Of course, we are talking about sparkling wines.
Charmat and Champenoise method are the two sparkling wine production processes that guarantee high quality sparkling wines.
Charmat method was invented at the end of the XIX century by Federico Martinotti, director of the Enology Institute in Asti, who introduced the fermentation in large pressure-resistant stainless steel vats. Though the patent is given to the French Charmat, who gave life to the machinery the way we know it today. This method, also known as tank fermentation, is used to make most sparkling wines. The base wine is fermented in large pressure-resistent stainless steel vats in order to withstand pressure developed by carbon dioxide.
The Champenoise method, also known in Italy as "metodo Classico", is a bottle fermentation process. After the clarification of the wine, sugar syrup and yeasts are added to the wine base. After bottling these start to produce fine bubbles called perlage. The wine is left in contact with the yeasts from 18 up to 30 months to acquire flavour. During the final stages of the aging, the bottles are placed on racks, shaken, stocked on end and finally turned to cause yeast sediment to sink onto the cork. The lees are removed during degorgement after freezing the bottle neck. The space left empty previously occupied by the lees is topped up with the liqueur d'expedition, a mixture of wine and sugar.

With the Champenoise method the result is a complex and structured wine, that enhance yeasts scents more than the fruit, with a fine and persistent perlage.

Charmat method wines open up with fresh and fruity notes.

Can you guess which method we use in order to produce our sparklings? ;-)

Cheers,

VM