Traditional Method (Méthode Champenoise)

Méthode Champenoise: The Classic Sparkling Wine Technique 

Méthode Champenoise, also known as the Traditional Method, is the technique used to make high-quality sparkling wines like Champagne, Cava, Crémant, and English sparkling wines. It’s the most labor-intensive method, where a secondary fermentation occurs in the bottle to produce bubbles, resulting in wines with complexity, richness, and fine bubbles.

1. Harvest & Pressing – Grapes are harvested early to preserve acidity and freshness, then gently pressed to extract juice.
2. First Fermentation – The juice undergoes fermentation to become a base wine (also called “cuvée”).
3. Blending – If needed, different base wines are blended together to achieve the desired flavor profile and consistency.
4. Bottling & Secondary Fermentation – A mixture of yeast and sugar (called the “liqueur de tirage”) is added to the base wine, and the wine is bottled with a temporary crown cap. The yeast ferments the sugar, creating carbon dioxide (bubbles) inside the bottle.
5. Aging – The wine is aged on its lees (the spent yeast cells), which imparts bready, biscuity, and nutty flavors. The aging can last months to years.
   Riddling – The bottles are gradually tilted and rotated to collect the lees near the neck of the bottle.
6. Disgorging – The neck of the bottle is frozen, and the lees plug is ejected.
7. Dosage – A small amount of liqueur d'expédition (a mixture of wine and sugar) is added to adjust the wine’s sweetness level.
8. Corking – Finally, the bottle is sealed with a cork and wire cage.