). It may also result from carbon dioxide injection.
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Types
There are several types of effervescent, or sparkling wines.
Sparkling wine, Vin mousseux. This is defined as a wine which, in a closed container at 20°C, has an excess CO2 pressure greater than 3 bar, which must originate exclusively from the secondary fermentation of a still base wine after the addition of the liqueur. Fermentation can take place only in the bottle or in a closed tank. Sparkling wines must be aged in the producing winery for a certain minimum period starting from the onset of secondary fermentation.
Semi-sparkling wine, Vin pétillant. This is an effervescent wine with a pressure of between 1 and 2.5 bar in a closed container at 20°C, which can be made like sparkling wines, with secondary fermentation occurring either in the bottle or in a closed tank. In France, vins pétillants are made in two regions – the Loire Valley and Bugey-Cerdon. Carbonated semi-sparkling wines contain added CO2. Pétillants tend to have a lower alcohol content than other sparkling wines and some are marketed on a low-alcohol proposition.
Perlants contain more than 1 g of CO2 per litre of wine and bubbles can be seen at the surface at 20°C when the bottle is uncorked. At 2 g/litre of CO2, corresponding to an excess pressure of around 1 bar, the wine approaches the definition for semi-sparkling wine.
The term Champagne is reserved exclusively for effervescent wines produced in the Champagne region of France by the méthode champenoise. Since 1994, sparkling wines other than Champagne produced by this method have not been allowed to use the term méthode champenoise, but have been obliged to use the term méthode traditionelle.
Since 1975, the term crémant has been reserved for sparkling wines from an Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée, or AOC; this French law was adopted by the EU in 1992. In France, the following AOCs are defined by decree: crémant d’Alsace, de Bourgogne, de Limoux, de Die, de Loire, du Jura and de Bordeaux. Crémants have a slightly lower effervescence – more than pétillant, but less than mousseaux.
Regional styles
The classic example of a sparkling wine is Champagne, but many other examples are produced in other countries and regions.
These include Sekt in Germany, Cava and Vino Espumoso in Spain, Asti and Spumante in Italy, Cap Classique in South Africa, Sovetskoye Shampanskoye in the former Soviet Union, and sparkling wine in the United States. Recently the United Kingdom has begun producing a wide variety of wines, including sparkling wines, many of which are considered comparable or occasionally even superior to Champagnes in quality; global warming is cited as the main reason why southern England is becoming suitable for wine production, although prior to the reign of Henry VIII and his seizure of church property, England's monasteries included several vineyards.
In some parts of the world, the word “champagne” is used as a synonym for sparkling wine, although laws in most countries reserve the word Champagne for sparkling wines specifically from the Champagne region of France. Current US regulations require that the term "champagne" can be used on a wine label only if the actual place of origin appears next to "champagne" to prevent any possible consumer confusion. Many US producers of quality sparkling wine no longer find the term "champagne" useful in marketing and prefer to call their products "sparkling wine".
American sparkling wines
Sparkling wines produced in the United States can be made in both the méthode champenoise and the charmat method. Lower cost sparklers, such as André, Cook's, and Tott's, often employ the latter method while more premium sparkling wines use the former.
The history of producing quality sparkling wine in California can be traced to the Sonoma Valley where in 1892, the Korbel brothers, immigrated from Czechoslovakia to the area and began producing sparkling wine according to the méthode traditionelle. The first wines produced were made from Riesling, Muscatel, Traminer, and Chasselas grapes. As the sparkling wine industry in California grew, foreign investments from some of Champagne region's most noted Champagne houses came to set up wineries in the area. These include Moët & Chandon's Domaine Chandon, Louis Roederer's Roederer Estate, and Taittinger's Domaine Carneros.
Partly aided by the foreign influence, the overall quality of Californian sparklers increased with the introduction of the more traditional Champagne grapes of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, and Pinot Blanc into the production. US AVA requirements and wine laws do not regulate the sugar levels and sweetness of wine though most producers tend to the follow European standards with Brut wine having less then 1.5% sugar up to Doux having more than 5%.
While many top American sparkling wine producers use the French Champagne methods of production, there are distinct differences in their winemaking techniques that have a considerable effect on the taste of the wines. In Champagne, the cuvee blend will rarely have less then 30 wines and sometimes as many as 60 that are taken from grapes spanning 4-6 years of different vintages. In Californian cuvees are typically derived from around 20 wines taken from 1 to 2 years worth of vintages. French Champagne laws requires that the wine spend a minimum of 15 months on the lees for non-vintage and minimum 3 years for vintage Champagne. It is not uncommon for a premium Champagne to age for 7 years or more prior to release. In the US, there are no minimum requirements and aging length can vary from 8 months to 6 years.
Another distinct difference, particularly in Californian sparkling wines, is that the favorable Californian climate allows a vintage wine to be produced nearly every year.
United Kingdom
See also: British wine
The White Cliffs of Dover are made of the same chalk rocks as are found in the Champagne region, and are not that much further north. So it is not surprising that there has been increasing interest in making traditional method wines in southeast England. At around 52° North, southern England has always been at the northern limits for viticulture, although there has been wine made in England since Roman times, and the recent trend towards warmer summers helps. Another problem is that the region is densely populated and land prices are very high, but there is a wealthy local market for the wine.
Nyetimber Vineyard in particular has been grabbing headlines with a classic Champagne blend of Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, and Chardonnay that won Best Sparkling Wine at a recent IWC.
Semi-sparkling wines
Semi-sparkling wines are sparkling wines that contain more than 1 and no more than 2.5 atmospheres of carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide may be endogenous through second fermentation or through gas injection in which case the wine label must contain the words "aerated by the addition of carbon dioxide".
Origins of terms for describing semi-sparkling wines include Frizzante in Italian, Perlwein in German, Pétillant in French, Vino de Aguja in Spanish, and Vinho Verde in Portgual.
Red sparkling wines
While the majority of sparkling wines are white or rosé, Australia, Italy, and Moldova all have a sizable production of red sparkling wines. In Australia, these sparklers are often made from the Shiraz grape.
Sources
- Prial, F. J. Decantations. New York: St. Martin's, 2001.
- Guy, Lolleen. When Champagne became French: Wine and the Making of a National Identity. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2003.
- Robinson, Jancis (Ed.) The Oxford Companion to Wine. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press, second edition, 1999.
- Karen MacNeil. The Wine Bible Workman Publishing 2001 ISBN 1563054345
See also
External links
- The wine region DO Cava
- Confraria del Cava
- Cap Classique Producers Association
- Effervescents du Monde — international sparkling wines competition
- Soviet champagne
