The Interesting Art of Making Sparkling Wine

After many decades of creation and enjoyment, sparkling wine is still considered a celebration wine.It is called sparkling wine because of its fizzy appearance. During the special procedure which they call secondary fermentation, bubbles is made by the carbon dioxide. Secondary fermentation process can either take place in the bottle or a pressurized tank where ingredients like wine, yeast and sugar are processed.

A maker of sparkling wine can choose from four diverse methods: the traditional which is the Methode Champenois, the evolved which is the Transfer method, the less expensive Charmat Bulk process and the carbonation or injection method.

First and initial method used in making sparkling wines is the Methode Champenoise. Secondary fermentation process in this method takes place in the bottle when sugar and yeast are added. The bottle then is properly closed and carefully stored in a slightly inverted position. During fermentation, the bottle carefully undergoes riddling or shaking to remove the dead yeast so it will end up in the head of the bottle. The neck of the bottle will be frozen after the fermentaion procedure so that the yeast still stay on top, the cap is skillfully removed popping the dead yeast out of the bottle. The bottle is then resealed and ready for consumption.

Transfer method is another procedure of making spakling wines which evolve in the Methode Champenoise. In this method, the procedure of making the sparkling wine is same to the Methode Champenoise and the only difference is, the procedure does not involve riddling to remove the sediment but instead the wine is transferred to a pressure tank where the sediment is taken out. And then, it is bottled, corked and tightly closed with a wire hood before it is displayed in the market.

The other method which is the Charmat Bulk procedure is different from the first two because secondary fermentation happens inside a big pressure tank. An efficient method of producing sparkling wine in large volumes. It is known to be the fastest and least expensive way to make sparkling wines. In this procedure, the sugar and yeats are added in a big pressure tank wherein the temperature is controlled. Compared to the quality of sparkling wine made in the traditional method, the quality of wines in Charmat Bulk is inferior. Bubbles produced using this process is also larger because lesser time is spent compared to the traditional method.

As for the carbonation process, carbon dioxide is injected to the wine. Carbonation is done after the fermentation process and this method is similar to the one used in soft drinks. It is also cheap and quick but wine made has lesser quality.

Overall, the Methode Champenoise is the most expensive and requires more effort to make a sparkling wine but it is the best in making a good quality wine. Only natural fermentation occurs in this procedure thus no abused is done in producing the sparkling wine.

Plenty of sparkling wine makers can be found all over the world. They use their preferred method in preparing sparkling wines to satisfy their customers. Of course, the quality and price of the sparkling wine will not only count on the quality of the materials used but also the method used. No matter what method is used to produce sparkling wine, it is still the customer who will choose what to buy.