In Germany many grapes are used, notably Riesling for the best-quality wines. Alas, most German bubbly is simply labeled as Sekt (which can be produced from grapes from any country), produced inexpensively from a mélange of grapes utilizing the bulk method, and is inexpensive and of fair quality. The best German sparkling wines are labeled as Deutscher Sekt, which must be made from grapes grown in Germany.
Some inexpensive wines are not made according to any of the traditional methods but are simply carbonated (just like soda pop). These have little to offer. Fortunately, by U.S. law, they must be labeled as “carbonated wine,” so if you see those words on a bottle, avoid it.
A table of principal wine-growing regions for sparkling wines appears on pages 263–64.
VINTNER CHOICES
Early or late picking; method of production; vintage or nonvintage; style of wine—brut, blanc de blancs, rosé (blanc de noirs), or prestige cuvée; length of time “on the yeast” (tirage); oak or no oak; dosage level (dry, off-dry, or sweet)
Several winemaking decisions determine the style of the final effervescent product. Although practices vary by region and country, in general the grapes for sparkling wines are picked earlier and slightly less ripe than those intended for still wine, for two reasons. First, sparkling wines are in part defined by sharper acidity levels, which make them tart but also carry and help sustain their delicate flavors and lingering aftertaste, or finish, as well as define their character. Second, because the secondary fermentation increases the alcohol level by a percentage point or so, starting out with grapes that are less ripe, and therefore lower in sugar, helps control the alcohol content.
Many different sparkling wines result from using various permutations of grape types and production methods (see the table on page 35). The most complex wines are those employing the méthode champenoise or traditionnelle. Around the world, the countries that emulate the model of the Champagne region and employ the classic blend of grapes produce multifaceted sparkling wines. In this classic blend, Pinot Noir adds the spice, red fruit flavors (strawberry, raspberry, cherry), and complexity, while Chardonnay contributes backbone (acidity) and sharp fruit nuances (green apple and citrus). Pinot Meunier adds texture and ripe fruit and fills in any flavor gaps; it's almost like a winemaker's spackle. Wines using local fruit (French Crémant wines and Spanish Cava, for example) have different flavor profiles and terroir nuances. Wines made using the bulk, or Charmat, method, most notably Prosecco and Asti Spumante, do so not to save money or time (though the method does both) but because this is the best method for showing off those grapes. Finally, the continuous process, utilized in Germany and Portugal, is unique, quick, and cost-effective, too.
PRODUCTION OF CHAMPAGNE AND OTHER SPARKLING WINES
Most sparkling wine is nonvintage, that is, produced from grapes from more than one year's harvest. The reason for this goes back, like so many traditions in bubbly, to Champagne, where the unpredictable weather forced vintners to save still wines from prior years in case Mother Nature decided to be uncooperative in a given harvest. Still wines from that year's vintage were then blended with some of the older still wines to produce a cuvée (French for wine blend) that conformed to a consistent flavor profile or signature house style. Because these wines contain less than the 95 percent of a single year's grapes that is required for a wine to qualify as a vintage, the resulting wine is labeled a blended nonvintage (or multivintage, as it's now fashionable to say). What matters is that the wine be consistent in taste from year to year. In exceptional years a vintner may choose to capture the vintage's personality in a bottle by declaring a vintage, that is, making a sparkling wine exclusively out of grapes from that year's harvest. These wines are the only sparkling wines that bear a year on the label, and that is the year in which the grapes were picked.
Besides the country and region of origin, the choice of production method and grapes employed, and the decision to make a nonvintage or vintage wine, sparkling wines also vary in style. Almost all are of the nonvintage brut type. Brut suggests wines that are dry to the palate and blended according to regional grape varieties and specifications; they are frequently a blend of red and white grapes. Some wines, however, have additional information on the label. Blanc de blancs (literally “white of whites”) are made exclusively from white grapes (most often Chardonnay). They are delicate and citrus-flavored with racy acidity and a zesty vibrancy, and they are very light in appearance. Rosé wines are primarily made from red grapes and are either a blush or rosé color. These wines, although most often spicy, rich, and dry, can also be slightly riper or sweeter, in which case they are often labeled “blanc de noirs” (“white of darks”). Blanc de noirs wines are produced almost exclusively in the United States.
The Rolls-Royce of any given winery is called its prestige cuvée, or tête de cuvée. Included in this category are Möet et Chandon's Dom Perignon and Roederer's Cristal from France; Schrams-berg's J. Schram from California; Bellavista's Gran Cuvée Pas Opere from Italy; and Rimarts' Cava Uvae from Spain. These are always vintage wines and represent the best and most distinctive of what a house can make. While there are also prestige cuvée wines that are rosés and a few blanc de blancs, most are very high-end, classic brut interpretations.
SPARKLING WINE STYLES AND DOSAGE
| STYLE (LABELING) | PERCEPTION | APPROXIMATE DOSAGE (SUGAR AS % OF 750 ML BOTTLE) |
| Brut zero or sauvage | Bone-dry | 0.0-0.5 |
| Brut | No sweetness | 0.5-1.5 |
| Extra dry | Off-dry | 1.2-2.0 |
| Demi-sec | Slightly sweet | 1.7-3.5 |
| Sec | Sweet | 3.3-5.0 |
| Doux | Very sweet | More than 5.0 |
In the méthode champenoise, once the wines are produced, but before they are corked and sold, they spend time resting on their spent yeast deposits (a by-product of the secondary fermentation in the bottle). During this time the wine is said to be en tirage (on its yeast). The amount of tirage time will add personality to the wine as the dead yeasts break down and their amino acids are absorbed into the wine, a process called autolysis. The remaining yeast deposit is removed by a process called disgorging (in French, dégorgement) before the wine is considered finished. In general, the longer the tirage time, the more complex and creamy the wine is, and the smaller and more refined the bubbles are. Some wines are known for their extended tirage times, and the label may make reference to this with terms such as RD or late disgorged.
Although almost all sparkling wines and Champagnes are made without any aging in wood barrels or casks, some noteworthy exceptions are made with oak-aged still wines. The great Champagne houses of Krug and Bollinger are respected advocates of the judicious use of wood, and their wines are known for the resulting roundness and richness.
The style of a sparkling wine is ultimately determined by the amount of sweetening (sugar) added after disgorging and just before the wine is cork-finished (see the table above). This step determines how dry or sweet the wine actually is. In wine lingo this addition is referred to as the dosage (doh-sahj), and it is important in determining personal tastes as well as wine and food pairing. (For more on the sweet styles of sparkling wine, see the dessert wine journey.)
FLAVORS
Fruit: Cherry, lemon, lime, citrus (grapefruit, citron), apple (green, yellow), pear, pineapple, passion fruit, lychee, raspberry, strawberry, cucumber
Floral: Honeysuckle, rose, gardenia, freesia, apple blossom, lime blossom, mint
Earth: Mineral, chalk,