Sparkling wine comes from twice refined grapes. The end product, so called cuvée, which is made by merging wines of different varieties, undergoes secondary fermentation. This determines the method of production. At Hubert J.E. we produce sparkling wines using these four methods.
Metal clip used to secure bottle stopper of sparkling wine from ejection by pressure of carbon dioxide.
A drink served before a meal to stimulate taste.
No sugar or yeast is added to the wine. Managed primary fermentation of juice from aromatic grape varieties takes place at a regulated temperature and stops when the right ratio of sugar and alcohol has been achieved. This method is employed in making aromatic sparkling wines.
Breakdown of dead yeast cells (or lees). Autolysis increases the chances of wine diseases. Therefore, aging “sur lie” is undesirable for most wines with the exception of sparkling wines and Muscadet.
Base wine is the ready wine that underwent primary fermentation. Cuvée is the combination of several wines. Cuvée is subjected to secondary fermentation, which results in sparkling wine. Quality sparkling wine is making from quality wine.
Bisquit is a desirable quality of the bouquet found in sparkling wines. It is derived from higher content of acetaldehyde that comes from the aging in the bottle.
This term is used to denominate a combination of aromas attributable to the wine after it has reached its bottle maturity (thus the term aroma goes for the grapes and bouquet for bottled wine). Bouquet may be primary (attributable to the grapes), secondary (attributable to the fermentation) and tertiary (attributable to the bottle). Not always are these terms used correctly even by winemakers, therefore, aroma and bouquet may be considered synonyms.
A mixed drink (warm or cold) that is a mixture of sparkling wine or wine and fruit. Other ingredients may be added to the final drink, such as sparkling water, spirits, sugar, herbs, etc.
French term for extra dry sparkling wine. Pursuant to EU regulations on sparkling wine, this term may be used to denominate wines with residue sugar of up to 12 g / liter.
Champagne is a sparkling wine that originates from the Champagne region in France. Only three grape varieties may be used to make champagne: Chardonnay, Pinot Maunier and Pinot Noir. Production follows the traditional method employing fermentation in bottles.
A champagne flute is a stem glass with a tall, narrow bowl used to serve sparkling wine. It is generally filled to two thirds to allow carbonation and bouquet to develop. No detergents should be used in the washing up, since a fine film formed on the glass surface is the biggest enemy of fizzing. For best results, before serving wash the glass in water and wipe with a clean cloth that does not leave fibers behind.
Sparkling wine making method by secondary fermentation in large fermentation tanks.
The art of combining different complementary wines. The art of skillful coupage of base wines has for years maintained the same character and unchanged quality of sparkling wine independent of Mother Nature’s wits. The only exceptions are vintage and varietal sparkling wines, where it is desirable to keep the characteristics of a specific variety or vintage.
Coupage of basic wines ready for secondary fermentation.
Process of shaking down the depot into the neck of the bottle of sparkling wine.
Dosing of the expedition (or dosing) liquor in the sparkling wine after it has been disgorged. Its content is stated on the label using the respective terms brut, demi-sec, etc.
English term for dry wine. Pursuant to EU regulations on sparkling wine, this term may be used to denominate wines with residue sugar in the range of 17 – 32 g / liter.
Mixture of the highest quality wine and sugar deployed to adjust the sugar content of the sparkling wine (brut, demi-sec, etc.).
English term for extra dry. Pursuant to EU regulations on sparkling wine, this term may be used to denominate wines with residue sugar in the range of 12 – 17 g / liter.
Term for demi-sec / demi-doux. Pursuant to EU regulations on sparkling wine, this term may be used to denominate wines with residue sugar in the range of 32 – 50 g / liter.
French for carbonation in a glass of sparkling wine.
Alcoholic fermentation of basic wine (cuvée), which produces sparkling wine after the addition of tirage liqueur.
The Slovak colloquial term for sparkling wine is “sekt”. It comes from the Latin “siccus” meaning dry. It developed through the Spanish “seco” and English “sack” into the German term “Seck” around 1640. In the beginning the terms “seck” and “sack” described still sweet Spanish wine, sherry. Only in 1825 the word “Sekt” became by coincidence a term to describe sparkling wine. After his show at the Berlin theatre the actor Ludwig Devrient wanted to refresh himself at the Lutter & Wegner wine shop and he called the waiter by quoting Shakespeare’s Henry IV: “Bring me Sekt, garcon!”. In reality the waiter was supposed to bring sherry, but since he was not listening carefully, he brought, as usual, champagne to Devrient. From that day on the term sekt found its new meaning first in the vocabulary of visitors of the Lutter & Wegner wine shop, and later of Berliners and Northern Germans and by 1860 this term had spread all over German speaking Europe.
This term refers to sparkling wine served on ice cubes. Sparkling wine on the rocks is great mainly in the case of fruity, fresh, light and aromatic sparkling wines such as Hubert de Luxe. Use long drink glasses for the purpose. A tip: sparkling wine on the rocks tastes great with ice cubes made of fruit juices.
It consists of precisely measured wine parts with diluted sugar and an addition of a noble yeast culture. It is added to a mixture of consolidated ready wines (cuvée) to bring the cuvee to a secondary fermentation. During secondary fermentation noble yeasts play an important role in that they turn sugar into alcohol and carbon dioxide that causes the well-known fizzing when the bottle opens. This is how wine turns into sparkling wine.
It is the traditional method of sparkling wine making, during which a second fermentation takes place directly in the bottle. After a thorough fermentation and speckling there is an intermittent clockwise or counterclockwise turning of the bottles. Bottles go gradually from a horizontal into a vertical position.
It is the original traditional method, in which sparkling wine is made from bottled natural wine by means of a second fermentation. The main difference from the traditional method is the final stage when the wine is filtered before it is consolidated and bottled for dispatch.
Sparkling wine containing one dominant grape variety. It is admissible to state the grape variety on the label only if the cuvée of the sparkling wine contains at least 85% of wine of this single variety.
This is the denomination of sparkling wine in which at least 85% of the cuvée wine is from the same vintage.
The winemaking master is the most important person in the process of sparkling wine making. He or she determines the quality and character of the sparkling wine by selecting and combining different base wines. Great sense of smell and taste is a must. The master must select out of the many available varieties of wines and the many vintages and locations those wines that are mutually enriching in terms of bouquet and flavor. The winemaker’s most difficult task is to predict, when selecting the wines, how they will behave as a composition during transformation into sparkling wine.
