December is the time of the year when many of us are thinking of bubbly - and although thoughts often focus on French champagne, many Australian winemakers in cool climates make some remarkably good - if not great - sparkling wine.
Don't be put off because it's called 'sparkling wine' either: that's because the feisty French required everyone else to do so on the basis that their sparkling wine is from the geographic region of Champagne and is the only wine that can carry that name.
In this interview, we speak with Jen Pfeiffer, chief winemaker from boutique Victorian winery The Rebel Wines whose wines you can purchase from Naked Wines.
What are the key challenges of making sparkling wine, and is it significantly more challenging or complicated than the traditional varietals?
Making sparkling wine is not necessarily more challenging than traditional table wines, but it does involve a different set of winemaking skills, and can certainly take more time.
Firstly, it is very important to start by making a base wine specifically for sparkling wine - the fruit is picked earlier to retain natural acidity. This acidity keeps the wine fresh and clean in the mouth, which is very important for a sparkling. I like to use the traditional varieties; Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.
Both the Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are hand picked and whole bunch pressed to ensure the delicacy of the fruit is retained, and to limit the colour pick up from the Pinot Noir skins. This is quite different to my table wine production of these two varieties, where the Chardonnay is machine picked, crushed and pressed, and the Pinot Noir is fermented on its skins to extract the colour.
The primary alcoholic fermentation occurs in stainless steel tanks, and is not dissimilar to that of an aromatic white wine, being fermented at cool temperatures. When the primary fermentation is complete, there are different winemaking methods available to create the bubble in the wine. This is where the process starts to differ significantly from that of traditional winemaking.
In the traditional method, the sparkling may be blended or kept as a single vintage wine and is then re-fermented (sugar is added to the wine, then yeast to kick off fermentation). During this secondary fermentation, the wine is bottled. The fermentation is finished in individual bottles and all the CO2 produced during ferment is dissolved into the wine. When the bottle is opened, the CO2 trapped inside can escape, thus creating the gas.
In the traditional method, the wine will be matured on its yeast lees (dead yeast cells) in the bottles for many months, or even years, to build complexity and texture. It is then removed from the bottle (a process called disgorging), the bottle topped and re-sealed and is ready for sale.
The Charmat method is similar to the traditional method, however the secondary fermentation is completed in tank (not bottle) and then bottled under pressure as a continuous process.
The gas injection method sees CO2 gas injected into the wine before bottling. The wine is then kept under pressure throughout bottling to retain the level of dissolved CO2 in the wine, which is released as bubbles on opening.
How do you determine the price of a sparkling wine? Traditionally, sparkling wine has had a higher price point than non sparkling - is this due to the aspirational nature of the product, or is it genuinely more expensive to produce?
The price of my sparkling wine is determined by its inputs. The grape cost can be higher than some traditional varieties, and the winemaking involved can take years (especially if wines are blended across different vintages, or made in the traditional method), so this can make the cost of production higher than that of normal table wines. The bottles used are also heavier (to withstand the pressure) and thus are also more expensive.
Having said all that, the aspirational nature of the product also contributes to the higher price. Champagne in particular is considered a luxury item, and this rubs off onto sparkling also. And that's why working with Naked Wines is so great - with the help of Angel funding, Naked Wines are able to deliver great value sparkling wines without the luxury price tag! It has been a great way to introduce my Rebel Bubbles to a whole new market of wine lovers.
From your experience as a winemaker, have you noticed any trends towards sparkling wine in recent years? What are consumers looking for, and what are their priorities when buying sparkling?
There has certainly been an uptake of sparkling wines in recent years, particularly sparkling white wine, including traditional styles and more modern expressions such as Prosecco and Moscato.
Consumers are now enjoying sparkling wine over a meal, and not just as an aperitif or to accompany canapes. Generally hotels and restaurant wine buyers are looking for sparkling wines to be fresh and vibrant, with gentle creamy complexity, and an ability to be paired easily with food.
Tell us a little about your best selling Rebel Bubbles - how did it come about, how long did it take to create the perfect sparkling?
My Rebel Bubbles came from demand from the Naked Wines Angels. Being one of Naked Wines original winemakers, when chatting on the Naked website, I noticed that many Angels asking about sparkling wine. I put forward my idea to make a sparkling white wine and, with the help of Angel funding, this idea became a reality!
My Rebel Bubbles is a non - vintage blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. The individual vintage base wines are aged on their yeast lees to build creamy complexity before being blended together for bottling. I blend to create balance between the citrus and white peach fruit flavours, the texture on the palate and the crisp acidity. The oldest base wine in my blend is 4 years old, but of course it is worth the wait, with its great contribution to the complexity of the wine.
What do you think the future looks like for sparkling wine in Australia?
The future looks bright in Australia for sparkling wines. As a category, it is growing faster than any other. Australia's premium sparkling wines are starting to compete with those from Champagne in terms of quality, which is wonderful to see.
Consumers seem more willing to try both new styles and new producers as well, there is a trend towards experimentation, and this is more true in sparkling perhaps than other areas of wine.
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Jen’s Rebel Bubbles NV retails at $13.99 or $9.99 (Angel Price) and is available on www.nakedwines.com.au AND we've got six bottles to one lucky reader in time for Christmas. To enter, click here and tell us in 25 words or less why you'd like six bottles of Rebel Sparkling Wine from Jen Pfeiffer. Entries close at 3pm on Thursday 18th December.
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