Bottle Fermentation/ Champenois
A key process of the Traditional Method, where the second fermentation occurs directly in the bottle, generating natural carbon dioxide.
Bâtonnage
A technique of stirring the lees during aging, which enhances the wine’s complexity and roundness.
Autolysis
The natural breakdown of dead yeast cells, enriching the wine with notes of bread, butter, and dried fruit.
Blanc de Blancs
Sparkling wine made exclusively from white grapes, generally Chardonnay, with a fresh and mineral profile.
Blanc de Noirs
Sparkling wine produced from red grapes (such as Pinot Noir), vinified as a white. Offers more body and structure.
Champenoise
Another name for the Traditional Method, especially used in reference to Champagne.
Zero Dosage
Synonym for Pas Dosé: sparkling wine with no added sugar after disgorgement—dry and straightforward.
Magnum
1.5-liter format. In Traditional Method wines, it allows for a slower, more refined evolution.
Late Disgorgement
When disgorgement is performed long after the second fermentation, allowing for extended aging on the lees.
Col Fondo
Sparkling wine re-fermented in the bottle without disgorgement. It retains the lees inside and offers a more rustic and traditional profile.
Martinotti Method
An alternative sparkling wine method where the second fermentation occurs in a pressurized tank. Used for Prosecco and Asti.
Satèn
A term used in Franciacorta for white sparkling wines with lower pressure (4.5 atm) and greater smoothness.
Millésimé
Vintage sparkling wine made from grapes of a single declared year. Indicates greater selection and typicity.
Dosaggio Zero
A term indicating sparkling wines with no added sugars—synonymous with Pas Dosé or Brut Nature.
Ancestral Method
A sparkling wine made through a single fermentation, interrupted and reactivated in the bottle. No disgorgement or dosage is involved.
Refermentation
The process by which carbon dioxide is generated in a bottle or tank, transforming the base wine into sparkling wine.
Base Wine
The still wine used as the starting point for producing a sparkling wine via the Traditional or Martinotti method.
Residual Sugar
The amount of sugar remaining in the wine after sparkling fermentation. Determines classification: Brut, Extra Dry, etc.
Sweetness Classification
Category of sparkling wine based on sugar content: Pas Dosé, Brut, Extra Dry, Dry, Demi-Sec.
Sur Lie Wine
Wine bottled with lees still present. Offers more rustic and complex flavor profiles.
Break Point (Bottle)
The weak spot of the bottle, prepared during riddling to ease the removal of lees during disgorgement.
Bidule Cap
A small plastic insert placed in the neck of the bottle to collect sediment during re-fermentation.
Riddling Rack
The inclined position in which bottles are placed during riddling or aging in the cellar.
Gentle Pressing
A delicate technique of extracting must that avoids breaking the skins and preserves finesse and freshness.
Topping Up
The operation of refilling the bottle after disgorgement, often with the liqueur d’expédition.
Aging Cellar
A place where bottles rest on lees, usually under controlled temperature and humidity, for long periods.
Disgorgement à la Volée
An old manual disgorgement technique where the cork is removed quickly without freezing the bottle neck.
Liqueur de Tirage
A mix of sugar and yeast added to the base wine to start the second fermentation in bottle.
Malolactic Fermentation
A process that converts malic acid into lactic acid, softening the wine. Sometimes avoided in sparkling wines to preserve freshness.
Rural Method
Synonym of the ancestral method, where the wine is bottled before the first fermentation finishes, resulting in natural effervescence.
