WINE MAKING

dioxide left over from the initial or a secondary fermentation.
As

you might remember from Module 1, carbon dioxide, or CO2, is a natural by-product of fermentation. Most still table wines have little, if any, CO2. That’s because the CO2 was allowed to dissipate into the air during or after fermentation. However, some very young white wines will retain a bit of CO2 giving them a delightful and subtle spritz.
The art of making champagne and sparkling wine is all about, creating a second fermentation in the bottle, trapping those tiny little bubbles in the bottle so you can enjoy them in the glass. Cheers!

wines is that not all of them are created equal.

Though all Champagne is sparkling wine not all sparkling wine is Champagne!
Only sparkling wines made in the Champagne region of France may be legally called Champagne.

wine is that, unlike most other wines, practically all the

best sparklers are made from blends of different grape varieties. The philosophy of the sum is greater than the individual parts is definitely the name of the game when making fine sparkling wines.
What’s also important to know is that not all grapes work well with every method of making sparkling wines. Some grape varieties, such as Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, work best with the classic method, those with secondary fermentation in the bottle, while other grapes work better with one of the other winemaking methods.

the best sparkling wines and Champagnes are Chardonnay and Pinot

Noir — and in the case of Champagne another red grape called Pinot Meunier.
Other secondary grapes used to make non-Champagne sparkling wines include Pinot Blanc, Pinot Grigio, Riesling, Chenin Blanc, Muscat — and many, many others depending on the specific location where the grapes are grown and the wine is made.

Chardonnay grapes

of grapes to make the base wines. Unlike fruit for

regular still table wines, the grapes for sparkling wine are generally harvested earlier in the season. That’s because the base wines for sparkling wine must be light in body, lower in alcohol, and very high in acidity.
The grapes are picked then pressed quickly and gently to avoid oxidation and any color from the skins.
The classic method involves not one, but two separate and distinct fermentations. And it’s the second fermentation, especially when it is done in the bottle, that produces all those wonderful little bubbles that make sparkling wine what it is.

just before bottling determines the dryness/sweetness level of the sparkling

wine or Champagne. Most wines are labeled simply as “brut,” which is fairly dry. However, there are sweeter sparkling wines to be found. Here’s a list of styles in ascending level of sweetness:
Brut Nature: bone dry. Also called Extra Brut, Brut Sauvage, or other proprietary names.
Brut: dry
Extra Dry: off-dry
Sec: slightly sweet
Demi Sec: sweet
Doux: very sweet

several vintages made in a consistent “House Style”
Vintage: A Champagne

or sparkling wine from a single year. Vintage Champagnes or sparkling wines are made in outstanding years from superior vineyards.

either by leaving the skins in contact with the must

during fermentation, or blending white wine (Chardonnay) and red wine (Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier) together.
Blanc de Blancs: A Champagne or sparkling wine made from white grapes only (usually Chardonnay).

produced from “black grapes” such as Pinot Noir and Pinot

Meunier grapes.
Prestige Cuvée: The finest Champagnes made only in exceptional vintages. Moët et Chandon’s Cuvée Dom Perignon and Roederer’s Cristal are two of the most well-known Prestige Cuvée Champagnes.