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A sparkling wine – This is a wine saturated with carbon dioxide, which gives the drink a sparkling, with many sparkling bubbles. The drink can be prepared both by the classic champagne method and by the Sharma method. Artificial carbonation is not applied to sparkling wines; drinks obtained as a result of this technology are called sparkling.
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In medieval times, it was the sparkling of wine that was considered a significant drawback that they tried to deal with. This problem was the most topical for the northern regions of France, because the winter frosts characteristic of these places stopped the fermentation of wine in the cellars, and in the spring this process resumed.
The British were the first to appreciate sparkling wines. They also explained the reason for the sparkling drink from a scientific point of view, proving that any wine will become effervescent if sugar is added to it.
In the XVIII century, Champagne already exported tons of sparkling wine to customers from England, and in the second half of the nineteenth century, winemakers from other European countries, after an internship in Champagne, tried to produce sparkling wine in their homeland. Subsequently, sparkling wines, regardless of the region and region of origin, began to be called champagne, which extremely offended the French winemakers in the Champagne region. As a result, at the end of the XNUMXth century, a law was passed that strictly defines the concept of “champagne”. Now sparkling wines produced in other regions of France simply did not have the right to be called champagne.
What is the difference between sparkling wine and champagne
Champagne is produced exclusively using the champagnization method, while sparkling wine can be prepared using the same technology or the Charmat method.
Champagne method
For production, only the best grape varieties are used, which are then naturally fermented. First, a “quiet” wine is obtained. Then wines of different varieties are added, as a result, the drink acquires its unique taste, after which it is bottled, yeast and sugar are added, which create wonderful conditions for secondary fermentation, already inside the bottle.
The wine is moved to the cellar, where bottles should only be stored in a horizontal position. Over time, the yeast precipitates, which must be removed. To do this, the bottle is gradually turned over. After a few days, all the sediment moves to the neck of the bottle. Withstand the wine together with the sediment from 15 months. After that, the bottle turned upside down must be opened, and if the technology is followed correctly, the cork, together with the yeast sediment, will fly out by itself under the pressure of carbon dioxide.
Since during this process part of the drink is lost, the required amount of wine is added to the bottle and corked with a permanent cork with wire (muselet). Real champagne is produced exclusively in such a laborious way.
Sharma method
The technology lies in the fact that the secondary fermentation takes place in large containers under pressure, and not in bottles.
The main differences between sparkling wine and champagne:
Production technology Champagne is produced only according to the classical method, in the manufacture of sparkling wine, both production technologies can be used.
Grape variety To create champagne, most often only three grape varieties are used: chardonnay, pinot meunier, pinot noir, more of them are suitable for making sparkling wine.
Aging period Sparkling wine is aged for at least 15 months, and real champagne – from 2-6 years.
Color Unlike sparkling wine, champagne cannot have a rich red color, only white or pink.
Tips for choosing the best sparkling wine
Brut is most often produced according to classical technology. In this case, in sparkling wine, the sugar content does not exceed 1,5 g per 100 ml. In dry, this indicator ranges from 2 to 2,5 g, in semi-dry from 4 to 4,5 g, and in sweet it is the highest, within 10 grams.
The color of sparkling wines can be: white, pink, red.
Drinks can be collectible and aged, it depends on the aging time.
When choosing alcohol, you need to pay attention to where it is produced. If this is Italy, then the abbreviations “DOC” and “DOCG” will indicate the highest quality of the drink. Good Spanish wines are sold under the CavaDO brand. France is by far the leader in the production of sparkling wines. A huge variety of varieties is united under the name “Kreman”. German wines of high quality are labeled as Sekt, and are not inferior in taste to French ones.
It is important to know that the strength of classic champagne varies from 10,5 to 12,5%, in sparkling wines it is 11-13,5%. In rosé wines, the strength is slightly lower than 10,5 – 12,5%.
Relevance: 11.08.2018
Tags: wine and vermouth