Sparkling wine

Sparkling wine contains enough dissolved carbon dioxide to form bubbles when poured. Its effervescence comes from fermentation or from carbonation.

Secondary fermentation: A second alcoholic fermentation that produces additional carbon dioxide and other fermentation products. In traditional methods, yeast ferments added sugar in the bottle, trapping carbon dioxide in the wine.
Pressure: Force exerted per unit area by a fluid or gas. Dissolved carbon dioxide creates the pressure that keeps a sparkling-wine bottle under tension.
Champagne: A sparkling wine from the Champagne region of northeastern France, made under protected production rules. It is the best-known regional style made by the traditional method.
Still wine: Wine without enough dissolved carbon dioxide to produce sustained bubbles when poured. It is the direct contrast to wine defined by visible effervescence.
Traditional method: A sparkling-wine method in which secondary fermentation and aging occur in the bottle. It creates bubbles through in-bottle fermentation and lees aging.
Residual sugar: Sugar remaining in wine after fermentation has stopped or finished. Its amount determines sweetness categories such as brut and demi-sec.
Prosecco: An Italian sparkling wine made principally from Glera grapes in designated northeastern regions. Its common tank-fermented style contrasts with bottle-fermented Champagne.
Fortified wine: Wine whose alcohol content has been increased by adding distilled spirits. Fortification raises alcohol; it does not define a wine by its bubbles.
Charmat method: A sparkling-wine method in which secondary fermentation occurs in a sealed pressurized tank. It produces bubbles in tanks rather than in individual bottles.
Grape variety: A cultivated type of grapevine distinguished by inherited traits and fruit characteristics. Grape choices shape the acidity, aroma, and structure of sparkling wines.

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