In the folllowing lines we would like to share with you some
interesting information about this unique beverage, you'll be sure to
impress your friends and guests at your next holiday gathering!
For a beverage that comes with the various associations: glamour,
sophistication, celebration and class who would have thought the trip to
your glass could be so complicated? The classic method also known as champenoise is characterized by its second fermentation done in the
bottle. This second fermentation should occur in the same place as the
primary fermentation and take at least 6 months. The dégorgement
process can happen, at the earliest, two months after the second
fermentation has started. In this case, the wine would need to continue
ageing for four months to meet the six month requirement.
Madame Clicquot, of the well know Vueve Clicquot Champagne, is credited
with starting the riddling process because she didn't care for the
cloudy appearance of the champagne. By cutting holes in her kitchen
table to leave the bottles upright the sediment over time fell to the
neck of the bottle. The bottle could be opened, the sediment would pop
out because of the pressure of carbon dioxide released in the second
fermentation and the now clear sparkling wine could be corked, caged,
and sent off to the market. Modern technology ensures that all bottles
receive the same amount of wine but before some bottles would receive
less than others, this brought on the foil cover on the top so that
consumers couldn't see exactly where the liquid stopped. The cage is
there for protection in case the pressure inside the bottle decides to
shoot the cork out!
Here in
Portugal, we have a variety of grape varieties that go into the base of
our sparklers. These include: Maria gomes, Bical, Cerceal, Cercealinho,
Pinot blanc, Baga, Chardonnay, Arinto, and Pinot noir.
Some basics to properly enjoying our Sparkling: Serve between 8ºC and 10ºC and
remember the different levels of sweetness to correctly pair with meals.
Most of Aliança Sparkling wines are Brut which can have up to 15
grams of residual sugar. They are thought of as dry which makes them
great matches for traditional Bairrada dishes such as Leitão. Sec, semi sec, and doux, are your sweeter sparkling wines.
While the most famous sparkling wines today are coming from Champagne,
France, (the only place actually allowed to call their sparkling Champagne) sparkling wine was first made in England many years before
it was in France. The first document discussing the addition of sugar
to start a second fermentation was found in London.
While still wines are served in glasses, to allow for room for swirling
to release aromas, sparkling wines are served in flutes because as the
bubbles rise they bring the aromas right to your nose, no swirling
required. Swirling sparkling wines actually causes the aromas to escape
too quickly so let the bubbles do the work for you!