Puglia achieved its Golden Age during the Norman occupation from the 11th century through 1250. However, for a long time during the more modern era, the focus of Puglian wines was on quantity, not quality. The wines were made to emphasize high alcohol and sugar and many found their way to Northern Italy and France –via tanker, not bottle, to beef up the wines made in these more northerly (and thus, cooler) climates.

Today, the emphasis has shifted toward quality with more balanced wines produced and Puglia ranks second overall in Italian wine production, with a 13% share in total, and 6% in DOC/DOCG (quality wine categorization). These figures represent a significant growth in the quality wine arena. In the past year, fine wine production in Puglia has grown from 28% to 35% of Puglia’s total production. Moreover, some foreign investment has started to trickle into the region with Kendall-Jackson and Mano a Mano. Pierro Antinori also came in from Northern Italy and produces its Tormaresca brand here. For the future, both whites and reds are likely to continue to improve, but bargains may be disappearing as greater investments are made, quality improves and the Euro maintains its strength. Yet, compared to many other Italian wines, these wines should still seem relatively inexpensive to the consumer.

Grapes grown in Puglia today include: Negroamaro, Uva di Troia and Primativo, among the reds, while white wines include Greco and Malvasia. During phylloxera, many of Puglia’s vines were wiped out. Accordingly, most of the currently planted grapes are not indigenous to the region as many might think. Quality wine appellations include: Primativo di Manduria, Salice Salentino, Brindisi, Leverano and Castel del Monte with regional wines (IGT): Salento, Murgia and Puglia.

I recently learned about Conti Zecca, an historical winery in the region, which is among the few Puglian wineries that are responsible for the full wine production process — from grape growing to winemaking. Intrigued, I researched the winery and made a point to taste a number of wines from its portfolio.

The Zecca family dates back to the 16th century, at which time they moved from Naples to Leverano, situated about three-quarters down Italy’s heel in the region of Puglia. In 1584, Giulio Cesare was the first family member born in their adopted region. Today, the company is managed by the four Zecca brothers — Alcibiade, Francesco, Luciano and Mario.

Conti Zecca maintains three estates, with Donna Marzia as the largest, having a total of 100 planted acres. With proximity to the Ionian sea, the maritime climate provides moderate temperatures for the grapes to fully ripen without becoming overly so. The wines are produced from a combination of indigenous and international grapes, including Primativo, Negroamaro, Aglianico and Cabernet Sauvignon, among the reds. Malvasia, Fiano, Vermentino and Chardonnay are the predominent white grapes.

The family’s modern winemaking begins in 1935, but it was in 1999 that they launched their highly regarding Nero wine (1997 vintage), which seems to really have put the winery on the map. Moreover, it showed the world that serious wines could be made in a region known more for quantity than quality. As further evidence, Conti Zecca is a charter member of the Grand Cru Committee of Italy, which reads like a who’s who of Italian wineries, boasting Anselmi, Antinor, Barone Ricasoli, Ca’ del Bosco, Jacopo Biondi Santi and Feudo di San Gregorio among them.

The Conti Zecca portfolio includes several wines labeled under its Donna Marzia estate, which retail for $9.99 (USD). Its Malvasia Bianca 2007 (Salento IGT) is youthful with intense aromas of peach, lemon and a hint of floral. On the palate, it shows flavors of citrus, stone and white flowers. Its lively acidity, along with its fruit concentration and medium- body, make it a good match for seafood and light pasta dishes.

The Donna Marzia Negroamaro 2006 (IGT Salento) provided some complexity with aromas of fig, blackberry, prune and a slight medicinal note. These flavors persisted on the palate and were joined by notes of coffee. While the wine was generally good, there was some slight heat in the back of the palate and the length could have been a bit longer. It would pair well with game and other meats.

The last wine I tasted in this range is the Donna Marzia Primativo 2005 (Primativo del Salento IGT), which displayed pronounced, youthful aromas of blackberry, blueberry, balsam, cherry cola and a hint of oak. The full-bodied wine had bright, vibrant fruit flavors of blackberry and blueberry with notes of dusty earth and spice and would match nicely with meat courses.

The famed Nero 2005 (Rosso del Salento IGT), from Conti Zecca’s Selections line, is a blend of 70% Negroamaro and 30% Cabernet Sauvignon. The wine sees 18 months of ageing in new, French barriques, followed by an additional six months of bottle maturation. The complex nose showed notes of black raspberry, cherry, tar and faint floral aromas. The medium acidity was off-set with ripe tannins, medium+ body and medium alcohol. The palate provided flavors of black cherry, raspberry, oak and an undercurrent of bitter bark in the long finish. At $52.99 (USD), the wine is much pricier than its Donna Marzia cousins, but with greater complexity, balance and depth, it is a much more developed wine, which could still benefit from another 2-3 years of ageing.

I have not yet had a chance to taste the esteemed Terra, DOC Leverano Rosso Riserva, which is a blend of 70% Negroamaro and 30% Aglianico. This wine, also from the Selections line, sees 14 months of French oak, 3 months maturation in bottle and retails ~$30.00 (USD).

Building from the general principles of wine making in which wine is made from the partial or full fermentation of grapes through the conversion of sugar (in the grapes) along with yeast, into alcohol and carbon dioxide, several possibilities exist in producing a sweet wine. As grapes ripen, their sugar content rises and acid levels fall. The longer they stay on the vine, the higher the sugar content. During the fermentation process, the winemaker can choose to let all the sugar convert into alcohol, producing a dry wine or they can prematurely stop the process, leaving some residual sugar and thereby producing a sweet wine. If the grapes are extremely high in sugar, the fermentation process may halt naturally, as the yeast work too hard to convert all of the sugar and die off. Among sweet style wines, the consumer will find late harvest, ice, fortified and botrytized wines, which are described in more detail below.

Late Harvest wines
As grapes spend the summer on the vine, they continue to grow and ripen, with sugar levels rising steadily. The longer harvest is delayed, the riper the grapes become and the higher the sugar levels build up inside. With so much sugar present, the yeast will die off before it can convert all of the sugar into alcohol, again leaving a fair amount of residual sugar and thus sweetness. Late harvest wines are typically picked several weeks later than the usual harvest, leaving the grapes more susceptible to possible rot or ruin.

Ice wines
Hanging on the vine even longer than grapes selected for late harvest wines, grapes for true ice wines remain through the frost, with even greater risk for damage to the fruit. (Some commercial producers freeze their fruit off the vine as opposed to letting it happen naturally.) When successful, the frosty temperatures freeze the water in the grapes, thereby concentrating the sugar and fruit to create rich, sweet wines. The best ice wines come from Canada, upstate New York and Germany (eiswein).

Fortified wines
Fortified wines are those to which a neutral grape spirit is added. If the spirit is added to the wine before the fermentation process has been completed, the yeast are killed off and the resulting wine will be sweet due to the high level of sugar remaining (that which wasn’t converted into alcohol). The most well-known sweet, fortified wines are Ports and Sherries. The terms Port and Sherry are geographically specific, so truthfully, only wines from the Douro in Portugal and Jerez in Spain qualify to be labeled as such, respectively. However, in the U.S., it is legal to use these terms on American wines (as long as they are not exported to the E.U.) and you will find several “ports” on the North Fork, not including the Village of Greenport.

Botrytized wines
The vineyard has many pests that can wreak havoc on the vines from viral disease and insects to mildew and birds. Among these potential enemies, botrytis cinera can use its power for good or evil. Its evil infestation is known as grey rot and it will ruin the grapes and render them unusable. However, when this mold is facilitated by misty mornings followed by warmth and sunshine later in the day, it is transformed into noble rot. The mold forms on the grapes and working its magic, shrivels the grapes until they resemble raisins, thereby concentrating the fruit and sugar, yielding very concentrated, sweet wines. Conditions for noble rot are ideal in certain areas of the Bordeaux region of France, on which Sauternes has built its reputation. Botrytized wines can also be found in Austria, Germany and Australia.

Overall, the key to a good dessert wine is in its balance with acidity. The sweeter the wine, the more critical the role of acidity plays. To illustrate, the carbonation in soda serves to balance the sweetness of the beverage in the same way that acidity does in the wines. And, while many sweet wines are desserts unto themselves, they may also be paired with the final course of your meal. However, the trick is to select a wine that is sweeter than your food item.

The conference kicked-off on Friday afternoon with lunch at the famed Kick Ranch Vineyards, owned by Dick Keenan and Kathy McNamara. Here, participants had an opportunity to view the vast vineyards while tasting wines produced from grapes grown on the property, most of which were single-vineyard bottlings of the Rhone varietals.

Back at Conference HQ, the formal start to the conference included a welcome from Allan Wright and Joel Vincent, along with a brief introduction of the conference sponsors present. Then, the Live Wine Blogging event commenced with winemakers hopping from table to table to pour their wines in a speed-dating format. Each winemaker had 5 minutes to present his/her wine and answer any questions posed by those at the given table. Those interested in doing so, were encouraged to post their tasting notes and other information to their blog synchronously with the event. There were 14 or 15 winemakers participating.

This first event was followed by a Blind Tasting Challenge, whereby participants were given two wines and asked to choose from a list of grape varietals and identify each wine and then its vintage. Those correctly identifying at least one of these wines were able to continue to the next round where wines then needed to be connected with its back label or other marketing description, a task, which I found to be much more challenging that the first. With each subsequent round, the group of participants grew smaller and until the finalists then had to write a tasting note, which was judged by a panel before a winner was announced.

Friday evening continued with a self-paced tasting of New Zealand wines, courtesy of New Zealand Winegrowers, followed by dinner at the hotel, featuring wines from Winegrowers of the Dry Creek Valley appellation and keynote speaker, Gary Vaynerchuck of Wine Library tv.

Saturday morning found participants selecting from a group of vineyard walks organized by Zephyr Wine Adventures. I chose to take the Alexander Valley South walk, which took us through the Cabernet Sauvignon vines of Silver Oak and into the vineyards of Alexander Valley Vineyards (AVV). At the conclusion, we were treated to a tasting of wines and hors d’oeurves in AVV’s new caves.

The afternoon included two sessions of seminars, during which three topics were offered. I attended the sessions on How to Increase Visitors to Your Blog, with Tom Wark of Fermentation and Alder Yarrow of Vinography, and Blogging for Your Business with Steve Bachiman of Vinfolio and Jason Korman of Stormhoek.

After a brief opportunity to rest before dinner, a Grand Tasting of Sonoma wines was presented. Participants were then bussed to Sebastiani Vineyards, our host for Saturday night’s dinner, paired with their wines. Journalist and author Alice Feiring was the keynote speaker.

The final day of the conference, Sunday, began with an Unconference. This activity wasn’t as successfully marketed and I chose to do my own version of an unconference — visit the hotel’s spa. However, my husband not only attended this program, but also helped to facilitate one of the group discussions. Accordingly, his blog, VineViews, includes a good summary of this event as well.

After the Unconference, the day continued with a tasting of Luxe Wines from Sonoma, followed by a final, buffet luncheon. It was then time to head out for the day or head home, depending upon one’s itinerary.

In the wake of the European Wine Bloggers’ Conference, the first North American Wine Bloggers’ Conference will take place from October 24-26, 2008 at the Flamingo Resort in Sonoma, CA. The three-day program will feature a variety of activities, which include both wine tasting and winery visits, along with opportunities for live blogging and blog-related seminars, such as how to drive more traffic to one’s site. 

Conference co-organizer Zephyr Adventures, provides winery-based, walking tours in the heart of the Sonoma Valley and was recently featured in the California supplement of Decanter magazine. Conference participants will be able to take one of these walking tours as part of the conference activities, giving them a unique view of the wine region.

The conference is also being organized by Open Wine Consortium, where a group has been established, permiting conference registrants (and potential registrants) to communicate with one another prior to the conference.

As of the end of August, there were 89 participants registered for the conference, with an expectation of reaching a total of 120.  Participants include wine industry professionals, along with newcomers to both wine and the blogosphere.

Sponsors include: Wine Business Monthly, Wine Biz Radio, Sebastiani Vineyards, Sonoma County Tourism, Inertia Beverage Group, Cruvee, wine.woot!, WTN Services, Tetra Pak, Kick Ranch Vineyard, New Zealand Winegrowers, Wark Communications, Sonoma County Vintners, Sonoma Winegrape Commission, Snooth, and Cameron Hughes Wine. 

As the owner of Grapematter blog and wife of blogger, Jared Skolnick of Vine Views, we will both be in attendance at the event. Accordingly, a detailed report of the event will be provided upon its conclusion.

As noted in Part I of this article, the Stony Brook Center for Wine, Food & Culture, along with the New York State Grape & Wine Foundation and the Long Island Wine Council, hosted a two-day Symposium on the Art of Balance: Cool Climate/Maritime Wines in a Global Context.

Building on the momentum established the previous day, Steve Clifton, of Brewer-Clifton and Palmina, launched into a discussion on terroir, which centered on the premise of owning the place that you are and celebrating that uniqueness and diversity. Coming from the Santa Rita Hills’ unusual climatic conditions of a cool climate with a nine month growing season, Steve explained how marked differences exist even within this relatively small AVA. Accordingly, it has taken the last 20 years to figure out which varieties will thrive in which areas. Poured wines included the 2007 Chardonnay from Brewer-Clifton and the 2006 Barbera of Palmina.

Shifting from Chardonnay to Sauvignon Blanc, the next presentation featured Pascal Jolivet from his eponymous winery in Sancerre, France. Pascal provided a look at how his definition of natural winemaking translates into the processes (or lack thereof) in the winery. In this vein, his white wines are not clarified nor are any enzymes added, relying completely on indigenous yeasts, as opposed to cultured yeasts, to ferment the juice. His Sauvage and Indigene wines, both from 2006, were poured for participants.

Providing a voice from the Long Island wine region, Lenz’s winemaker, Eric Fry, gave a humorous review of the history of the region, breaking up the time line into four distinct phases: pioneers, professionals, marketers and garagistes. Eric pointed to the diversity of the region, including the grape varieties, styles and nationalities/culture of the people involved. Despite this chaos, as he described it, he felt that there was a convergence of styles within the region as local winemakers taste each other’s wines and share their vinification practices with one another. Reflecting the diversity of wines produced in the region, five wines were tasted: Lenz Gewurztraminer 2007, Paumanok Chenin Blanc 2007, Channing Daughters Tocai Friuliano 2007, Palmer Riesling 2007 and Raphael Petit Verdot 2005.

The final presentation was given by Jacques Lurton whom, with his brother Francois, has wine projects in France, South America, Australia and Spain. Jacques addressed the Old World concept of viticulture, noting that there had been a natural selection of varieties developed over centuries and that most grapes in Europe seemed to be planted at their cool climate limit. He acknowledged that these varieties can thrive in more heat, but that this was really only discovered once the vines had been transported to the New World. Coming from a family entrenched in Bordeaux, Jacques also spent considerable time discussing the advantages to producing multi-variety wines, rather than single variety wines.

The Symposium culminated in another panel discussion, this one with Kurt Eckert of Polaner Selections, providing the industry perspective in terms of being able to sell these wines. While he suggested that winemakers need to keep the end user in mind when producing wines, Kurt countered this with the acknowledgement that with the right language, these wines could be successfully described and marketed to consumers.

Their visit was sparked by the two-day symposium, The Art of Balance: Cool Climate/Maritime Wines in a Global Context. This Symposium was held on August 5 & 6, hosted by the Stony Brook Center for Wine, Food and Culture at their Southampton campus, in partnership with the New York Wine and Grape Foundation ane the Long Island Wine Council.

Within this climatic context, the speakers discussed their philosophies of winemaking, along with the challenges of making balanced, market-friendly wines under the constraints of their respective wine regions.

The program began Tuesday morning with Alessio Dorigo from Dorigo winery in Friuli, Italy, joined by his colleague, Marco Pecchiari of Terra e Vino. After an introduction to their Mediterranean climate, which is extremely tempered by the influence of cold, Siberian winds from the North, Alessio turned his attention to the difficulties of selling these wines, noting that international taste has changed the consumer’s palate. He also discussed the results of some of their experimentation in the vineyard with respect to density, favoring high density with a low per plant output of grapes. During his presentation, participants had the opportunity to taste his Ribolla 2007 and Montesclapade 2001, a red blend.

His presentation was followed by a presentation from Gunter Kunstler of Weingut Kunstler in the Rheingau region of Germany. As a producer of a single variety, Riesling, Gunter focused on the elements of terroir that differentiate one Riesling from another. He also discussed the effects that climate change have had on Riesling, predicting that by 2050, Germany may be too hot to grow this grape. We tasted two of his Rieslings from the 2007 vintage.

After a lunch break, participants heard from Thomas Laszlo of Heron Hill Winery in the Finger Lakes region of New York State. Posing the question in his presentation title, “Who has Terroir and How Do I Get It?” Thomas acknowledged the limited history of vineyards in his region (as well as elsewhere in the U.S.) compared to European regions. However, despite the short history, he was able to share significant information about the climate and soils. Moving on more specifically to the issue of terroir, Thomas felt that in many vineyards, one is able to produce Rieslings, which are nice, but without minerality to them. It is only on “Grand Cru” sites that Riesling can really shine in this way, suggesting that the Finger Lakes had both. His 2004 Ingle Vineyard Riesling was poured during his session.

Next up was Katia Alvarez of Martin Codax, located in Spain’s Rias Baixas DO, home to the Albarino grape. Katia spent a fair amount of time talking about the traditional emparrado system of vine training, mentioning its merits and disadvantages. As the region continues to grow (there were 570 acres planted in 1988 compared to 8,600 acres in 2008), they are looking at the potential of other systems, which will meet the objective of providing a vertical system that maintains the same level of sunlight exposure that emparrado does. Participants tasted two Albarinos — one from the main Martin Codax line and another from their Burgans production.

Day one concluded with a panel discussion on terroir, moderated by Paul Greico, co-owner and sommelier of Hearth, Insieme and Terroir (all in New York, NY), which was followed by a Grand Tasting featuring wines from local wineries and participant winemakers.

In 2004, the big screen saw the release of Sideways and with it, Miles’ admonishment about Merlot. That same year, Jonathan Nossiter’s Mondovino gave oenophile cinema lovers a documentarian glimpse into the wine world. And, two years later, Russell Crowe starred in A Good Year, providing movie-goers with beautiful scenes of a French vineyard near Gordes. Now, there is another wine-oriented flick due out this summer and two more in development.

Opening August 6, 2008, Bottle Shock tells the story of the Judgment of Paris, a blind tasting staged by Steven Spurrier in 1976 at his L’Ecole du Vin shop in Paris, France. This novel competition pitted established French wines (specifically those from Bordeaux and Burgundy) against upstart California wines (specifically Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay). In a dramatic reveal, the world, and the tasters themselves, were shocked to learn that the California wines had outshone the French wines. As a result, the event proved to be quite scandalous, but forever placed the California wine industry on the world wine map. The movie stars Alan Rickman, Chris Pine, Bill Pullman, Rachael Taylor, Freddy Rodríguez, Bradley Whitford, Eliza Dushku, Dennis Farina, Miguel Sandoval and was directed by Randall Miller.

Slated for release in 2010 is The Billionaire’s Vinegar, based upon the book of the same title by Benjamin Wallace. Another tale of scandal, the film (and book) focuses on a 1985 auction purchase of rare bottles of wine attributed to Thomas Jefferson. The bottles, which were supplied to Christie’s by Hardy Rodenstock, were later purported to be fraudulent, with billionaire William Koch sueing Rodenstock for fraud. HBO Films and producer Ben Karlin are also pursuing this same story, except that, having lost the option to the book, this movie is based on an article about Mr. Rodenstock published in The New Yorker (Sept. 3, 2007).

With this continued pursuit of wine in film, it is clear that wine is no longer confined to dining scenes, but rather, now plays a starring role… one which will soon come to a theatre near you.

Memorial Day Weekend generally heralds the start of the summer season and the return to backyard entertaining. For those in the city or without backyards, there is the tendency to seek out rooftop lounges, restaurants with outdoor seating and picnic spots in the parks. Wherever it is that you spend your outdoor dining, now is a good time to indulge in the simple life and simpler wines.

In that same mindset, the holiday weekend is a terrific opportunity to fire up the barbecue grill, with thoughts turning to undemanding quaffing wines, perfect to pair with barbecue fare. These are wines that are heavy on fruit, moderate on secondary characteristics and light on the wallet.

Among easy drinking wines, off-dry (still retaining some of their residual sugar, making them a little sweet on the palate) can be particularly refreshing in the heat of the summer, especially when well-chilled. They also work well with salads and sauces with some sweetness.

More substantial fare such as barbecued meals pair nicely with fruit-forward reds, particularly those hailing from warm climates. These warm climates provide lots of sunshine for the vines, enabling the grapes to achieve maximum ripeness and high sugar levels. The ripeness of the grapes brings the fruit to the fore on the palate and can have a slightly sweet attack even though the wine is actually dry. These concentrated fruit flavors stand up to both white and red meat as well as to rich, sweet barbecue sauces.

Regardless of your food and wine pairing choices, may the upcoming holiday weekend find you in good spirits!

Unfulfilled by her former career in human resources, Gilat quit her job and, armed with her MBA and previous teaching experience, set about setting up her own wine education business in the Phoenix area. When we first met, she had not yet settled upon a name for her company. However, by November 2008, Renaissance Wine Academy debuted, along with its first newsletter. This moniker is truly fitting as it describes the rebirth of Gilat’s passion for wine, travel and culture.

When asked if there was a particular wine in her history that stood out for her, the answer came quite easily. During a 2002 dining experience at a local Scottsdale restaurant, Gilat ordered a glass of the Chameleon 2000 Syrah from California. “I was smitten by it,” she recalls. So much so that after scouring the area in vain, she finally convinced a wine shop to order a single bottle of it for her – she still has the (now empty) bottle. “That was a wine that made me sit up and take notice of other wines.”

Like a phoenix rising from the ashes of her previous work life, Gilat has found herself soaring to new heights. Prior to moving forward on her business plans, Gilat submitted an entry to the Wine Women Awards, under the amateur designation. What followed was a whirlwind that took her on an adventure of a lifetime. Not only did she qualify as one of ten finalists, beating out 381 initial entrants, but she would be flying to Paris, France to compete in the final event at the Hotel Le Bristol as the only American contestant. As you might expect, finding out that she was a finalist has been one of the most exciting moments since changing careers. It also reinforced that the global nature of the industry is not just jargon. “One minute, I was sitting at my computer in Phoenix and then somewhat suddenly, after only a few clicks of my mouse, I was transported to Paris.”

In perfect alignment, Gilat’s Parisian-based relatives would be out of town during the dates in question, leaving the apartment available for her to use.  But, Mother Nature had other plans. A big storm significantly delayed Gilat’s flight, which would mean missing the connection to Paris. Not to be deterred, Gilat walked off the gate-anchored plane, and through her cell phone found a new flight on another airline and managed to arrive in Paris in the nick of time for the contest. Not surprisingly, Gilat’s luggage wasn’t as lucky as she, but fortunately, this unflappable woman had planned ahead, packing toiletries, make-up and several outfits, including her dress for the black tie dinner, in her carry-on.

With this same energy, determination and vibrant spirit, Gilat has successfully launched her wine academy, providing classes on a wide range of wine topics. She handles a variety of events including private functions and corporate team building. A consummate professional, Gilat has earned credentials with the International Sommelier Guild, the Court of Master Sommeliers, the Society of Wine Educators, the Federation of Dining Room Professionals, and Sopexa (official Bordeaux agency of France).

While Gilat recognizes the value of practical experience, her personal educational pursuit is driven by her belief that, “education is the cornerstone to fully understand and grasp knowledge.” Gilat brings this deep knowledge to her students, where not only her expertise comes through, but also her immense passion and warmth. “I am grateful to be doing what I love. This journey through the wine industry has shown me that it’s possible for everyone to do what they enjoy.” For more information, please visit: Renaissance Wine Academy

Accordingly, pop open the sparkling wines and celebrate.

If Valentine’s Day is not your thing, there are plenty of other reasons to celebrate with bubbly this month, from Presidents’ Day to any other day of the week, which ends in “y.” Why? Because sparkling wines add a touch of festivity to any occasion and they taste too good to wait for a special event. And, even though you may not have a fondness for this Hallmark holiday, you always have your love of wines to keep you warm.

Sparkling wines, of which Champagne is most well-known, capitalize on harnessing the CO2 created during the fermentation process to provide the fizz we all know and love. This capture takes place during a secondary fermentation, which is coupled with allowing the spent yeasts to remain in the bottle throughout the ageing period. The yeasts impart the bready/toasty aromas and flavors that are characteristic of sparkling wines.

There are several ways to make a wine sparkle, the simplest, cheapest and short-lived being the injection method (aka pompe bicyclette), which injects CO2 into the wine. These man-made bubbles tend to be large and coarse on the palate.

Conversely, the traditional method, based upon Methode Champagnoise, provides a longer-lasting, smaller bead, which has more finesse in its mouthfeel. These traits stem from the labor-intensive process which includes an initial blending of still wines (assemblage) that is then bottled and capped, along with a yeast and sugar mixture (tirage), to facilitate a secondary fermentation. The wines are then left to age on the spent yeasts for a period of time as set by the appellation (in Champagne, this is a minimum of 15 months for non-vintage wines, while Cavas are generally aged for 9 months).

The sediment left behind must then be carefully shifted from the base of the bottle to the neck in a process known as riddling. The bottles are gently tilted and turned throughout a period of several weeks, forcing the sediment down into the mouth of the bottle. The necks are then immersed into a cold, briny solution, thereby freezing the sediment. The caps are removed and the frozen sediment is thrust out of the bottle and discarded (disgorgement). The remaining wine is topped off with a blend of wine and sugar/must (liqueur d’expedition), which impacts the resulting dryness or sweetness of the finished sparkling wine. The final step is the insertion of the cork, which is much denser that those used for still wines given that sparkling wines can be under up to 6 atmospheres of pressure (be careful where you point that thing).

A similar process is used in the transfer method whereby the steps above remain the same with the exception that the sediment is removed in bulk and the wine is then filtered and bottled. Such wines will note that they have been fermented in the bottle, whereas the wines in the previous method are labeled as having been fermented in this bottle. An additional method involves the use of a tank in which the entire secondary fermentation, ageing and disgorgement takes place. While this is of course a much less expensive process than the other two, it is frequently used to produce wines that have a distinct freshness to them such as Astis from the Piedmont region in Italy.

The Champagne region in France has done a good job in marketing itself as a luxury product and this joined with increasing demand, limited supply and expensive processes has pushed up the price on these wines. Vintage sparklers (those produced entirely from grapes grown in a particularly great year) and prestige marquees (i.e. Crystal, Dom Perignon) command even higher prices. However, many sparkling wines from other regions in France (such as Burgundy and the Loire Valley) as well as well-made American, Italian (Asti and Prosecco), Germany (Sekt) and Spain (Cava) can offer the consumer a wonderful experience without the hefty price tag.