To begin,
Champagne itself is a sparkling wine. It derives its proprietary name
from the region in France it originates from
The other two most
renowned sparkling wines are Cava, produced in the region of Penedès,
Catalonia, Spain and Talento wines,
produced in the region of Trentino,
Northern Italy1, 2.
Magic in the production of Bubbles?
The production of sparkling wine takes place in two stages:
The first phase, involves the preparation of the base wine or cuvee.
In the second phase, the sparkle stage, a sugar or concentrated
must
and a yeast solution is added to the base wine and left to undergo a
second alcoholic fermentation either in sealed bottles
(Metodo Classico/
Método Tradicional) or in pressurized tanks that prevent the CO2 gas produced during fermentation from
escaping (Charmat, Granvas method).
How do Bubbles form?
In the case
of weakly supersaturated liquids, such as sparkling wines, and other
carbonated beverages, heterogeneous bubble
nucleation occurs due to
pre-existing gas cavities. Several kinds of particles such as exogenous
cellulose fibers from the
surrounding air, or deposits during from the
wiping/polishing process, and endogenous tartrate crystals stuck on the
glass wall,
are able to entrap gas pockets and serve as nucleation
sites. These nucleation sites with their size and shape induce precise
and
repetitive production of bubbles, which rise in the form of elegant
bubble chains, reach the free surface and burst3, 4.
Definition of Quality in Sparkling wines:
In Champagne, in order, for a sparkling wine to be qualified as quality sparkling wine,
it shall have a minimum of excess pressure of
3.5 bars at 20º C1.
When to drink Sparkling wines?
Silly but
true, unlike the table wines, sparkling wine is a more complex, more
versatile drink, which pairs with a wider array of foods.
It also agrees
with everyone’s palate.
Contraband’s aromas and flavors range from floral
to more complex fruity notes. Hence Contraband Sparkling wine agrees
with
everyone from novice wine drinkers to people who like beer and
other forms of alcohol.
References/ Further Readings:
[1]
Buxaderas S. and E. L. Tamames. 2010. Managing the quality of sparkling
wines, in: “Managing Wine Quality”, (A. G. Reynolds, Ed.). Woodhead
Publishing Limited. Pp. 553-582.
[2] Pueyo E.,
P. J. M. Alvarez, and M. C. Polo. 1995. Relationship between foam
characteristics and chemical composition in wines and Cavas (sparkling
wines). Am. J. Enol. Vitic. 46:518–524.
[3]
Liger-Belair G., R. Marchal, and P. Jeandet. 2002. Close-up on bubble
nucleation in a glass of Champagne. Am. J. Enol. Vitic. 53:151-153.
[4] Senée J., L. Viaux, B. Robillard, B. Duteurtre, and M. V. Adler.
1998. The endogenous particles of a sparkling wine and their influence
on the foaming behaviour. Food Hydrocolloids. 12:217-226.
Bubble Facts