This blog is based on the Spirits of New Mexico radio show that aired on December 25, 2021. We do on-air tasting of one or two wines to illustrate what is available in a particular wine region, or as a contrast of what influence a wine region has on a grape or blend. We also contrast wine styles as in the current blog. We use suitable glasses for the type of wine and do a double-decant of red wines to insure they have opened sufficiently for accurate judging.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all and to all a good, safe New Year’s celebration. Few things represent the holidays more than Champagne and sparkling wines. From the bright, lively bubbles to the creamy mouthfeel and crisp, tingly sensations these wines evoke, it would be hard to find a better way to celebrate. And for New Year’s Eve a sparkler is an absolute requirement.
Sparkling wines have been with us for centuries, but they did not originate in Champagne. Nonetheless every other sparkling wine producer wishes they could put champagne on their label. All the quality houses use the méthode champenoise or traditional method and if there is one time quality is called for it’s to welcome in the New Year.
Sparkling wine history
Dom Pérignon is the celebrated monk who pioneered the concept of Champagne as we know it today. However he spent most of his life trying to get rid of those pesky bubbles that kept shattering his wine bottles. He did introduce blending of grapes to improve the flavor and making white wine from red grapes. He was by all accounts a superb winemaker.
Blanquette de Limoux, (1531 by writings of Saint-Hilaire monks.)
Blanquette de Limoux from Languedoc was first made using the ancestral method, or méthode Ancestrale, where fermentation is stopped early, and wine undergoes a secondary fermentation in bottle. The technique might have been the result of winter weather halting fermentation, and then yeast waking up as temperatures climbed. Now, there are three sparkling wine designations:
- Blanquette de Limoux: made using the traditional method 90% Mauzac
- Blanquette de Limoux Méthode Ancestrale 100% Mauzac (apple peel, cidery)
- Cremant de Limoux Mauzac, Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc
Champagne (1729 est., shipped 1764)
Wine production started in the 17th century, when Dom Pierre Pérignon planted vines. He’s also credited with having observed the sparkling wines of Limoux and bringing the style to Champagne, but he died in 1715, before any commercial production began. Maison Ruinart, the oldest established Champagne house, was founded in 1729, and documents show it began shipping bubbly in 1764.
Veuve Clicquot was founded in 1772. Among other things, Madame Clicquot invented the riddling process to remove yeast after secondary fermentation, creating the traditional method or méthode Champenoise.
Italian Prosecco (1754)
Its history is almost as long as Champagne’s, dating back to 1754. Vinified in the col fondo, or “with sediment,” style, same as the Limoux ancestral method, this wine from the Veneto was made from the native Glera grape.
Prosecco was understood as the name of the grape for some time, but as the demand for Prosecco increase substantially in the 21st century, Prosecco producers in northern Italy decided they had to protect the name. So they found a village in Friuli called Prosecco, and redrew the DOC to include it.
The invention of the Martinotti method in 1895 made Prosecco much more affordable to produce. This technique dictates wines undergo secondary fermentation in a pressurized tank, and then get filtered and bottled under pressure. In 1907, Eugène Charmat, a Frenchman, made some improvements to the process and patented it under his name. Both names are in play in Italy.
In Franciacorta, meanwhile, producers began making traditional-method sparkling wines modeled after Champagne, picking up on the premium end. These are highly-regarded sparkling wines.
Spain Penedés (1872)
In 1872 Josep Raventós Fatjó made sparkling wine using the traditional-method. Made with Macabeu, Parellada and Xarel-lo grapes native to Penedès, in Catalonia. His family had been making wine under the Codorníu label since 1497. Legend has it that he was so pleased with the results, he immediately called for a cave (cava) to be dug, so he could produce more, and Cava became the name of the regional designation.
California (1860s)
Sparkling wines have been produced since the 1860s, with the exception of the Prohibition era. Use of the name “Champagne,” on the labels of bottling produced here has been the topic of many international trade agreements, and was finally banned for good in 2005. A handful of historic winemakers, however, had been grandfathered in and are allowed to continue calling it California Champagne.
French Crémant designation 1975
Even though sparkling wines were made in Loire Valley, Alsace and Burgundy, it wasn’t until 1975 that the crémant term was permitted.
A few sparkling terms
- Perlage (I) French term for the pearls in a sparkling wine (champagne, sparkling wine); the finer the pearls, the better the quality.
- Spumante: An Italian term for sparkling wines, usually between 3.5 to 5 bars atmospheres. Asti Spumante, or just Asti is the area within Piedmont where the sparkling wine is made.
- Frizzante: An Italian term for a lightly carbonated wine, usually under 2.5 bars atmospheric pressure. Moscato di Asti is a frizzante wine from Asti, using the Moscato Bianco grape
Sparkling wine grapes
The classic grapes in the Champagne region are Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. However many different grapes can be employed to make a sparkling wine. Pinot Noir is often the red grape of choice for Rose and Pinot Meunier much less frequently outside of Champagne. On the other hand many white wine grapes have been employed for sparkling wines. Generally the best white wine grape in a region is the one selected.
Types of Sparkling Wines
Regardless of the wine grapes use, there are two popular ways of making a sparkling wine; the Champagne method or the Charmat bulk process. In the Charmat process the secondary fermentation is done in a large pressured tank, not in the bottle, which considerably shortens production and is less costly. The bubbles are not as fine, nor is the mouthfeel as frothy and creamy.
Tirage and en tirage
Another confusing term is tirage and en tirage. Tirage is the process of adding yeast and sugar to begin the secondary fermentation. Once accomplished en tirage identifies the time the bottle will rest on its lees or spent yeast cells before disgorgement. Quality champagne can allow this process to go on for years before disgorgement. There are also minimum times by regulation.
- Non-Vintage (NV): The most traditional of all sparkling styles. These are a blend of multiple varieties and vintages of wine. The goal is to blend a consistent wine every year. Minimum aging is 1.5 years in Champagne. Some producers call it multiple vintages.
- Vintage: In Champagne, there have been 46 years denoted as vintage years in the last 60 years. Vintage Champagnes are aged a minimum of 3 years prior to release. Other regions might not follow this pattern, but Gruet as one example does not make a vintage sparkler every year.
- Cuvée de prestige: The tête de cuvée or “Grande Cuvee” of a Champagne house–the very best wine a house produces. The term is used by other producers, Many by French Champagne winemakers located in California for example.
- Blanc de Blancs A sparkler made completely of white grapes like Chardonnay.
- Blanc de Noirs: A sparkler made completely with black grapes, such as Pinot Noir and less commonly, with Pinot Meunier, although Gruet now does produce one.
- Rosé: In Champagne, typically a blend of white and red wine to create a pink wine prior to secondary fermentation. Other areas might do a more conventional Rose method.
Details of Champagne Method
While fizz in a wine can be by accident, the champagne method was a way to deliberately induce a second fermentation even though it took a while to perfect.
- The liqueur di tirage is a mix of yeast, wine and sugar added to induce a second fermentation.
- The riddling process gradually tilts the bottle until it is nearly inverted and the sediment has moved into the bottle’s neck. It was developed by Madame Clicquot.
- The disgorgement removes the sediment by freezing the bottle neck before turning the bottle and extracting the plug, which is called a crown cap similar to a soda pop cap.
- Finally a dosage or liqueur d’expedition of wine and sugar is added to top off the wine. The sugar can be sucrose, fructose, and glucose. A recent study suggested fructose was preferred.
Early on the dosage could be up to 100 grams per liter, which is very sweet indeed.
- Brut Nature – no added sugar and under 3 grams per liter of residual sugars
- Extra-Brut – between 0 and 6 grams per liter of residual sugars
- Brut – less than 12 grams per liter of residual sugars
- Extra sec (or Extra Dry) – between 12 and 17 grams per liter of residual sugars
- Sec (or Dry) – between 17 and 32 grams per liter of residual sugars
- Demi-Sec – between 32 and 50 grams per liter of residual sugars
- Doux – more than 50 grams per liter of residual sugars
In Champagne, since the late 20th century, early 21st century the warming trend permitted a longer hang time, riper grapes, better farming techniques, and less reliance on sweeter dosage. While brut wines have been around for some time, we are now seeing Extra-brut, Zero Brut and Brut Nature wines. Gruet Sauvage is an extra-brut for example.
Crémant: the Other French Sparkler
The term, crémant, was defined to identify French sparkling wine from other regions. Production rules insist on hand harvesting, gentle pressing, bottle fermentation and a minimum of nine months aging on lees, but differ according to the predominant grape varieties of the respective regions. For example; in Alsace, sparklers are made from Pinot Blanc and Riesling; in Burgundy, obviously Chardonnay and Pinot Noir but also Aligoté.
- Crémant de Bordeaux: Merlot and Cab Franc
- Crémant de Bourgogne; Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Aligoté
- Crémant d’Alsace: Primarily made from Pinot Blanc, but Auxerrois, Pinot Gris, Riesling, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes are allowed. Rose must be 100% Pinot Noir
- Crémant de Limoux (Languedoc-Roussillon)
- Crémant de Loire: Primarily Chenin Blanc, but also Chardonnay and Cabernet Franc
The remaining regions make considerably less and would be harder to find outside an exclusive wine shop, but worth seeking out if you are in-country.
- Crémant de Die
- Crémant de Jura
- Crémant de Savoie
Other Sparklers and Methods
There are many domestic sparklers that can rival many Champagne wines, but only using the traditional or Champagne method with quality grapes, and sufficient time on the lees. Worldwide there are other methods used to make a sparkling wine. Wine Folly provides an excellent overview of these.
- Traditional Method: Bottle Pressure: 5–7 atmospheres or ~75–99 psi
- Tank Method: Bottle Pressure: 2–4 atmospheres or 30–60 psi
- Transfer Method: Bottle Pressure: 5–7 atmospheres or ~75–99 psi
- Ancestral Method: Bottle Pressure: 2–4 atmospheres or 30–60 psi
- Continuous Method: Bottle Pressure: 4–5 atmospheres or 60–75 psi
- Carbonation: Bottle Pressure: 3 atmospheres or 45 psi
The transfer method is similar to the traditional method, but rather than being inverted, frozen and disgorged, bottles are emptied into a large pressure tank and filtered to remove yeast. This is commonly used with splits (187ml) and large format bottles like Jeroboam (3L) or larger. One can see why riddling a Melchizedek bottle, which holds 30 liters of wine might be just a little challenging.
The ancestral method begins with wine in a tank only partially fermented and filtered, then frozen, which shuts down fermentation for several months and then bottled where fermentation completes and CO2 is trapped. Finally bottles are riddled and then disgorged but no liqueur d’Expedition is added. This method is a variation of the Limoux method, which did not riddle or disgorge the wine. They wouldn’t have known what the heck that was!
The Russian continuous method is a variation of the tank method, but yeast is continually added until the desired pressure is reached and passed into other tanks that enrich and filter it. Large companies in Russia, Germany and Portugal primarily use this method.
The carbonation method is a cheap way to make sparkling out of bulk wine.
The point of all this is to illustrate that once out of Champagne many places make sparkling wines and most is quite good.
- Italy: Prosecco uses bulk method, some like Valdobbiadene are excellent, Franciacorta uses traditional method wines rivaling Champagne
- Germany & Austria Sekt: Sekt is not a protected term like Champagne so quality levels are all over the place; cheaper uses tank method, best uses traditional method.
- Spain: Cava made since 1872 by Codorníu using traditional method, Rioja has new rules and can include traditional method and longer aging and en tirage
- Portugal: Vinho Verde is a frizzante style wine, but can be higher as in Espumante wines
Domestic Sparklers
In New Mexico our first choice is Gruet and it’s been that way since the family moved from Champagne to Albuquerque, NM in the mid-80s. I’ve considered their quality level the highest for the price paid for a bottle and sampled every one they produced. Gruet is now part of Precept Wine, a Seattle-based privately-held wine producer.
- Vintage: 2016 Blanc de Blancs, 2012 Grande Blanc de Noirs, 2017 Sauvage Magnum, 2016 Gilbert Grande Reserve
- NV: Brut & Demi-Sec $15, Blanc de Blancs, Blanc de Noirs, Brut Rose all $17. Magnums all $42
- Sauvage Brut & Rosé $20,
California Regions
Anderson Valley, Mendocino, Sonoma County (Russian River Valley, Sonoma coast), Napa Valley, Marin County, Carneros (Sonoma/Napa). Many Champagne houses are located here.
- Roederer-Anderson Valley, Mumm Napa, Domaine Carneros, Schramsberg-Napa, Iron Horse-Green Valley RRV Wedding Cuvee ranked #3 WE best buy, and Domaine Chandon
What we are tasting Gruet Pinot Meunier Brut 12.5% AVA, $42
Gruet Winery is proud to produce this 100% Pinot Meunier Méthode Champenoise, which was grown and hand-harvested in New Mexico at the 30 acre Tamaya Vineyard in partnership with the Santa Ana Pueblo. Crafted by the world-class winemaker Laurent Gruet, this wine celebrates Gruet’s 30th anniversary of producing award winning wines that connect with the land and the people of New Mexico. I first tasted this sparkler at the Placitas home of Bill & Karen Barattino. And this is also the first domestic sparkler using 100% Pinot Meunier!
Tasting notes: flavors of stone fruit, pears and fresh baked biscuit; well-balanced with bright acidity.
What we are tasting; Mumm Napa Brut Rose Sparkling, 12.5% ABV, $24
This is offered many places at $20.47 which is what I paid at Smith’s. A consistently lovely Rose sparkler that is composed of 80% Pinot Noir and 20% Chardonnay.
From tech sheet: Dosage 1.15%, TA 7.0 g/L, PH 3.1, En tirage 18 months
Tasting notes: Our Brut Rosé features fresh vivid aromas of black cherries, red berries, and citrus followed by soft red fruit flavors that are rich and mouth-filling, yet retain the elegant character that is Mumm Napa’s trademark.
Analysis
As it happens the Gruet Pinot Meunier was a still wine, not the sparkling, which we had enjoyed weeks ago. It was done in a Rose style and had a very different taste profile than Pinot Noir. We all found it quite fascinating. The Mumm Napa was excellent and holds its own as a premium sparkling wine. I’ve enjoyed this wine many times. And we hope your holidays have all been good and filled with fine wines. Salud!
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