Popping the cork on summer and the festive season!

Christmas is around the corner and with the promise of good weather, festive cheer and a New Year, Chief Winemaker Sam Plunkett focuses on a wine style synonymous with celebrating – sparkling wine. 

What is sparkling wine and what are the main examples of this style?

Sparkling wines contain carbon dioxide bubbles, a natural by-product of fermentation, which winemakers trap in the wine to create this exciting wine style. 

Many wine producing countries have examples of sparkling but to keep within the word rate I’ll focus on two significant styles of sparkling – Champagne (France) and Prosecco (Italy) and the production methods of each.

Champagne

Champagne is the classic French sparkling wine and can only be named so if it is produced in the north eastern region of Champagne-Ardenne. Typically Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier or Chardonnay grapes are used in Champagne. Up until the 17 century the Champenois (name of the Champagne winemakers) considered its fizz a fault, one which up until the English invented strengthened glass in 19 century, resulted in frequent cellar room explosions! As technology continued to advance, winemakers embraced the bubbles and evolved Champagne into the world’s most celebrated sparkling wine.

Prosecco

Prosecco is a delightful sweet or dry sparkling wine produced in northern Italy. Unlike Champagne it’s actually named after the variety of grape used to make it – Prosecco – and uses a different production method called the ‘Charmat’ method.

What are the differences in production methods used in Champagne and Prosecco?

Pioneered in France and borrowed by Spain (to produce its own sparkling wine Cava – sorry I don’t have space to talk about this wine!), Champagne uses a method referred to as method champenois or ‘traditional method’. It involves a second fermentation, occurring in the bottle, with the addition of several grams of yeast and sugar. The bottle is the closed with a crown seal and specially stored and turned (known as riddling) so that the lees (residual yeast) settle in the wine bottle neck. After a period of aging the neck is frozen and the seal removed, with the pressure forcing out the lees before the bottle is closed again under cork or crown seal.

We make our STONE DWELLERS Sparkling Chardonnay Pinot Noir in the Prosecco style using the Charmat method. Basically the method involves us crafting a wine, then adding yeast and sugar and transferring it to stainless steel tanks for its secondary fermentation. We then bottle the wine under pressure and at very cold temperatures to ensure the carbon dioxide remains within the wine.

Cork or Crown – which is the best closure?

Cork may be traditional but crown is best for wine quality – there is no cork taint or oxidation problems with a crown seal and you’re less likely to lose an eye!

Favorite examples of sparkling wine?

I have soft spot for Veuve Clicquot after spending a couple of days being driven around the estate by an amicable and knowledgeable young lady from the Clicquot clan. However I reckon Bollinger is a knock out example – intense, complex and delicious.

Closer to home I reckon our STONE DWELLERS Sparkling Chardonnay Pinot Noir is cool example of ingenuity in sparkling wine – taking typical Champagne varieties, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir and applying an Italian method to produce a crackling little sparkler!