méthode champenoise

Sparkling wines made by a second fermentation in the bottle, as for champagne, but not in the Champagne region of north-eastern France.

[may-TOHD (may-TOD) shahm-peh-NWAHZ] Developed in France's champagne region, this traditional method of making sparkling wine consists of blending various still wines to make a cuvée representative of the winery's style. After the wines are blended, a bottling dosage and special yeasts are added, and the cuvée is immediately bottled and corked. The yeast and sugar in the dosage create a secondary fermentation in the bottle, producing additional alcohol and carbon dioxide gas, which gives the wine its effervescence. Sediment produced during the second fermentation is removed through riddling (or rémuage), a process by which the bottles are positioned downward at a 45° angle in specially built racks called pupitres. Every 3 or 4 days, a trained workman gives the bottles a shake and a slight turn, gradually increases the angle of tilt, and drops the bottle back in the rack with a slight whack. In 6 to 8 weeks, all the bottles are positioned straight downward and the sediment has collected in the neck. Although riddling was once done entirely by hand, today many wineries employ machines that dramatically shorten this lengthy procedure. After riddling comes disgorging (or dégorgement), whereby the sediment is removed. Just before final bottling, a "shipping dosage" (dosage d'expedition) containing sugar and some of the same cuvée (reserved for this purpose) is added-the percentage of sugar determines the degree of the wine's sweetness. The term "méthode champenoise" can be used only on labels of wines made by this method.

[may-TOHD shahm-peh-NWAHZ; may-TOD shahm-peh-NWAHZ] The traditional method of making sparkling wine developed in France's champagne region. This process, referred to as the "champagne method," consists of taking various still wines and blending them to make a cuvée that represents the style of a winery or champagne house. A complex cuvée can consist of as many as thirty to forty different wines. Once the various wines are blended in large blending vats, a bottling dosage (also known as dosage d'tirage or liqueur d'tirage), a syrupy mixture of sugar and wine (and sometimes brandy and/or citric acid), is added along with special yeasts. The cuvée is then immediately bottled and corked (or often capped with a crown cap, which is much less expensive and just as effective). The sugar (in the bottling dosage) and the yeast cells cause a secondary fermentation to take place in the bottle. This results in the creation of additional alcohol and carbon dioxide gas, which gives the wine its effervescence or "sparkle." During this secondary fermentation, pressure in the bottle builds up to 90 to 110 pounds per square inch (psi). If less bottling dosage is used in the cuvée, there will be less pressure, which will result in a lightly sparkling wine style called crémant. Such wines have slightly more than half the pressure of a regular bottling. sediment is also thrown off during the second fermentation and is removed through the steps of riddling (or rémuage) and disgorging (or dégorgement). Just before final bottling, a shipping dosage (dosage d'expédition or liqueur d'expédition), sugar, and some of the same cuvée (reserved for this purpose) is added. The percentage of sugar in the shipping dosage determines the degree of sweetness in the final wine. From dryest (see dry) to sweetest, sparkling wines are classified as brut, extra dry (or extra-sec), sec, demi-sec or doux. Once the final handling is complete and the bottles are recorked, the final pressure in a standard bottle ranges from 60 to 90 psi (approximately 6 atmospheres). The words "méthode champenoise" are used only on labels of wines that use this method. See also charmat.