10 replies to this topic

[HarvInSTL]

Can you make it? My quick Google-fu hasn't produced anything helpful yet.

[MyaCullen]

Can you make it? My quick Google-fu hasn't produced anything helpful yet.

yes you canIt can be produced using the traditional Méthode Champenoise, where a still white wine is allowed to undergo secondary fermentation in the bottle, or by carbonating in a seperate vessell then CPBing.both methods are difficult to achieve for their own reasons.I have not tried either, but have read a couple of articles over the years by homebrewers who have.and Guest is right the name "Champagne" is strictly protected under international law.it would be "sparkling wine"

[HarvInSTL]

Interesting info. Don't worry, I'd call mine "Champipple".I'm interested in the traditional method that calls for disgorgement,etc.I'm wondering if I could start with a white wine kit and go from there. Hmm.....Ninge edit:Hellz yeah!https://www.winemake...-kits-wine-kits

Edited by HarvInCoMo, 19 April 2010 - 05:10 AM.

[zymot]

and Guest is right the name "Champagne" is strictly protected under international law.it would be "sparkling wine"

I could be wrong, but I believe I have seen commercial product from countries other than France (clearly not from the Champagne region) and that have the description of Champagne. True, most of the time I have seen "sparkling wine" in place of Champagne.I guess I will have to make a trip through the Sparkling Wine?Champagne section of BevMo tonight and see if my memory serves me correctly.

[zymot]

Update: Went to BevMo and looked at the Champagne/Sparkling Wine selection.Here is what I found.A few bottles were labled "California Champagne"More were labled "Méthode Champenoise" sometimes "Sparkling Wine" also on the label.Sometimes there was just the description "Brut" on the label with no other claim to the contents on the front label. There would almost always a "sparkling wine" was found somewhere on the back label.Contrary to my previous post, I did not find any violations of the rule "Only product from the Champagne region of France can be carry the word "Champagne" on the label."zymot

[BeesNBrews]

Yup, first it's Champagne, then the next thing you know they'll tell ya what you can and can't call an onion.....wait a minute, they already have! Free the Vidalias!!!However, back on topic, let us know how your "Champipple" turns out. I've always wanted to try that. There are a couple good books out there [not in my library so I don't have the immediate reference] that make it look extremely involved. Personally, my first attempt will likely be the technique that leaves the lees in the bottle.......

[armagh]

Jon Iverson book "Home Wine Making, step by step" has a section on making sparkling wines, as do a number of other winemaking books.

[MyaCullen]

Yup, first it's Champagne, then the next thing you know they'll tell ya what you can and can't call an onion.....wait a minute, they already have! Free the Vidalias!!!However, back on topic, let us know how your "Champipple" turns out. I've always wanted to try that. There are a couple good books out there [not in my library so I don't have the immediate reference] that make it look extremely involved. Personally, my first attempt will likely be the technique that leaves the lees in the bottle.......

I'll try it someday as well, I keep telling myself thatoh and BTW Walla Walla's are better, lol

[EWW]

if you want to see the Methode Champenoise on a homebrew scale check out this

[fatbloke]

It's down to the technique of how you actually add the carbonation.There's a local vineyard that I've delivered to, that makes various sparkling wines using the "method champanois" (sorry if the spelling is shit).They make the base wine (both straight white and rose, etc) which is then cleared, filtered etc. Then they add a little priming sugar and yeast and then rather than corking etc, you'll notice that a lot of "champagne" bottles have a slight rim to the top - that's where they crown cap the bottles. Now you can actually stand them up and let the fermentation of the priming sugar do it's thing and then make a "riddling frame" which has holes of gradually steeper level to hold the neck of the bottle(s) which them need turning and moving down the holes so there's not giveaway sludge marks on the inside but allows the yeast/lees of the priming process to move down the bottle eventually ending up in the neck.The local place sort of does this in a mechanised way i.e. they have a "riddling frame" that is actually just a square wire box that holds a number of layers of bottles - they run the bottling plant to fill the bottles, then add the sugar and yeast, crown cap the bottles and place them in layers in the "frame", which stays upright for a couple of days. The difference is that the device has a small motor that allows for gentle amounts of vibration which disturbs the yeast/lees enough to not leave any "tide marks" in the inside of the bottles - after a couple of days the whole frame is swung upside down which then allows the yeast/lees to settle in the neck/cap of the bottle (small amounts of vibration allow it to settle very well). Once the yeast/lees has settled and the liquid is clear again, the bottles are removed carefully and the whole neck of the bottle is frozen (liquid nitrogen I think) so that the crown cap can be removed, the yeast/lees can be removed and the rest of the frozen liquid acts as a suitable bung for this to occur - the bottles are then stoppered with a proper bung, which are then "wired" into place with the "cages" and a finishing foil cover is applied.The ice seems to work fine as a temporary stopper as the CO2 only gets released slowly while the yeast plug is removed and the stopper/cage/foil process is quite quick. The finished bottles are then allowed to completely defrost naturally.

[jayb151]

Wow! That's sounds very labor intensive, but way cool!