WSET Diploma D4: Sparkling Wines
Study online at https://quizlet.com/_gt7puy
1. Traditional Method: Sparkling wine created via a second fermentation in the
bottle in which the wine is also sold
AKA champagne method, classic method,
2. Harvest (for Sparkling wines): Typically by hand to minimize phenolic extraction
and oxidation
Lower must weights than still wine
3. Whole Bunch Pressing: Gentle extraction with minimal phenolics
Particularly important for red grapes
Often limited by law
4. First Fermentation: Rapid and warm
Stainless steel most common but oak found
5. Blending (assemblage): Most important part of sparkling wine production
May include multiple vintages, plots, fermentation styles, varietals
Non-vintage wines aim to produce house style
6. Bottling and tirage: 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
7. Liqueur de tirage: mixture of sugar, yeast and yeast nutrients added to base wine
upon bottling
8. Second Fermentation: 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
9. Lees aging: Min 9 months most common
Yeast Autolysis
Creates toasty, bready flavors
Reduces risk of oxidation
Very important factor
10. Autolysis: Destruction of the internal structure of yeast cells by their own en-
zymes
11. Riddling: 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)
12. Disgorging: 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
, WSET Diploma D4: Sparkling Wines
Study online at https://quizlet.com/_gt7puy
internal pressure
May be facilitated by addition of bentonite or other substances
13. Topping Up and Dosage: also called Liqueur d'expedition
Blend of wine and sugar to balance the final wine
May also affect color
14. Transfer method: Second fermentation in bottle.
Wine disgorged, filtered, dosed and rebottled under pressure
Common in champagne for unusual sizes (split, jeroboam +)
15. Tank Method: Second fermentation in pressurized tank
AKA Charmat or Martinotti
Bottled under pressure
May have some aging and lees stirring
Cheaper and faster
16. Asti Method: 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
Continues until approx 7% ABV and 5-6 bars
Leaves some residual sugar
Filtered under pressure to remove yeast
17. Carbonation: Injection of CO2 gas then bottled under pressure
Wine must be clear and stable
Cheapest methhod
18. Rosé Production - Blending: Red wine produced and blended with white base
Must fermented on skins until 6% ABV - then skins removed and fermentation
continues
Minimal tannins
Yeast absorb color during second ferment
Common in Champagne - EU Law changed in 2009 to allow in other appellations
but still limited by law in some locations
Used in New World
19. Rosé Production - Maceration/Saignee: Rose base wine is made and then
second fermentation begins
Depth of color depends on maceration
20. EU Sweetness Levels: Brut Nature/Zero Dosage = 0-3 g/l, no dosage
Extra Brut = 0-6 g/l
Brut = 0-12 g/l
Extra-Sec/Extra-Dry = 12-17 g/l
, WSET Diploma D4: Sparkling Wines
Study online at https://quizlet.com/_gt7puy
Sec = 17-32 g/l
Demi- Sec = 32-50 g/l
Doux = 50+ g/l (no longer commercially produced)
21. Champagne Climate: Cool continental
22. Champagne Location: Delimited region in Northern France
23. Soils in Champagne: Chalk and limestone + marl and sand
Low in nutrients - require fertilizers
24. Aire délimitée: wide ranging area in which the wines can be made and aged
25. Aire production: particular parcels of land within the aire délimitée which can
be planted for grapes used for champagne production
26. Expansion of Aire Production: When appellation was established some his-
torical vineyard areas were excluded
Production at capacity
Since 2003 under review by INAO to assess expansion
Must meet historical and technical criteria
27. Champagne Crus: Whole villages
May be limited to specific grape varieties
28. Eschelles des Crus: Literally "ladder of growths'
Ranking of vineyard sites that historically determined pricing structure for grapes
Grand Cru = 100
Premier cru = 90
Undone by EU anti-competition legislation
29. Champagne Grand Cru Villages: 17 in total
30. Champagne Premier Cru Villages: 44 villages
31. Champagne Grape Varieties: Pinot Noir - structure, weight and power
Chardonnay - freshness and length
Pinot Meunier - fruitiness (buds late and ripens early) x
Plus historical varieties of: Arbanne, Petit Meslier, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris
All together only represent 0.3% of plantings
32. Champagne Vineyard regions: 5 Sub Regions:
- Montaigne de Reims
- Côte des Blancs
- Vallée de la Marne
- Côte de Sezanne
- Côte des Bars (Aube)
33. Champagne Max Yield: 10.4 tonnes/hectare
34. Min Potential ABV: 9%
Study online at https://quizlet.com/_gt7puy
1. Traditional Method: Sparkling wine created via a second fermentation in the
bottle in which the wine is also sold
AKA champagne method, classic method,
2. Harvest (for Sparkling wines): Typically by hand to minimize phenolic extraction
and oxidation
Lower must weights than still wine
3. Whole Bunch Pressing: Gentle extraction with minimal phenolics
Particularly important for red grapes
Often limited by law
4. First Fermentation: Rapid and warm
Stainless steel most common but oak found
5. Blending (assemblage): Most important part of sparkling wine production
May include multiple vintages, plots, fermentation styles, varietals
Non-vintage wines aim to produce house style
6. Bottling and tirage: 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
7. Liqueur de tirage: mixture of sugar, yeast and yeast nutrients added to base wine
upon bottling
8. Second Fermentation: 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
9. Lees aging: Min 9 months most common
Yeast Autolysis
Creates toasty, bready flavors
Reduces risk of oxidation
Very important factor
10. Autolysis: Destruction of the internal structure of yeast cells by their own en-
zymes
11. Riddling: 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)
12. Disgorging: 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
, WSET Diploma D4: Sparkling Wines
Study online at https://quizlet.com/_gt7puy
internal pressure
May be facilitated by addition of bentonite or other substances
13. Topping Up and Dosage: also called Liqueur d'expedition
Blend of wine and sugar to balance the final wine
May also affect color
14. Transfer method: Second fermentation in bottle.
Wine disgorged, filtered, dosed and rebottled under pressure
Common in champagne for unusual sizes (split, jeroboam +)
15. Tank Method: Second fermentation in pressurized tank
AKA Charmat or Martinotti
Bottled under pressure
May have some aging and lees stirring
Cheaper and faster
16. Asti Method: 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
Continues until approx 7% ABV and 5-6 bars
Leaves some residual sugar
Filtered under pressure to remove yeast
17. Carbonation: Injection of CO2 gas then bottled under pressure
Wine must be clear and stable
Cheapest methhod
18. Rosé Production - Blending: Red wine produced and blended with white base
Must fermented on skins until 6% ABV - then skins removed and fermentation
continues
Minimal tannins
Yeast absorb color during second ferment
Common in Champagne - EU Law changed in 2009 to allow in other appellations
but still limited by law in some locations
Used in New World
19. Rosé Production - Maceration/Saignee: Rose base wine is made and then
second fermentation begins
Depth of color depends on maceration
20. EU Sweetness Levels: Brut Nature/Zero Dosage = 0-3 g/l, no dosage
Extra Brut = 0-6 g/l
Brut = 0-12 g/l
Extra-Sec/Extra-Dry = 12-17 g/l
, WSET Diploma D4: Sparkling Wines
Study online at https://quizlet.com/_gt7puy
Sec = 17-32 g/l
Demi- Sec = 32-50 g/l
Doux = 50+ g/l (no longer commercially produced)
21. Champagne Climate: Cool continental
22. Champagne Location: Delimited region in Northern France
23. Soils in Champagne: Chalk and limestone + marl and sand
Low in nutrients - require fertilizers
24. Aire délimitée: wide ranging area in which the wines can be made and aged
25. Aire production: particular parcels of land within the aire délimitée which can
be planted for grapes used for champagne production
26. Expansion of Aire Production: When appellation was established some his-
torical vineyard areas were excluded
Production at capacity
Since 2003 under review by INAO to assess expansion
Must meet historical and technical criteria
27. Champagne Crus: Whole villages
May be limited to specific grape varieties
28. Eschelles des Crus: Literally "ladder of growths'
Ranking of vineyard sites that historically determined pricing structure for grapes
Grand Cru = 100
Premier cru = 90
Undone by EU anti-competition legislation
29. Champagne Grand Cru Villages: 17 in total
30. Champagne Premier Cru Villages: 44 villages
31. Champagne Grape Varieties: Pinot Noir - structure, weight and power
Chardonnay - freshness and length
Pinot Meunier - fruitiness (buds late and ripens early) x
Plus historical varieties of: Arbanne, Petit Meslier, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris
All together only represent 0.3% of plantings
32. Champagne Vineyard regions: 5 Sub Regions:
- Montaigne de Reims
- Côte des Blancs
- Vallée de la Marne
- Côte de Sezanne
- Côte des Bars (Aube)
33. Champagne Max Yield: 10.4 tonnes/hectare
34. Min Potential ABV: 9%
