How is Organic Sparkling Wine Made with Bottle Fermentation Process?

All of us know what organic wines are. These wines are made from grapes which have grown on vineyards where chemicals have not been used. To further assure the consumers about their organic origins, the vineyards are certified by independent agencies. The certificate is given once for a specific period of time but the farms are regularly monitored for ensuring that the chemicals are not being used. Vines growing in these vineyards bear fruit with no chemical content. However, during the processing of these grapes, there is an addition of sugar and yeast as natural agents for carrying out fermentation.

During this course of fermentation, carbon dioxide gas is released which is trapped inside the bottle and leads to formation of bubbles. This makes the wines sparkling in nature. Thus, organic sparkling wines are created. In the organic sparkling wine which is fermented in the bottle, there is a layer of sediments at the bottom of bottle which is nothing but the dead yeast cells. These are called ‘lees’. The role played by these lees is to add unique flavour to wine and this process is called ‘yeast autolysis’. However, the yeast is removed from the bottle either manually or mechanically. ‘Riddling’ is the term used to do it manually and when done mechanically, the machine used is called gyropalettes. The benefit of using the latter that this saves a lot of time as many bottles can be worked upon in one time. This is a commercially viable option.

Next time you have an organic sparkling wine, you will recall what all has gone into its making and how it has attained its flavour.