Unfiltered and Sparkling - Le Garage Newsletter 12.30.22
Our white and rosé wines are now beautifully clear yet unfiltered. In January I will be taking my winemaking skills to the next level. It will be the first time I’ve made sparkling wine … deliberately that is. There are a few methods to consider.
The Traditional (champagne) method ferments the wine, bottles it and adds a wee bit of sugar along with some yeast right into the bottle. The bottle is then capped and stored upside down for several months while the added sugar and yeast ferment in the bottle causing carbon dioxide to form the bubbles. In this method the bottles are then ‘disgorged’ which means uncapped, the yeast sediment removed, and then corked and wired shut.
Prosecco is made using the “tank method”. Like the Traditional method, fermentation is complete and sugar and yeast are added to the wine to create a second fermentation but it’s done in a pressurized tank instead of a bottle.
A method that is growing is popularity is called Péttilant Naturel or Pét-Nat. Pét-Nat goes through only one fermentation which is stopped before all the sugar is fermented. It is bottled unfiltered and not racked or clarified which means there will still be yeast (among other things) in the wine. This type of sparkling wine is most often served cloudy and is also consumed very young. I have made my own version of Pét-Nat accidentally by bottling unfiltered wine with residual sugar. The wine was not in active fermentation when bottled but inevitably the fermentation began again and completed in the bottle leaving a soft effervescence.
In the upcoming month we will be purchasing heavier bottles, corks, and wires and using the Traditional method to make a small amount of our rosé and Sauvignon Blanc wines sparkle. Unlike the champagne method we will not disgorge the yeast left in the bottle but will leave it in the bottle similar to Pét-Nat but not cloudy. The yeast left in the bottle over time adds more character to the wine, however this wine consumed young will present with fresh fruit and crispness. It should be quite enjoyable!
To understand fully our process of clarifying this wine I have put together a short video below.
