Method

Notes

Carbonation

Used for mass production of cheap sparkling wines - usually from irrigated, mechanically harvested grapes. Base wine is CO2 saturated under high pressure. Sugar syrup often added, and bulk cool storage assists retention of freshness. Bubbles in resulting sparkling wine tend to be large and rise from different areas of the glass when poured.

Asti-Spumante

Classic style of Piedmont, Northern Italy. Primary fermentation takes place in a pressure tank, allowing part of the CO2 to remain dissolved in the wine.

Vinho Verde

This traditional method of Northern Portugal. Secondary fermentation - carried out by lactic acid bacteria - takes place in the bottle.

Rural Method

This method has been practised in some areas of Europe, notably Northern Italy and Southern France. The process is similar to Asti-Spumante, but fermentation is stopped whilst there's still residual sugar left. Secondary fermentation then converts this sugar using yeast in bottle.

Modified Charmat Process

The Modified Charmat process is used in Germany, Italy and most new world wine producing countries. These wines are generally low quality, attract low pricing and thus low quality grapes are used. Grapes are often grown in irrigated, warmer regions in most countries. Base wines are blended with sugar syrup in a pressure fermentation tank where it's innoculated with yeast and left to ferment. The wine is settled in the tank before transfer to a second pressurised vessel where sweetening liquer is added. Finally after clarification and sterilisation, the wine is bottled under pressure.

Continuous Production

This process was pioneered in Russia and is based on the tank fermentation process above, only with wine continuously collected from the fermenter on one side of a bulk fermentation tank and continuously bottled on the other. If this sounds familiar, it's because this is how beer is made.

Tank Aging

Similar to Modified Charmat, however involves actually aging the wines on yeast lees in a pressure tank for up to a year. Geman Sekt is made using this method, as are some Italian sparklings.

Transfer Method

This is a widely used, large-scale method whereby secondary fermentation takes place in the bottle. Clarified still wine is blended and transferred to a pressure tank, where it is given a dose of sugar, liquer and more yeast [called tirage] to kick off secondary fermentation, then re-bottled. The bottles are sealed with a crown seal [metal cap] and left for the secondary fermentation process. The bottles are rested on their sides for 6-12 months. At this point the wine is transferred back to a pressure tank where it is blended, allowed time to settle, filtered under pressure to another tank, from which it is then rebottled under pressure.

Méthode Champenoise

This is the traditional, bottled fermented method used by the champagne makers of France. It's so complex and detailed that we'll review it seperately below.