Traditional method: Difference between revisions

The '''traditional method''' for producing sparkling wine is the process used in the [[Champagne wine region|Champagne region]] of France to produce [[Champagne]]. It is also the method used in various French regions to produce sparkling wines (not called "Champagne"), in [[Spanish wine|Spain]] to produce [[Cava DO|cava]], in [[Portuguese wine|Portugal]] to produce Espumante and in [[Italian wine|Italy]] to produce [[Franciacorta_DOCG|Franciacorta]]. The method is known as the ''méthode champenoise,'', but the Champagne producers have successfully lobbied the [[European Union]] to restrict the use of that term within the EU only to wines produced in Champagne. Thus, wines from elsewhere cannot use the term "''méthode champenoise''" on products sold in the EU, and instead the term "traditional method" (''méthode traditionnelle'') or the local language equivalent (''método tradicional'' in [[Spanish wine|Spain]] and [[Portuguese wine|Portugal]], ''metodo classico'' or ''metodo tradizionale'' in [[Italian wine|Italy]], and in [[German wine|Germany]] ''klassische Flaschengärung''). [[South African wine]]s from the [[Western Cape]] are labelled with the term ''Methode Cap Classique''. Some wine producers in countries outside the EU may disregard EU labeling laws and use ''méthode champenoise'' or even “Champagne”"Champagne" on labels for products not exported to the EU, but this usage is decreasing.

Grapes are generally [[harvest (wine)|picked]] earlier, when sugar levels are lower and acid levels higher. Except for pink or [[rosé]] sparkling wines, the juice of harvested grapes is [[pressedPressing (wine)|pressed]] off quickly, to keep the wine white.

After primary [[fermentationFermentation (wine)in winemaking|fermentation]], blending (''assemblage'' in Champagne) and bottling, a second alcoholic fermentation occurs in the bottle.

Although known as the Champagne method and associated with the name of [[Dom Pérignon (monk)|Dom Pierre Pérignon]] in the late seventeenth17th century, the phenomenon of bottle fermentation was not unique to the Champagne region; it had already been used in [[Limoux]], south western France since 1531 for the production of [[Limoux wine|Blanquette de Limoux]].<ref>{{cite book

Effervescence in wine was seen as a [[wine fault|fault]] at the time and Perignon devoted much effort trying to eliminate it from the wines of Champagne.<ref name="Clarke">S Clarke ''1000 Years of Annoying the French''. p176-181p. 176–181. Bantam Press 2010. {{ISBN|9780593062722}}.</ref>

The process of secondary fermentation was first described by [[Christopher Merret|Christopher Merrett]] in a paper to the [[Royal Society]], which included his observation that this could be encouraged by adding sugar to the wine before bottling.<ref name="Clarke"/> Concurrent improvements in [[Early modern glass in England|glass manufacture in England]] also permitted the making of more robust wine bottles to contain the effervescence without exploding.<ref name="Clarke"/>

The blended wine is put in bottles along with yeast and a small amount of sugar, called the ''liqueur de tirage,'', stopped with a [[Crown cork|crown cap]] or another temporary plug, and stored in a [[wine cellar]] horizontally for a second fermentation. Under the ''[[Appellationappellation d'origine contrôlée]]'' (AOC), NV (non-vintage) Champagne is required to age for 15 months to develop completely. In years where the harvest is exceptional, a vintage (''millesime'') is declared and the wine must mature for at least three years.<ref name="AOC IX 5 a">{{cite web

During the secondary fermentation, the carbon dioxide is trapped in the wine in solution. The amount of added sugar determines the ultimate pressure in the bottle. To reach the standard value of 6 [[Bar (unit)|bars]]<ref>{{cite web |last1=Matthews |first1=Robert |title=How much pressure is there in a champagne bottle? |url=https://www.sciencefocus.com/science/how-much-pressure-is-there-in-a-champagne-bottle/ |website=[[BBC Science Focus]] Magazine |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210604204135/https://www.sciencefocus.com/science/how-much-pressure-is-there-in-a-champagne-bottle/ |archive-date=4 June 2021 |language=en |url-status=live}}</ref> (600 [[kilopascalPascal (unit)#Multiples and submultiples|kPa]]) inside the bottle, it is necessary to have 18 grams of sugar; the amount of yeast (''[[Saccharomyces cerevisiae]]'') is regulated by the European Commission (Regulation 1622/2000, 24 July 2000) to be 0.3 gram per bottle. The ''liqueur de tirage'' is then a mixture of sugar, yeast and still Champagne wine.

}}</ref> In this stage, the bottles are placed on special racks called ''pupitres'' that hold them at a 35° angle,<ref name="pointage" /> with the crown cap pointed down. Once a day (every two days for Champagne), the bottles are given a slight shake and turn, alternatively on right then left, and dropped back into the pupitres, with the angle gradually increased. The drop back into the rack causes a slight tap, pushing sediments toward the neck of the bottle. In 10 to 14 days (8 to 10 weeks for Champagne), the position of the bottle is straight down, with the lees settled in the neck. (Thisthis time can be shortened by moving the bottle more than once a day,<ref>{{cite web

}}</ref> and by using modern, less sticky strains of yeast.).

Many stores sell riddling racks for decorative [[storageStorage of (wine)|storage]] of finished wine.

The lees removal process is called disgorging (''dégorgement'' in French), traditionally a skilled manual process where the crown cap and lees are removed without losing much of the liquid, and a varying amount of sugar added. Before the invention of this process by [[Madame Clicquot Ponsardin|Madame Clicquot]] in 1816, Champagne was cloudy. Modern automated disgorgement is done by freezing a small amount of the liquid in the neck and removing this plug of ice containing the lees.

Immediately after disgorging but before final corking, the liquid level is topped up with ''liqueur d'expédition'', commonly a little sugar, a practice known as ''dosage.'' The ''liqueur d'expédition'' is a mixture of the base wine and [[sucrose]], plus 0.02 to 0.03 grams of [[sulfur dioxide]] as a preservative. Some ''maisons de Champagne'' (Champagne brands) claim to have secret recipes for this, adding ingredients such as old Champagne wine and [[candi sugar]]. In the ''Traité théorique et pratique du travail des vins'' (1873), Maumené lists the additional ingredients "usually present in the ''liqueur d'expédition''": [[port wine]], [[cognac]], [[Sambucus|elderberry]] wine, [[kirsch]], [[framboise]] wine, [[alum]] solutions, [[tartaric acid]], and [[tanninsPhenolic content in (wine)#Tannins|tannins]].

The grapes to produce vintage Champagne must be 100% from the year indicated (some other wines in the EU need only be 85% to be called vintage, depending on their type and appellation). Vintage Champagnes are the product of a single high-quality year, and bottles from prestigious makers can be rare and expensive. To maintain the quality of non-vintage Champagne a maximum of half the grapes harvested in one year can be used in the production of non-vintage Champagne ensuring at least 50%, though usually more, is reserved for non-vintage wines. Vintage Champagnes are the product of a single high-quality year, and bottles from prestigious makers can be rare and expensive.

{{seeSee also|Ageing of wine}}

{{commonsCommons category|Sparkling wine production}}