From the February 2004 VinSenses Newsletter

All About the Bubbles

Early on, when we used dish detergent instead of Mr. Bubbles for our bubble baths, I realized that not all bubbles are created equal. In the world of sparkling wine, the same holds true, all bubbles are not created equal. There is more than one way to get the bubble in the bottle.

One of the by-products of winemaking is carbon dioxide. When the carbon dioxide is not released, bubbles form under pressure in the wine producing sparkling wine. The most popular sparkling wine, Champagne, is produced using the Traditional Method. Sugar and yeast are added to the base wine and the wine undergoes a second fermentation in the bottle.

The wine is aged on the lees, dead yeast, and then the lees are removed through the processes of riddling and disgorgement. Riddling is the labor-intensive task of slight turns of the bottle to slowly move the lees to the neck. Disgorgement uses the built up pressure to release the lees. Think pop. The bottle is then topped off with a wine and sugar mixture called dosage. Lastly, the wine is corked under pressure.

Alternatively, sparkling wine can undergo the secondary fermentation in a pressurized tank. This occurs in the Charmat method where the lees are removed prior to the wine being transferred to bottles. In the transversage method all steps used in the Traditional Method are taken up to adding the dosage. After disgorgement, the wine is placed in a tank under pressure, dosage is added, and the wine is then transferred to specially sized bottles. In the transfer method the wine goes through the secondary fermentation in the bottle and is then placed in the tank, the lees are removed, and the wine is bottled.

You might ask why is this important. It is important because it affects the price and quality of the sparkling wine. With this knowledge you will be able to make more informed purchases. You will be amazed at the choices you can make once you know about the bubbles.