Making ‘traditional method’ sparkling wines (2024)

FAQs

Making ‘traditional method’ sparkling wines? ›

To make the wine bubbly, this base wine is put into bottles along with a small amount of yeast and sugar. The bottle is tightly sealed with a cap and stacked in a cool cellar. Within the bottle, the yeast ferments the sugar, and in doing so creates a little more alcohol and, crucially, some carbon dioxide gas (CO2).

In the Traditional method, with constant pressure and low temperatures, there is also a second fermentation, where the yeasts feed on the sugars and produce a high quantity of carbon dioxide. Thanks to the pressure, the alcohol expands in the wine and forms the sparkling wine.

Metodo Classico (or "Champagne" method): In this method, the base wine is fermented in a tank. Then, it's put in bottles, where it undergoes a second fermentation before aging for 1–3 years on the lees. The most famous Italian appellation for this sparkling wine is Franciacorta DOCG.

The traditional method, or “méthode traditionnelle” in French, is used to produce sparkling wine, with secondary fermentation occurring in the bottle. While famously used in champagne production, this method has been adopted by winemakers worldwide and can be used to make sparkling wine from many wine varietals.

Prosecco is produced using a much cheaper and more efficient process called the Charmat process, or metodo Italiano. Most people refer to this process simply as the "tank method." The tank method is similar to the méthode champenoise in that producers create a base wine to which they add sugar and yeast.

The (Russian) continuous method is an adaptation of the tank method. It was developed in the USSR and includes a sequence of connected pressurized tanks. Base wine is pumped into the first tank. Measured amounts of the "liqueur de tirage" (solution with yeast and sugar) are added for the secondary fermentation.

Although many variations exist, most sparkling wines are produced in one of two ways: through second fermentation in a tank, or through second fermentation in a bottle.

The main difference between the Traditional Method and the Charmat Method is the vessel used for secondary fermentation. Traditional Method bubbles go through secondary fermentation in the bottle (ex. Champagne), while in Charmat Method, secondary fermentation occurs in...you guessed it...a tank (ex. Prosecco).

If sparkling wine is a category of wines with different origins, grapes and regulations, prosecco on the other hand, as we have seen, can also be a sparkling wine but produced only in certain specific areas of Italy, with certain types of grapes and with a precise method of sparkling wine, and it is these ...

Ancestral method

This is the oldest method of creating sparkling wine. In this process, the wine is bottled before the initial fermentation is complete. The fermentation finishes in the bottle, creating light carbonation.

Which method is called the traditional method? ›

The traditional method of teaching is a teacher-centric method that promotes the supremacy of the teacher within the classroom setup. Here teachers followed the drill and rote method of memorization. In this method, children learn through repetition and memorization.

Cava is made using the same process as Champagne - the traditional method, or metodo tradicional. This is a more meticulous approach which involves secondary fermentation taking place actually inside each individual bottle.

To make the wine bubbly, this base wine is put into bottles along with a small amount of yeast and sugar. The bottle is tightly sealed with a cap and stacked in a cool cellar. Within the bottle, the yeast ferments the sugar, and in doing so creates a little more alcohol and, crucially, some carbon dioxide gas (CO2).

The Classic Method is the production process of the sparkling wine characterized by the second fermentation; therefore, the sparkling process happens directly in the bottle.

The Charmat method used for Prosecco involves single fermentation in tank, flowed by a pressurised bottling. By contrast, Champagne is fermented twice with the secondary fermentation conducted in bottle with the addition of yeast and solids that provide the bubbles.”

The main difference between the Traditional Method and the Charmat Method is the vessel used for secondary fermentation. Traditional Method bubbles go through secondary fermentation in the bottle (ex. Champagne), while in Charmat Method, secondary fermentation occurs in...you guessed it...a tank (ex. Prosecco).

Easing the sediment downwards

The aim of riddling, or remuage, is to loosen the sediment so that it collects in the bottle neck.

A mixture of yeast, yeast nutrients and sugar (liqueur de tirage) that is added to the wine in the second yeasting, the wine is put in a thick glass bottle and sealed with a bottle cap. The wine bottles are placed in a cool cellar to ferment slowly and to produce alcohol and carbon dioxide.

Sparkling Wine Service

Bring the wine to the table at the proper temperature (in this case, 45F). Always have a serviette in hand, properly folded. Use the serviette to frame the bottle when presenting the wine to the guest. Present the wine to the guest and confirm the producer name, vintage, grape or cuvée name.