WINE VOCABULARY, STEP BY STEP - 12

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FOR THE SELF-MADE PERSON

My impression is that a lot of wine critics sound like a doctor. Using wine terms if everybody knows them. To understand this better, I will take you, in the coming time, step by step through those words in a normal way.

By AD Wines, Dannis Apeldoorn

From A to Z —> D & E

Disgorgement

Disgorgement is a part of the champagne making method.

First we need to explain the steps in front of the making Champagne.

• Harvest

• Pressing

• Making the base wine. The first alcoholic fermentation takes place in temperature controlled stainless steel vats but… some producers still use oak vats for their wines. Result of this wine, completely dry natural wine with a high acidity. 

• Blending. This can be on 2 ways.

  • Blending different parts fermented wines from one grape variety .

  • Blending of different fermented grape varieties from one vineyard or from different vineyards.

• Second alcoholic fermentation. Once blend is finalised and bottled, a small amount of ‘liqueur de triage’ is added. Liqueur de triage is a mixture of the same wine, sugar, yeast, yeast nutrients and a clarifying agent. The bottle is closed by a crown cap, like a beer bottle. Placed in the cellar and the second alcoholic fermentation is taking place. Here is the part where the CO2 (bubbles) are generated. The pressure created in the bottle is between 5 to 6 times the average atmospheres. Pressure can be 6-6,5bar.

• Yeast autolysis. Once this second alcoholic fermentation is completed the yeast die and form a sediment of lees in the bottle. Over a couple of  months these dead yeast start to break down, releasing chemical compounds into the wine, a process know as - Yeast autolysis. It gives the wine it’s typical flavour, bread, biscuit and toasty notes.

• Riddling. During the yeast autolysis the bottles change position. From horizontal to almost vertical. Every time a twist more vertical in total this can take up to 8 weeks. Why, to get the sediment slowly in the neck of the wine without making the wine misty.

• DISGORGEMENT. After the riddling is done, the neck part where the sediment is will be frozen. When the crown cap is removed, the frozen sediment with a little wine shoots out, due to the build up pressure in the bottle. The wine will be topped up with liqueur d’expédition and sealed with the final cork that is held secure by a wire cage. Liqueur d’expédition is a mixture of the wine and sugar.

The amount of sugar used in this final level is also known as the ‘dosage’.

Estate / Château / Domaine Wines

Here only called estate. These wines must come from a single estate and all the grapes must come from the estate vineyards that cover a single geographical area. The estate must also have facilities on their land to process the grapes to wine including bottling. It can happen that the estate produces wine or wines from an other vineyard(-s), then by law it is not an estate wine but must it be called different and it can be named under the brand name.

The following week we continue with the letter - E.

Next week, same day, Saturday, and same time, 9:30 am CET, the next two words.