Depending on the dosage, Brut, Extra Dry, Sec, Demi-Sec or Dolce , the bubbles can be combined with many preparations from aperitifs to desserts, enhancing the aromas and flavors of finger food, cheeses, cured meats, meat, fish, shellfish, but also fruit and sweets. Why uncork a bottle of sparkling wine only for parties and special occasions? It is not common enough to welcome a friend with a Champagne , a Franciacorta , a Prosecco or any other white or rosé bubble and to accompany a dinner with a quality bottle to make the table even more pleasant.

The snap of the cork, the sensation of bubbles on the palate, the perlage and brightness of the colors, as well as the unmistakable and elegant scents, make sparkling wine a perfect product to share moments of happiness and conversations with friends, the synergy of its elements they convey a good mood to the table. In addition, its structure enhances the flavors of food by cleansing the taste buds and allowing you to better savor the pairing dishes. And again, the fashion to create sparkling wine-based cocktails , prosecco or even champagne, also suitable for an aperitif with friends, is increasingly growing.

For a better selection of the sparkling wine to be included in your cellars it is right to take into consideration the duration of aging on the yeasts, the dosage, the effervescence, the acidity, the quantity of alcohol, its softness, i.e. its roundness in the mouth. , all elements that give each of these products a unique flavor.

Origins

Quality sparkling wines, as we know them today, originated in France in the late 1600s in the Champagne region.

Legend has it that Champagne, the progenitor of quality bubbles so popular today, was invented in the 17th century by Don Pierre Pérignon (from which the famous Dom Pérignon champagne takes its name), treasurer of the Benedictine abbey of Hautvillers. But often the reality does not coincide with the myth, as in this case that sparkling wine and sparkling wine already appeared in previous centuries in a work of a Benedictine friar.

What is certain is that the experiences and discoveries of Champagne winemakers were encoded in the famous Méthode Champenoise , which made it possible to transform a blend of still wines into sparkling products, thanks to the addition of yeasts and sugars. In these bottles, or at least in those that resisted the high pressure of carbon dioxide, a very appreciated wine was being created, so much so that the winemakers undertook over time to perfect that method, which would soon spread throughout the world. world.

Method of production Classic Method

The colors from straw yellow to golden, the intense and complex aromas, reminiscent of yeast or bread, flowers, fresh or dried fruit, brioches or biscuits, elegant flavors, structure and long aromatic persistence, are all traits badges of the best expressions of the Classic method.

Everything must be done with the utmost attention, starting from the base wines : the ideal vines to obtain base wines to be elaborated with the Classic method are chardonnay , pinot noir , pinot bianco and pinot meunier. The cuvée is the skilful combination of base wines in variable proportions chosen by an oenologist according to the sparkling wine he wants to obtain. Being able to count on different wines from previous vintages, preserved for quality and value, we arrive at the definitive cuvée which if composed of wines elaborated from grapes of the same harvest or for 85%, leads to the creation of the famous vintage , whose vintage will be reported on the label. Conversely, if wines from previous vintages are also used, there is a sans année , sparkling wine with no indication of vintage, destined for a shorter aging on the lees than the 4-8 years of the vintage.

Once the cuvée is created, the liqueur de tirage is added, a mixture made up of wine and a precise quantity of cane sugar, yeasts and minerals. Thanks to this mixture, bubbles will slowly form. The amount of sugar in the liqueur de tirage is a fundamental variant because it determines the final pressure . Normally it should be around 24 g / l (in the case of Satèn Franciacorta , in fact, the final pressure is lower because the amount of sugar is reduced to 18 g / l).

Having ascertained that the liqueur de tirage is totally amalgamated in the cuvée, the wine can be bottled in traditional champagnotte bottles designed in every way to release the internal pressure and avoid bursting. (The color of the glass also has its function: dark green, brown or almost black to protect the wine from the action of light which could activate oxidation phenomena.) In this phase the bottles are temporarily sealed with a steel crown cap. stainless steel which avoids the attack of rust that could be created with the humidity of the cellars during the fermentation period.

Here, in the absence of vibrations, noises, heat, light and with an adequate level of humidity, the wine begins the slow path of fermentation in bottles positioned horizontally, in cellars or heat-conditioning rooms at a temperature of 10-12 ° C. About six months will pass before the yeasts transform the sugar into carbon dioxide, ethyl alcohol and many other secondary substances that enrich the sparkling wine with aromas and flavors. But the aging time on the lees varies from 18 months to 36 up to even 7-8 years for some very great products.

At the end of the refinement process, the bottles are placed in special wooden stands, called pupitre . Here, the remuage is performed (now more and more mechanized), a method with which, experts, bring the bottles upright, gradually making careful and meticulous rotations and shaking that cause the detachment of residues and accumulations of yeasts from the walls. and from the bottle cap.

The residues are then eliminated through the disgorgement à la glace or dégorgement: the neck of the bottles is immersed for a few minutes in a solution saturated with salts, at a very low temperature (even at -30 ° C) until a cylinder of ice of a couple of centimeters that engulfs the sediments. Once the bottle is uncorked, the effect of the internal pressure expels the frozen sediments, leaving the wine perfectly clear. Once the disgorgement was done à la volée for which the bottle was straightened until the air bubble did not reach the neck of the bottle and only at that point the cap was released so that the air bubble threw out the sediments . But this very spectacular method could cause the waste disposal to fail.

Not the last phase is that of dosage , that is the addition of a syrup, the liqueur d'expédition , which represents the manufacturer's signature and is generally composed of more or less aged wine, cane sugar and sometimes even a distillate or brandy, mixed according to the type of product to be obtained.

This process follows, the final capping with the traditional mushroom cap and with the characteristic wire cage , the labeling and the refinement

Production method Martinotti or Charmat method

To speed up the production process and reduce costs that had been very high up to that time, an Italian, Federico Martinotti , had the idea of making sparkling wine in a large sealed container, designed together with the French engineer Eugène Charmat .

This production method is often used to produce sweet sparkling wines as it allows to maintain the fruity and aromatic characteristics of the grapes used. As in the Classic method, the cuvée is prepared with carefully assembled base wines following the instructions of the oenologist. The big difference lies in the fermentation process in autoclaves : large stainless steel containers equipped with double walls and equipment for controlling the temperature of the wine. Here, after having prepared the pied de cuve, that is the base of selected yeasts, sugars and mineral salts to favor development and activity, the second fermentation will be carried out. With the Martinotti method (Charmat), fermentation times are decidedly shorter and within a few months the sparkling wine is ready to go on the market.

The grapes

The choice of grapes must be made according to the objectives to be achieved.

More aromatic grapes are ideal for the production of sweet sparkling wines. White Muscat, Malvasia and Brachetto are the most used for the creation of sparkling wines generally elaborated with the Martinotti Method which rewards their fragrant spontaneity.

Vines more suitable for producing bubbles with the Classic Method are, however: Chardonnay, capable of expressing itself at high levels in the widest soil and climatic conditions, is often used as a single variety and gives good structure and acidity but above all elegance and finesse; pinot noir, a black grape variety vinified in white for the production of pure sparkling wines and many cuvées, to which it gives strength and body, persistence and structure; pinot bianco and pinot grigio that yield subtle aromas, reduced or delicate degree of acidity and structure.

Only in Champagne the black berried pinot meunier is used, chosen above all for its resistance and adaptability to the difficult climatic conditions of the area.