Sparkling bottle fermentation

Yeast. The desirable characteristics of yeast for secondary fermentation include the capability to ferment sugar in wines containing 11-14 percent ethanol and 150 mg/L or more S02 at low temperatures, 10°-15° C, without producing off flavors or odors and withstanding high pressure. For bottle-fermented sparkling wine, the yeast also should agglutinate well and... 

The rate of fermentation is also a function of the number of live yeast cells present. Generally, bottle-fermented sparkling wine producers add 2-5 percent yeast culture to the cuvee resulting in 1-4 x 106 yeast... 

Busova, K., Magyar, I., and Janky. F. (1994). Effect of immobilized yeasts on the quality of bottle-fermented sparkling wine. Acta Aliment. Hung., 23, 9-23. 

Yokotsuka, K., Yajima, M., and Matsudo, T. (1997). Production of bottle-fermentated sparkling wine using yeast immobilized in double-layer gel beads or strands. Am. J. Enol. Vitic., 48, 471 81. 

Fumi, M.D., G. Trioli, M.G. Golombi, and O. Colagrande. 1988. Immobilization of Saccharomyces cerevisiae in calcium alginate gel and its application to bottle-fermented sparkling wine production. Am. J. Enol. Vitic. 39 267-2 72. 

The Charmat method may give better results than bottle-fermentation in hot climates, as it preserves the base wine s freshness and fruit. Finally, the Charmat method is most appropriate for producing sparkling wines from aromatic varieties such as Muscat, as aging on the lees attenuates the Muscat character, without significantly improving quality. 

Hidalgo, P., Pueyo, E., Pozo-Bayon, M. A., Martinez-Rodriguez, A. J., Martin-Alvarez, P., and Polo, M. C. (2004). Sensory and analytical study of rose sparkling wines manufactured by second fermentation in the bottle. ]. Agric. Food Chem. 52(21), 6640-6645. 

Briefly, the traditional process consists of secondary fermentation of a sweetened still wine in a bottle, removal of the yeast sediment from the bottle, sweetening, recorking, and sale in the same bottle. Sparkling wine made in this manner is often labeled Fermented in This Bottle. In the transfer system, secondary fermentation is in the bottle, the fermented sparkling wine is transferred under pressure to a tank, filtered into a second tank, sweetened, and rebottled under counterpressure. These wines may... 

Figure 2. Sparkling wine bottles stacked for fermentation...

A sparkling wine is a wine obtained by secondary fermentation of a still wine, called a base wine. When the bottle is uncorked, the sparkling wine gives off carbon dioxide that is exclusively produced by this fermentation (endogenous). 

In the Methode Champenoise, grape juice is fermented in a wine bottle to produce sparkling wine. The reaction is... 

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