Sparkling Wines (Bubbles)
Carbon Dioxide (CO2)
Sparkling wines can be made in any color (white, rosé, or red). The most common are white or rosé. Exceptions are a few sparkling red wines like Lambrusco and sparkling Shiraz.
The bubbles in sparkling wines come from Carbon Dioxide (CO2).
There are 4 methods to create bubbles in wine:
- Traditional Method - Second Fermentation in Bottle
- Transfer Method - Second Fermentation in Bottle
- Ancestral Method - Only Fermentation in Bottle
- Tank Method - Fermentation in pressurized tank
- Carbonation - Carbon Dioxide Injection
Wines made using the traditional method are called Champagne in the French Champagne region and Crémant in the rest of France.
Traditional Method wines are called Cava in Spain and Metodo Classico in Italy.
Prosecco and Lambrusco are made with the Tank Method (Martinotti-Charmat Method).
Champagne (France)
Champagne is a wine region east of Paris.
Champagne is the most exclusive sparkling wine in the world, closely associated with victory, luxury and celebration.
The main grapes are Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier.
Typical flavors are Citrus, Yellow Fruit and Toast.
Prosecco (Italy)
Italian Prosecco is one of the world's most famous sparkling wines.
It is produced in the regions of Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia.
The main grape is Glera.
Typical flavors are green Apple and Pear, tropical Peach and Melon.
Cava (Spain)
Cava is produced the same way as Champagne.
The Penedès wine region in Catalonia produces 95% of all Cava.
The grapes used are: Macabeu, Parellada, and Xarel-lo.
Typical flavors are Citrus, Yellow Fruit, Honey and Almond.
Crémant (France)
Crémant wines are produced the same way as Champagne.
The main grapes are Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier.
Typical flavors are Citrus, Yellow Fruit and Toast.