The best Champagnes and sparkling wines are made by méthode champenoise

Date: September 24, 2010

Philippines Wine Shop Clark Wine Center is pleased to share with you articles, news and information about wine, wine events, wine tasting and other topics related to wine and the appreciation of wine.

What is Méthode Champenoise?

Whether it is called Champagne or sparkling wine, what is really important is how the wine is made.  The best Champagnes and sparkling wines are made by méthode champenoise which requires a secondary fermentation in the bottle.

This secondary fermentation is accomplished by adding a mixture of sugar and yeast, called the liqueur de tirage, to still wine. This wine is then bottled and capped, with a bottle cap similiar to ones found on beer bottles – not a cork. The yeast acts on the sugar and the resulting carbon dioxide remains trapped in the bottle. Quality sparkling wines are usually left on their yeast for several months, even up to six years. At the end of this process the cap is removed and replaced with the traditional cork with wire cage.

The important thing to remember is that the secondary fermentation happens in the bottle in quality sparkling wines. If you see the word “charmat” it means the secondary fermentation happened in a large tank, usually an indicator of a lesser quality wine.

Terms used in Méthode Champenoise Production:

Assemblage              A preliminary combining and blending of wines from
different vineyards after the first racking.

Bead                           A bubble forming in or on a beverage; used to mean CO₂ bubbles                                      in general or             sometimes to the ring of bubbles around the edge of                                      the liquid.

Blanc de blanc         Champagne made from white grapes.

Blanc de noir                        Champagne made from the juice of Pinot noir; may
impart a light salmon color to the wine.

Crémant                    A very lightly sparkling, creamy, and frothy wine, usually higher in                                      sugar content.

Cuvée                                    Literally tubful or vatful, this refers to a particular
blend to be used for sparkling wine.

Dégorgement           The disgorging or removal of the plug of sediment which
collected on the cork during riddling.

Dosage                                  Same as dosage in English: an amount of sweetener added                                                            back to the bottle after dégorgement.

Liqueur de triage                  The mixture of sugar added to the cuvée for the second                                                         fermentation.

Méthode champenoise       Traditional champagne production method that
promotes a second fermentation in the bottle.

Mousse                                  Froth, foam; frothy or sparkling; used as a synonym with                                                       crémant.

Pupitres                                 The hinged sloping racks used to hold bottles during the                                                       riddling process.

Remuage                              Refers to the riddling or turning of the bottles to dislodge
yeast sediment and allow it to collect on the cork.

Remueur                               Refers to the person who riddles the bottles.

Tirage                                     Refers to drawing off the base wine combined with sugar                                                      and yeast for second fermentation in the bottle or a tank.

Vin de reserve                      Some of the base wine held in reserve in which
the sugar for the dosage is dissolved.

Source: http://www.californiachampagnes.com/methode_champenoise.html

Clark Wine Center was built in 2003 by Hong Kong-based Yats International Leisure Philippines to become the largest wine shop in Philippines supplying Asia’s wine lovers with fine vintage wines at attractive prices.  Today, this wine shop in Clark Philippines offers over 2000 selections of fine wines from all major wine regions in the world.  As a leading wine supplier in Philippines, Pampanga’s Clark Wine Center offers an incomparable breadth of vintages, wines from back vintages spanning over 50 years.  Clark Wine Center is located in Pampanga Clark Freeport Zone adjacent to Angeles City, just 25 minutes from Subic and 45 minutes from Manila.

Wines from Burgundy, Bordeaux, Rhone, Loire, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Austria, Alsace, USA, Australia, New Zealand, Italy, South Africa, Chile and Argentina etc. are well represented in this Clark Wine Shop.

Buy wine in Manila, Metro Manila, Philippines at good wine shops and boutique wine stores that offer good selection of good vintage wines at all price points. Good white wines that available at the wine shops in Manila and Pampanga include Puligny Montrachet, Chassagne Montrachet, Pouilly Fuisse, Corton Charlemagne, Montrachet, Batard Montrachet and Beaune. This makes it easy and convenient for wine lovers to buy wine in Manila. Manila wine and food lovers looking for things to do in Pampanga and Manila can consider attending one of these wine events. Leading Philippines wine supplier and wine importer Yats Wine Cellars frequently hold public wine tasting in Clark, Pampanga and Manila.

For more information, email Wine@Yats-International.com or visit http://www.ClarkWineCenter.com