Spotlight – Sparkling Wines (part 2)

In the first part of this blog, I looked primarily at the ‘old world’ sparkling production of France, Spain and Italy, touching on the main production styles:

Traditional method (ie second fermentation in the bottle it is sold in) – ie Champagne, Cava, Franciacorta, Cremant
Tank method (aka Martinotti or Charmat), where the second fermentation occurs in a pressurized vat prior to bottling ie Prosecco, Lambrusco
• as well as touching on the Asti method which is a variation of the Tank method.

In today’s blog I want to look at other regions of the world that make good sparkling wine. The majority of these use either Traditional, Tank or Transfer method.

The eagle-eyed amongst you will have noticed this is a new method….yes, the Transfer Method involves slightly different processes than those previously mentioned. In short – whilst the wine still undergoes the second fermentation in the bottle, some of the production processes involved in the Traditional method are done in bulk ie rather than expelling the sediment from each bottle separately (processes involving riddling and disgorgement for those interested!), in the Transfer method – as the name suggests, the bottles’ contents are ‘transferred’ (emptied!) into a big tank in bulk before sediment is removed, dosage (sugar) added and the wine re-bottled.

This method saves time and is a cheaper process than the Traditional method and the finished product is not that dissimilar stylistically but is a process adopted by some of the larger brands.

Things to look for on label to distinguish wines made in this way would be terms such as “Bottle Fermented” – note it doesn’t say it has been fermented in that particular bottle (which is how Traditional method sparkling is made).

Right, enough of the geeky stuff, onto the wines and the countries worth exploring:

Starting with the UK: I’m a big fan of English sparkling, which predominantly uses the Traditional method of production and the same grape varieties as Champagne. A twist of fate – namely global warming and the fact the structure/composition of our soils in the South are similar to those of Champagne – means we have the building blocks in place to really produce wines of fantastic quality… to the extent we have the French running scared (ok that may be a slight exaggeration) but there have been recent forays by Champagne Houses to plant vineyards here in good old Blighty!!

Certainly the world is starting to take notice as English wines garner increasing numbers of awards globally. The 2017 Champagne and Sparkling Wine World Championships saw Hattingley 2011 Blancs de Blancs win the World Champion Blanc de Blanc and the success didn’t end there: with wins for Nyetimber 2009 Classic Cuvée and, (close to my heart) my old college winning in both the Best English NV Rosé and best value English Sparkling categories for their Plumpton Estate NV The Dean Blush which is available at Waitrose priced £22.99.

Moving further afield:

Australia – quality can vary dramatically in this market, whilst many good quality winemakers use either the Traditional or Transfer methods for their more premium products (usually using Chardonnay and Pinot Noir), other sparkling is mass produced tank fermented or possibly even carbonated (more on that later). Note: most of the lower quality product will show on the label wine of South East Australia rather than a specific region.

The good ones are very good – think cooler climate regions such as Tasmania (Jansz and House of Arras), as well as Domaine Chandon (Yarra Valley) and these use the Traditional Method or as Jansz like to quaintly call it “Methode Tasmanoise”! (Note: Jansz is widely available at Waitrose)

Where Australia has a USP however is with Sparkling Shiraz, which in my opinion is unfairly maligned and whilst it’s true some can be overly sweet, sickly and cloying, the best have a lovely balance of acidity and sweetness, with abundant red fruit, a full body and soft tannins. Barossa, McLaren Vale, Coonawarra are good regions to look for – hint: the better wines will include the region on the label.

New Zealand – Most premium sparklers use the Champagne varieties and the Traditional method of production although the Transfer method is also much used for brands ie Lindauer with the tell tale “bottle fermented” evident on the label. As with Australia, the cheaper branded sparkling will generally use Tanks ie Oyster Bay.  Marlborough and Hawkes Bay are the main areas for sparkling production but examples can be found in most of the main NZ wine regions.

The Premium wines are very good – favourites of mine include: Cloudy Bay Pelorus (Majestic), Quartz Reef, Hunter’s MiruMiru (Wine Society) and Huia.

Interestingly there are also a few examples of Sparklers from the low end Carbonation method in the market and Sauvignon Blanc seems a popular grape for this style, possibly jumping on the current popularity of the variety. I’ve noticed a few popping up in the shops – basically this is the cheapest way of putting bubbles in wine, CO2 is pumped into a tank before bottling under pressure – a kind of soda stream! It’s cheap and usually the bubbles fade very quickly. If they charge more than a fiver for it…I’d avoid!

South Africa – Premium expressions (which are often Brut) will include the term: “Cap Classique” or “Methode Cap Classique” (MCC) on the label (note: this means the Traditional method) and whilst they recommend the use of the Champagne varieties, Chenin Blanc and Pinotage are also used. Stellenbosch and Franschhoek are key regions for MCC sparklers: Graham Beck (which can be found in Waitrose) is a premium example worth a try.

The Americas: looking first at the USA – which has been influenced by the French and Spanish, with amongst others Moet & Chandon, Roederer and Codorniu setting up wineries and traditional method using the Champagne varieties dominate for the premium products. As with South Africa, the style most popular tends to be Brut. California, Oregon and Washington are key regions and Domaine Chandon, Chateau Ste. Michelle and Louis Roederer Estates (Wine Society) are examples of good quality producers worth looking for.

Argentina and Chile also produce a variety of sparkling wines across the range of production styles with most being Tank method, although premium Traditional method wines are also found. Cono Sur is a big Chilean brand widely available on the High Street – these are tank method and are fruity and easy drinking. Chandon is a key Argentinian brand readily available (Majestic) and their wines are produced using the Traditional method. (Did you know: Champagne House Moet & Chandon chose Argentina as the destination for its first non-French winery way back in 1959!)

So there you have it, there’s lots more I could go into and more countries to discuss, but given this blog has already stretched into two parts I think there is enough here to encourage a bit of global sparkling wine experimentation!

I will leave you with a few tips:

♦ If you prefer your wines very dry, look for Brut Nature or Extra Brut on the label and generally avoid Prosecco.

♦ If you like off-dry (ie a slight sweetness) then Extra Dry may be more your thing.

♦ Remember that Cremant, Franciacorta and Cava employ the same production methods as Champagne (although grape varieties used will vary).

♦ If a bottle says “bottle fermented” – it is likely to be Transfer method not Traditional method

♦ When the terms Traditional method (or variations on the term ie Methodo Tradicional, Méthode Champenoise, Methode Cap Classique) is used, this means the second fermentation occurs in the bottle in which the wine is being sold.

♦ If a wine says Carbonated – think cheap!

♦ The term ‘Vintage’ is widely used across the globe – remember though that in cooler climate regions such as France, vintage variation can be markedly greater than in most New World countries which have more reliable growing conditions, so it’s less of a sign of quality when used on New World Sparklers.

♦ If you prefer a bit more depth and flavours/aromas of bread, biscuits, brioche then these will usually come from wines that have been made using the Traditional or Transfer methods – this is because the wine has had time in contact with the lees (these are the dead yeast cells following the 2nd fermentation). When the second fermentation is in the tank (Prosecco/Asti), there is no real lees contact so wines will generally be fruitier and fresher.

Ultimately it depends on your preference as to the style you prefer. For me, I like my sparkling to be on the dry side and if I’m looking for an everyday quaffer then Cremant or Cava get my vote in terms of quality and value for money. For wines for special occasions? Well I’ll be drinking an English sparkler at Christmas but it depends on your budget if you want to push the boat out for Champagne just bear in mind all those deals you see in the supermarket may not be as good as you think – remember to see what the 2 letter code on the label says!

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