WSET L4 D4 SPARKLING WINES COMPLETE
EXAM PREPARATION GUIDE WITH TERROIR
AND STYLE COMPARISONS
◉ Harvest (for Sparkling wines).
Answer: Typically by hand to minimize phenolic extraction and
oxidation
Lower must weights than still wine
◉ Whole Bunch Pressing.
Answer: Gentle extraction with minimal phenolics
Particularly important for red grapes
Often limited by law
◉ First Fermentation.
Answer: Rapid and warm
Stainless steel most common but oak found
◉ Blending (assemblage).
Answer: Most important part of sparkling wine production
May include multiple vintages, plots, fermentation styles, varietals
,Non-vintage wines aim to produce house style
◉ Bottling and tirage.
Answer: Approximately 24g sucrose needed
Beet, cane or grape sugars
Specific strains of inoculated yeasts are common
Typically sealed with crown cap (historically cork) and stored
horizontally
◉ Liqueur de tirage.
Answer: mixture of sugar, yeast and yeast nutrients added to base
wine upon bottling
◉ Second Fermentation.
Answer: Slow and cold (around 10 degrees celcius)
Typically 4-8 weeks
5-6 atmospheres created from CO2 produced
increase of 1.2-1.3% ABV
◉ Lees aging.
Answer: Min 9 months most common
Yeast Autolysis
,Creates toasty, bready flavors
Reduces risk of oxidation
Very important factor
◉ Autolysis.
Answer: Destruction of the internal structure of yeast cells by their
own enzymes
◉ Riddling.
Answer: Gentle movement of the bottle to sur point position so
sediment travels into the neck of the bottle
Facilitates disgorgement
By hand (6 + weeks) or gyropalatte (3 days - matter of hours)
◉ Disgorging.
Answer: Removal of sediment from the neck of a sparkling wine
bottle
By hand or mechanized
Bottle neck frozen in brine solution to create frozen plug ejected
automatically by internal pressure
May be facilitated by addition of bentonite or other substances
◉ Topping Up and Dosage.
, Answer: also called Liqueur d'expedition
Blend of wine and sugar to balance the final wine
May also affect color
◉ Transfer method.
Answer: Second fermentation in bottle.
Wine disgorged, filtered, dosed and rebottled under pressure
Common in champagne for unusual sizes (split, jeroboam +)
◉ Tank Method.
Answer: Second fermentation in pressurized tank
AKA Charmat or Martinotti
Bottled under pressure
May have some aging and lees stirring
Cheaper and faster
◉ Asti Method.
Answer: Variation on tank method
Must stored at 0 degrees Celcius until needed
Fermentation -single fermentation as required
temp raised, CO2 allowed to escape until tank
sealed
EXAM PREPARATION GUIDE WITH TERROIR
AND STYLE COMPARISONS
◉ Harvest (for Sparkling wines).
Answer: Typically by hand to minimize phenolic extraction and
oxidation
Lower must weights than still wine
◉ Whole Bunch Pressing.
Answer: Gentle extraction with minimal phenolics
Particularly important for red grapes
Often limited by law
◉ First Fermentation.
Answer: Rapid and warm
Stainless steel most common but oak found
◉ Blending (assemblage).
Answer: Most important part of sparkling wine production
May include multiple vintages, plots, fermentation styles, varietals
,Non-vintage wines aim to produce house style
◉ Bottling and tirage.
Answer: Approximately 24g sucrose needed
Beet, cane or grape sugars
Specific strains of inoculated yeasts are common
Typically sealed with crown cap (historically cork) and stored
horizontally
◉ Liqueur de tirage.
Answer: mixture of sugar, yeast and yeast nutrients added to base
wine upon bottling
◉ Second Fermentation.
Answer: Slow and cold (around 10 degrees celcius)
Typically 4-8 weeks
5-6 atmospheres created from CO2 produced
increase of 1.2-1.3% ABV
◉ Lees aging.
Answer: Min 9 months most common
Yeast Autolysis
,Creates toasty, bready flavors
Reduces risk of oxidation
Very important factor
◉ Autolysis.
Answer: Destruction of the internal structure of yeast cells by their
own enzymes
◉ Riddling.
Answer: Gentle movement of the bottle to sur point position so
sediment travels into the neck of the bottle
Facilitates disgorgement
By hand (6 + weeks) or gyropalatte (3 days - matter of hours)
◉ Disgorging.
Answer: Removal of sediment from the neck of a sparkling wine
bottle
By hand or mechanized
Bottle neck frozen in brine solution to create frozen plug ejected
automatically by internal pressure
May be facilitated by addition of bentonite or other substances
◉ Topping Up and Dosage.
, Answer: also called Liqueur d'expedition
Blend of wine and sugar to balance the final wine
May also affect color
◉ Transfer method.
Answer: Second fermentation in bottle.
Wine disgorged, filtered, dosed and rebottled under pressure
Common in champagne for unusual sizes (split, jeroboam +)
◉ Tank Method.
Answer: Second fermentation in pressurized tank
AKA Charmat or Martinotti
Bottled under pressure
May have some aging and lees stirring
Cheaper and faster
◉ Asti Method.
Answer: Variation on tank method
Must stored at 0 degrees Celcius until needed
Fermentation -single fermentation as required
temp raised, CO2 allowed to escape until tank
sealed
