Normative outline
The regulation of sparkling wine is managed by the European Union and the main rules are mentioned in the Regulation of the Community Council n. 1493/99. Below, we will summarize only some of the basic information:
Sparkling wine (unless exempted pursuant to Article 44, paragraph 3) is the product obtained from the first or second alcoholic fermentation:
- of fresh grapes,
- of grape must
- of wine ...
suitable to become table wine, quality wines psr (quality wines produced in specified regions) or imported wines [...] characterized (when the container is opened) by a development of carbon dioxide deriving exclusively from fermentation and which, kept at a temperature of 20 ° C in closed containers, it has an overpressure due to the gas in solution not lower than 3 bar .
Categories and Types of Sparkling Wine
According to EU legislation, the categories of sparkling wines are 5:
| Sparkling | Quality sparkling wine (Vsq) | Quality aromatic sparkling wine (Vsaq) | Quality sparkling wine produced in specified regions (Vsqprd) | Quality sparkling wine produced in specified regions of the aromatic type (Vsaqprd) | |
| NOTE | - | - | grape must or grape must in partially fermented and / or grapes wines made from Prosecco quality. Adding dosage syrup is prohibited | - | only musts or grape musts of partially fermented grapes. Adding dosage syrup is prohibited |
| Total alcoholic strength by volume of the base wine | 8.5% vol. minimum | 9% vol. minimum | - | Zone CIII (Campania, Puglia, Basilicata, Calabria, Sicily, Sardinia) 9.5% vol. minimum Other Italian Areas 9% vol. minimum | - |
| Actual alcoholic strength by volume | 9.5% vol. minimum | 10% vol. minimum | - | 10% vol. minimum | 6% vol. minimum |
| Total alcoholic strength by volume | - | - | 10% vol. minimum | - | 10% vol. minimum |
| Overpressure at 20 ° C | 3 bar minimum | 3.5 bar minimum | 3 bar minimum | 3.5 bar minimum | 3 bar minimum |
| Overpressure at 20 ° C (in containers up to 25 cl.) | - | - | - | 3 bar minimum | - |
| Duration of the processing process | - | - | 1 month minimum | - | 1 month minimum |
| Duration of the processing process (in autoclave) | - | 6 months minimum | - | 6 months minimum | - |
| Duration of the processing process (in bottles) | - | 9 months minimum | - | 9 months minimum | - |
Sparkling wines also differ according to their sugar content:
- Brut nature, Pas dosé or Zero dosage: less than 3 g / l (the addition of the liqueur d'expedition is prohibited)
- Extra brut: 0 - 6 g / l
- Brut: less than 15 g / l
- Extra dry: 12 - 20 g / l
- Sec, Dry or Dry: 17 - 35 g / l
- Demi-sec or Abboccato: 33 - 50 g / l
- Doux or Sweet: more than 50 g / l
Vines and Terroir for sparkling wine
By terroir we mean the set of elements that allow us to obtain the raw material for the final wine; not only land, therefore, but also the microclimate of the area and the quality of the vine.
The territories most suitable for the production of sparkling wine are certainly those with a temperate-cold climate, with thin and shallow soil, and calcareous or partially clayey (but also pebbly and loose) soils with moderate fertility. It is essential that these soils are in a foothill or hilly position with good exposure; therefore, those facing north, lowland, valley bottom, light and wet are excluded.
The vines for the sparkling wine differ according to the characteristics to be obtained. Those tend to be neutral, like Pinot and Chardonnay, which lend themselves to both the Classic method (Champenoise) and the Charmat method; on the contrary, the aromatic vines such as Moscati and Malvasie are predominantly predisposed to the Charmat method.
The vines used for the production of sparkling wine are: Pinot noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Bianco and Grigio, Glera (Prosecco), Riesling, Muller-Thurgau, Cortese, Garganega, Verdicchio, Moscati, Brachetto and Malvasie.
Outline of Production
The base wine for sparkling wine is made from quality grapes, picked by hand slightly before those destined for the production of still wine (to guarantee a percentage of acids). The pressing is soft and the so-called flower must is obtained (yield of grapes in wine not exceeding 60%). This must is left to decant for 1 day and is left to ferment for 25 days at low temperatures (18-20 ° C), after adding selected yeasts. For the production of sweet and aromatic sparkling wines, the NON-cold-fermented must is preserved (-5 ° C).
The sparkling process involves a second fermentation in sealed containers. The sugars, natural or added, are then metabolized by the yeasts releasing carbon dioxide which remains imprisoned and dissolved, binding to protein compounds that generate perlage (rows of bubbles).
The three methods for foaming (which we will NOT analyze in detail) are:
- Classic (traditional bottled or Champenoise)
- Charmat (in large containers or autoclaves)
- Marone Cinzano (or transfer, partly in bottle and partly in autoclave)
Classic Method or Champenoise for Sparkling Wine
The Classic or Champenoise method has been used in Italy for more than a century and a half; the first were the Gancias (1865). However, since 1994 the EU has reserved the wording "Metodo Champenois" only for the production of Champagne.
The phases are:
- base wine assembly, carefully considered by the oenologist to give the product the required characteristics;
- bottling in heavy glass bottles with the addition of " liqueur de tirage " (sugar syrup + selected yeasts and small doses of mineral and clarifying substances); hermetic window with provisional crown caps (intended to collect the residues), and placed horizontally, in dark and cool rooms;
- foaming or prize de mousse (about 120 days): during this period refermentation takes place thanks to the yeasts and sugar added in the previous phase; inside the bottles the pressure must reach at least 5 bar, measured at 20 ° C. At this point the wine is already sparkling and the subsequent phases are used to give value and quality
- maturation on the lees (at least 9 months, up to several years for the most prized sparkling wines): once the sugar is used up, the yeasts die and fall on the bottle wall; periodically, the bottles are shaken to prevent the lees from sticking to the walls; the purpose of this phase is to give the wine the aromatic substances deriving from the death and the subsequent rupture of the yeast cells
- reumage sûr pupitres (gradual inclination of the bottles downwards); the purpose of this phase is to bring the sediment down against the crown cap (which contains a small polyethylene cylinder called bidule, intended to facilitate the collection of the sediment), so as to then move it away easily.
- disgorgement (freezing of the neck of the bottle and elimination of the glace ); thanks to this phase, the sediment is expelled by removing the crown cap
- addition of syrup, brandy and other compounds, intended to fill bottles deprived of part of their contents from disgorgement; the composition of the added mixture greatly affects the characteristics of the sparkling wine.
- cork stopper with mushroom cap.
Charmat method for sparkling wine
The Charmat Method is used for 90% of the total production (simpler, fruity and cheaper wines). The main difference is that the foaming does not take place in the bottle but in an autoclave, while the upstream phases are almost the same as in the previous method:
- base wine preparation;
- possible addition of sugar and addition of yeasts, with subsequent fermentation for 20-30 days at 14-18 ° C;
- for dry sparkling wines maturation takes place on the yeasts, for the sweet ones it immediately passes to the next stage:
- stabilization at -3 / -4 ° C: blockage of yeast activity
- sterilizing filtration to eliminate yeasts and impurities
- Isobaric bottling so as not to disperse carbon dioxide.
Charmat sparkling wines are classified into 3 types: no permanence on yeasts, short stay (3 months) and long stay (6-9 months).
