Having a Bubble

English Wine is on course for its 3rd decent vintage in a row, this is something of a rarity! A good amount of grapes is likely to be seen, but what happens to them once they're in the winery? The vast majority of grapes grown here are put into sparkling wines. We adopt the same method that Champagne does, this way, the wines have a certain charm and character that seems to promote class and elegance. Other countries adopt differing methods, both to reduce cost and to gear their product towards a certain style, for a certain market. Having recently won a case of the delightful Chapel Down sparkling, and having sat an exam on the topic, I've decided to jot down the different methods for all you lovers of fizz out there!

Traditional/Champagne method

This method is famously applied in Champagne, but it also used throughout the globe (Cava, English Wine etc etc). The main thing that this style promotes is the yeasty taste. The character from the fruit (in Champagne and England only Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay are permitted) takes a back seat, and the term 'autolysis' comes into play.

In Traditional/Champagne method wines, a normal wine is produced firstly, with focus on high acidity and low sugar and phenolics (skin character). The wine is then bottled, with a mixture of sugar and yeast in a process called 'tirage'. The yeast chew up all of the sugar and turn it into alcohol and CO2. The CO2 gives the bubbles that we see in the final product. After quite some time, the yeast die, and fall to the bottle of the bottle. A process called 'riddling' is used which slowly and gradually tilts the bottle, until the dead yeast form a plug in the neck of the bottle. The plug of dead yeast is then removed (disgorged), and the bottle is re-sealed along with a touch more sugar and preservatives should the winemaker deem necessary, in a process called 'dosage', think of that like seasoning a meal before plating. Autolysis is the term given for the character that the dead yeast leave behind. A few months after tirage, the yeast perish (due to no nutrients and probably ethanol toxicity) and are slowly riddled out of the bottle, during this time the yeast cells will rot and deteriorate and release their guts into the wine. This is what we taste, and gives the famous bready, nutty, yeasty taste to Champagne, sorry veggies!

A traditional riddling approach. Nowadays more likely to be mechanized.

Tank/Charmat method

Another method employed throughout the globe. Most famously in Prosecco production. This method does NOT give any autolysis flavour. A normal wine (base wine) is made again, but this time the wine is left in its big storage tank, with the yeast and sugar being added to the tank itself (rather than the bottle. Again the yeast eat this sugar and produce alcohol and bubbles (CO2), but very little of the wine is in contact with the yeasty sediment left at the end. The result is a more fruit driven style. A Prosecco will show much more apple and pear flavours and no yeast flavour, compared with a Champagne. This method is cheaper, and quicker, and can be made to order, very handy! I like this method the best, 

I have to say, I like its "take it or leave it" style... "Here's the fruit, here's some bubbles, that'll be a fiver please". Rather than a £40 bottle of yeasty pretentious Champagne. Although, if I'm honest, the best Traditional method I've tried is by far better than the best Tank method I've tried.

Asti method

This method makes Asti-Spumante...funnily enough. The big thing with Asti-Spumante in high sugar, and low alcohol. The base wine is made as per normal, then placed into a tank. No sugar is added for this one, the Moscato grapes are naturally sweet enough. The reason that the wines keep their sweetness and show low alcohol, is because the temperature of the tank is reduced to stop the yeast performing their fermentation role, meaning they don't consume all of the sugar, and only produce small amounts of alcohol (around 5-6% abv). The nice thing about cooling the wine to stop the fermentation in this way, is that you can store it for X amount of time, then start the second ferment (to make the bubbles) and bottle it as and when the demand calls for it, The resulting wine is high in fruity flavour, low in alcohol, and no autolysis notes (as the 2nd ferment happens in tanks - not bottles)

Transfer method

This method is fairly similar to the Champagne method. The base wine is made, then bottled, along with the tirage (sugar and yeast mixture), the bubbles are made, and the autolysis character develops as the second ferment occurs in the bottle (all the same as Champagne so far...). The difference is the lack of riddling and disgorgement, instead of painstakingly turning the bottles for months on end until the dead yeast are plugged in the neck of the bottle, the bottles are simply opened, and bunged into a tank (under pressure - to keep the bubbles), and the dead yeast are filtered out. The bottles are cleaned, then filled with the fizzy wines. The resulting wine is similar to the Champagne method, autolytic character is seen over fruitiness, and is cheaper/quicker than the Champagne method.

Other methods

A bunch of other styles are used. Those crazy Russians use a string of massive fermenters with heaps of sawdust in them. Some Australian, NZ and South African folk sometimes use a SodaStream style method.

Which ever the method applied, the goal is the same. Make a normal wine and create bubbles. Either through a second fermentation (yeast addition), or carbonating via a SodaStream style approach. The choice for the winemaker will either be to retain the fruity character, or demote the fruit and promote the flavour from yeast autolysis.

So next time you open a bottle of fizz, you'll know how it's made!

Cheers!