Sparkling wines, which are often also called sparkling wines, are the wines for that special moment, for highlights in life. A popping champagne cork stands for tingling anticipation of the precious drop, which a short time later runs cool and stimulating through the throat. But what actually makes sparkling wine? Why is he so celebrated?
Our sparkling wines are made using the same production process as a champagne / crémant. That means: The fermentation does not only take place in the tank, as with a classic wine, but also a second fermentation is brought about in the bottle. For this purpose, the wine is filled into a special bottle that can withstand a particularly high pressure (8-10 bar). And then the long and labour-intensive "shaking process" begins. The bottles are turned a quarter turn by hand every day and gradually placed steeper until they are upside down. Eventually the yeast settles in the neck of the bottle and the wine becomes very clear. For us, this process takes a whopping 9 months. During these weeks, the carbon dioxide is also created, so that the bottle is now under a lot of pressure.
But how do you get the yeast plug out of the bottle? The famous Veuve Clicquot, among others, already thought about this in the 18th century and also invented »disgorging« with the shaking process. Here, the yeast plug is first frozen so that it becomes nice and firm. Then the bottle is opened. The pressure shoots out the yeast plug (and of course a little sparkling wine). The lost amount is replenished with the so-called "dosage" (sparkling wine from another bottle). Finally, the bottle is sealed with the champagne cork. The sparkling wine is ready, clear and sparkling, as it should be!
For this special bottle fermentation, however, not only a lot of space is required, but also a special system, which is called Sektrüttelpult. We have therefore been working on this step for many years with our cooperation partner, the Sektkellerei am Turm in Speyer .
Our white sparkling wines are made from Riesling or Pinot Blanc grapes. However, there is still a red sparkling wine that is already a visual highlight. This is made from Pinot Noir grapes and enjoyed cold, just like the white sparkling wines. By the way, the Spätburgunder is known internationally as »pinot noir« and is one of the three grape varieties from which champagne may be made at all.
In addition to these classic sparkling wines, we also have two slightly crazier types of sparkling wine in our range: the white Secco is not fermented in the bottle, but fermented in stainless steel tanks and bottled under pressure. The Secco is very tasty because it has a little less alcohol than the sparkling wine and is sweeter at the same time. It is wonderful for a summer picnic and balmy evenings.
And Spitzbub is a specially developed wine cocktail that is only available from us at the Graf von Weyher winery. The special effect comes from a dash of fruit juice concentrate, but more will not be revealed! It's best if you just try it once. The Spitzbub is modern, young, adaptable and, at 8.5%, has the lowest alcohol content of all (if you don't count the grape juice ;-) ).
Since you never know when the next moment to celebrate will come, there should be a sparkling wine in every fridge. Because you have to celebrate the festivals as they come!
What wine experts say:
"Appealing scent of peach, apricot and whitecurrant. Fine, lively perlage, fruity-mellow mouthfeel. A wonderful aperitif, also with fine finger food, puff pastry appetizers, canapés..." Dr. Rolf Klein, experienced wine author and former editor-in-chief of the magazine "Weinwelt".
traditional bottle fermentation.
