Sparkling wines: champagne, sparkling wine, secco and prosecco
We all know sparkling wine: especially on special occasions, people like to toast with a glass of sparkling wine. Everyone is familiar with Secco and Prosecco, but what is the difference between carbonated wines? Champagne in particular is considered a particularly luxurious drink. In this article we would like to tell you everything that is important about sparkling wines. You will also find out why you feel drunk faster from sparkling wine than from wine.
Everything you need to know about sekt
What exactly is sekt?
In Germany, sparkling wine is known colloquially as Sekt. But officially there is a tiny requirement that a sparkling wine may be called Sekt. Sparkling wine has a carbonic acid overpressure of at least 3.0 bar, which is said to be exclusively due to carbonic acid from fermentation. Sekt is quality sparkling wine: It must have a carbonic acid pressure of at least 3.5 bar. The production time is at least six months. In the case of bottle fermentation, a production time of at least 9 months is mandatory.
How is sparkling wine made?
The choice of the base wine from which the cuvée for the sparkling wine is put together is decisive for taste and quality. The base wines can come from all possible regions and winemakers are not tied to specific grape varieties. Fermentation turns the must of the grapes into wine. After adding the sugar and the pure yeast dissolved in the wine, the wines that make up the cuvée are brought to a second fermentation in a bottle or a pressure barrel.
This is how the carbonic acid comes into the sparkling wines
In the second fermentation, the yeast breaks down the added sugar into alcohol and carbon dioxide. During this renewed fermentation of the wine, carbonic acid is created – and thus turns the wine into sparkling wine. By the way, it is forbidden to add artificial carbon dioxide to the sparkling wine. In order to give the sparkling wine the desired sweetness, sucrose, grape juice, partially fermented grape juice or wine or wine distillate are then added.
The subtle difference between Seccos
Prosecco often stands out on the shelf because of its low prices and is a cheap alternative to sparkling champagne. Prosecco is basically a wine of Italian origin. Prosecco has been a protected designation of origin for Italian sparkling wines, sparkling wines and still wines from the province of Veneto since 2010. Like sparkling wine, Frizzante undergoes a second fermentation during production, which creates carbonic acid. A Prosecco Frizzante, the sparkling wine, may, however, have a carbonic acid pressure of only 2.5 bar per bottle and is therefore less foamy than sparkling wine and sparkling wine. After the first fermentation, the Prosecco Spumante sparkling wine is placed in stainless steel tanks for a second fermentation. The carbon dioxide cannot escape in these tanks and is constantly dissolved in the wine.
A Secco is simply the name of a German Frizzante – a sparkling wine made in Germany.
Champagne – the most luxurious of the sparkling wines
Champagne is also known as the king of sparkling wine and rightly so. The wine has been made in the French region of Champagne since the 17th century. And that is where the luxury comes from: only sparkling wine produced in this region may bear the official name of champagne.
The manual harvest and many other conditions are strict requirements for the production of champagne. After a second fermentation, which also produces carbonic acid, the champagne rests on yeast for some time. After this ripening process, the dead yeast cells are removed from the wine using a process called shaking. Then the champagne bottle is pulled through an ice bath on its head. This dégorgement ensures that the drop freezes and that the wine is still clear after opening the crown cap.
Why sparkling wines make you drunk faster
The reason why we notice the alcoholic effect of carbonated wines more quickly is the carbonic acid. This stimulates the mucous membranes so that the alcohol can be absorbed into the blood more quickly and is thus in the bloodstream after the first sip of a delicious sparkling or sparkling wine.
Try the sparkling wines yourself!
After this article, you now know that champagne, sparkling wine, secco and prosecco differ in their production, the carbon dioxide content and sometimes only in the name. Now it’s time to try: We have linked a large selection of semi-sparkling and sparkling wines from many countries under this post. Try it out and see if you can find differences in the taste of the wines yourself!
Furthermore exciting virtual wine tastings and wine tastings directly at the winemaker await you here at Wine-love.de, which we also offer as private events according to your taste. From time to time we also organize pop-up wine tastings with nice company in the wine shop in Schlangenbad. You are always best informed about all events on our channels on Facebook and Instagram.
