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Wiens on Wine - Sparkling Wine Part 4 - Understanding Italy

Posted on October 6, 2023

This post originally appeared in our Wine Line email newsletter. Stan was kind enough to let us post it on our blog as well. Thanks, Stan!

Learn alongside Stan as he completes WSET Level 4.

Days to Final Exam: 327

I’m back! I took a break and went to Ucluelet, B.C. for my son’s wedding. Gorgeous part of our country and an adventurous trip. I would be happy to give you details if you visit me in the store.

To bring you up to speed on my diploma studies in wine:

Complete

D1 – Wine Production (20% of course – passed)
D2 – Wine Business (10% of course – passed)

Next 327 Days

D3 – Wines of the World (50% of the course)
D4/D5 – Sparkling/ Fortified Wines (10% of the course)
D6 – Research Assignment (10% of the course)

To this point, our series on sparkling wine has looked at methods of how sparkling wine is produced (part 1), how to read the label (part 2), and a special focus on Champagne (part 3). To understand, appreciate and explore sparkling wine - the fastest-growing category in the wine world - you should know these foundational concepts. Next week’s conclusion of the “Sparkling Wine” series will look at all the other regions outside of Champagne.

However, today we will look at the fascinating diversity of the sparkling wines of Italy! I have to admit, before leaning into these studies, my impression of sparkling wine in Italy was limited to the cheap and cheerful category of Prosecco. Wrong! Let’s grow our knowledge base together.

To rethink Italy’s powerhouse level of production of sparkling wine, you need to explore these five regions where sparkling wine is produced: Prosecco, Asti, Lambrusco, Franciacorta and Trentodoc. Not surprisingly, all five of the geographical sites are in the cooler northern part of Italy, which is ideal for producing sparkling wine.

Prosecco (Tank Method)

Most of you understand and have tried Prosecco. How could you not, with over 500 million bottles produced annually? This vast region covers most of the NE corner of Italy, covering nine provinces from Veneto to Friuli. Glera is the semi-aromatic grape variety used to make Prosecco and is typically noted for its apple and pear aroma with medium acidity and lighter alcohol. Across all Prosecco categories, there has been a marked move to increase quality. There will always be a significant amount of inexpensive, mass-produced Prosecco BUT you need to be aware of how to spot quality! If the bottle states Conegliano, Valdobbiadene, Prosecco DOCG or Superior DOCG, it is not and cannot be compared to basic, inexpensive bottles of Prosecco. Other styles to be aware of include Col Fondo (refers to Pet Nat); Rive (+ the name of the place) which...

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Wiens on Wine - Sparkling Wine Part 3 - Understanding Champagne

Posted on October 6, 2023

This post originally appeared in our Wine Line email newsletter. Stan was kind enough to let us post it on our blog as well. Thanks, Stan!

Learn alongside Stan as he completes WSET Level 4.

Days to Final Exam: 350

This week’s focus: Sparkling Wine (Part 3 – Understanding Champagne)

Champagne! The GOAT (greatest of all time)! To capture the beauty of this sparkling wine, we will look at the history and a few facts that contribute to why this premium product is at the top of my list (refer back to the previous two “Wine Lines” to understand the traditional method of making Champagne, along with understanding how to read its detailed label).

Champagne is a designated region, about 120 km wide and 150 km long, just east of Paris. You cannot, must not, will not call it Champagne unless it came from this precise region. Outside of Champagne, sparkling wine made by the same traditional method, is called Crémant in France, Cava in Spain, and a variety of other names in many regions around the world. Just don’t call it Champagne.

Let’s get a little history into this special wine. Originally, before Dom Pierre Perignon (1638-1715), wine produced in this region was a still wine, pink in colour, made from Pinot Noir. The fermentation would naturally stop in the winter because of the cool temperatures of this northern region. In spring, as temperatures increased, fermentation would restart in the bottle, creating a slight fizzy spritz to the wine. This became quite fashionable in England.

Dom Pierre Perignon, a Benedictine monk, developed the first white wine from black grapes, invented a new gentle pressing method via the Coquard basket press, and the crazy notion of blending (assemblage) grapes from different parts of the region. Here is a little irony – Dom Perignon considered the fizziness in the wine to be a fault. Let’s move on.

In the 19th century, further development was made by controlling the second fermentation which occurred in the bottle (versus a tank or barrel). Carefully measured sugar and yeast, added to the bottle, would create the precise level of pressure, giving the “prise de mousse”, which literally means “capture the sparkle”!

Madame Veuve Nicole Clicquot Ponsardin (1777-1866), further advanced Champagne by developing the riddling system (remuage). Again, go back and read the article on Traditional Method winemaking in “part 1”. Raise a glass to Madame Veuve Clicquot for developing a system to slowly invert a bottle of wine to get all the sediment to the neck, freeze it in a cold briny solution, eject it from the bottle and cap it under pressure. This is a clue as to why Champagne is pricy.

In 1927, the precise vineyar...

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Wiens on Wine - Sparkling Wine Part 2 – Understanding the Label

Posted on October 6, 2023

This post originally appeared in our Wine Line email newsletter. Stan was kind enough to let us post it on our blog as well. Thanks, Stan!

Learn alongside Stan as he completes WSET Level 4.

Days to Final Exam: 256

This week’s focus: Sparkling Wine (Part 2 – Understanding the Label)

Before we get into key styles and regions for great sparkling wine, there is one other key factor to making great purchasing choices. Last week we looked at the various methods of production, which impact the overall quality and style (see previous “Wine Line” for Part 1). Today we are going to look at how to read the label, which can be very confusing. So let’s get into it.

There are two dominant questions when someone is trying to purchase sparkling wine.

How sweet is it?
What does “Blanc de Noirs” / “NV” / Prestige Cuvee / etc. mean?

Sweetness Level

When I am talking to someone about sweetness level, preferences and perception matter. Some like bone-dry wine. Others like sweet, semi-sweet wine or only a hint of sweetness. A key factor that impacts the perception of sweetness is the level of acidity in that wine. I always consider the climate of a region when trying to interpret how much sugar is in that wine. Cool climates typically retain higher acidity and warmer regions typically have lower acidity and retain more of the fruity characteristics. For example, if I am buying a bottle of Champagne, I know it is from a cool region, indicating that the wine will be high in acidity and therefore masking the perception of sugar. How much sugar is it masking?

Here is the standard grid to interpret the amount of Residual Sugar in the bottle:

Brut Nature or Zero Dosage 0-3 g/L (up to 3 grams of residual sugar in a litre of wine)
Extra Brut 0-6 g/L
Brut 0-12 g/L
Extra-Sec or Extra Dry 12-17g/L
Sec or Dry 17-32 g/L
Demi-Sec or Medium Dry 32-50 g/L
Doux or Sweet 50+ g/L

It is worth noting that if it states “Sec” or “Dry” on the bottle, it is likely to have a fair bit of sweetness to it. I find this to be the biggest area of confusion for customers. You may have preferred to purchase Brut or Extra Brut. Also, there is no mistaking that you are buying a sweeter style when you purchase a “Demi-Sec” but it is not so clear when you can see the range of residual sugar in some of the “dryer” styles. A producer may use the lower or higher end of the range. So to be fair, the “grid” only gets you in the general region of what you can expect from your wine. Knowing the producer's winemaking style helps you hit the bull's eye.

Understand Labelling Terms

NV – Non-Vint...

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Wiens on Wine - Sparkling Wine Part 1 – Methods of Production

Posted on October 6, 2023

This post originally appeared in our Wine Line email newsletter. Stan was kind enough to let us post it on our blog as well. Thanks, Stan!

Learn alongside Stan as he completes WSET Level 4.

Days to Final Exam: 371

This week’s focus: Sparkling Wine (Part 1 – Methods of Production)

One of the fastest-growing styles of wine in the world is sparkling wine! Some of the best wine I have tried in the past year has come from this wonderful style!

To help you navigate the bubbles I am going to break down the topic into a few easy-to-understand categories over the next few weeks: the various methods of production; decoding the wine label; and famous regions of the world you need to know about.

Part 1 – Methods of Production

Buying sparkling wine can be confusing if you don’t understand the many styles it can come in. This has possibly kept you for trying one of my favourite styles of wine.

Today we are going to focus on six methods of “prise de mousse” (capturing the sparkle), complete with examples: Traditional; Transfer; Ancestral; Tank; Asti; and Carbonation.

Traditional Method

Of course I want to start with the most fascinating of methods! This is the method that gives us Champagne, Cava, Crémant and more. On the wine label: Traditional Method; Methode Cap Classique; or Fermented in this bottle.

The Traditional Method process is time-consuming, precise and expensive:

Careful selection and timing of grapes at harvest (typically cool regions of the world)
Gentle pressing and then primary fermentation in a tank at cool temperatures to retain the fruity character
Blending (Assemblage), the hallmark of sparkling wine, for balance, consistency etc.
Second fermentation in the bottle it will be sold in (4-6 weeks) by adding ‘Liqueur de Tirage’ (determines the level of CO2 in the final wine)
Sealed with a crown cap and plastic pot to capture sediment
Stored horizontally (lees aging) in cool cellars for months/years (Champagne has miles of tunnels for storage).
Riddling/Disgorgement is moving the bottle from horizontal to inverted, sediment moves to the plastic pot in the neck of the bottle, the neck is frozen in a brine solution (-27C), and then the frozen sediment is ejected and the bottle is once again capped.

I glossed over many details in the process that are noteworthy. For more information, check out the official Champagne website here.

Transfer Method

This method is used by some producers to save money while retaining some of the quality. It is the same as the traditional method up to the point of riddling. At this point, the wine is taken from the bottle and moved back into a tank for fina...

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Wiens on Wine - Wine Education

Posted on October 6, 2023

This post originally appeared in our Wine Line email newsletter. Stan was kind enough to let us post it on our blog as well. Thanks, Stan!

Learn alongside Stan as he completes WSET Level 4.

Days to Final Exam: 377

This week’s focus: Wine Education

First, here is an update on where my WSET Level 4 Diploma journey has taken me. A group of 24 students met in Kelowna, B.C., this past January for our first lectures, complete with many wine tours, and a focus on Viticulture and Winemaking. Level 4 takes two years to complete and has 6 required areas of focus, complete with theory and blind-tasting exams. We wrote the first exam in February and I am glad to say, after three months of waiting for the results, I passed. We wrote the second exam in March (Wine Business) and I will let you know when I hear the results…unless I fail. The next theory and tasting exam will be on sparkling wine and fortified wine (January of 2024), followed by a final exam in May of 2024. The sixth component is a research paper on a topic-specific wine, which will be given to us in August (exactly what I want to be working on this summer). All this to say, level four is intense and not for everyone. So what about you? What is the best way to learn about the vast world of wine?

There are many schools of thought (pun intended) on how best to grow your knowledge base about wine and here are two suggestions.

First, take a small but formal step. There are many great education providers – I chose to go with Fine Vintage Ltd. WSET Levels 1 can be done in a day, WSET 2 is usually done over a three-day period. WSET 3 takes a little longer. There is also the International Sommelier Guild, specific classes on wine regions, food pairings and many more. If you go down this road, I encourage you to do it with a friend.

Second, you can learn informally by being just a little bit intentional. Here is what I mean:

Be adventurous and try something new! Don't be afraid to step outside your comfort zone and try a varietal or region you haven't explored before. Talk to your wine professional – we love to help with this
Focus on one region, and try three or four wines from one specific area. For example, try a small region like Beaujolais and select an inexpensive and simple Beaujolais, Beaujolais Village (a general blend of grapes from the region), Beaujolais “Moulin a Vent” (or any of the 10 villages, which is a more concentrated style from specific vineyard sites).
Take notes! Keep track of the wines you try, what you liked or didn't like about them, and any other relevant details. This can help you identify patterns and preferences over time, and make more informed choices in the future.

Homework:

Obviously, visit your wine store, buy something new, and kee...

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