Ever Wonder What Makes Sparkling Wines so Special?
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he story of 2017 Paula Sparkling began at the Fall Harvest of September 2017. A blended estate ensemble of Pinot Gris, Ortega and Muller-Thurgau and traditional method achieved through riddling and disgorgement. The individual wine varietal components were fermented and blended together. The blended wine is put in bottles along with yeast and a small amount of sugar, called the liqueur de tirage, stopped with a crown cap and stored in our wine cellar horizontally for a second fermentation. The bottles were then laid to rest for 2 years to go through that fermentation process. The by-product of this fermentation is CO2 which makes up the bubbles! After about two years in bottle, each individual bottle is agitated and inserted into the riddling racks. The bottles are placed on special racks called pupitres that hold them at a 45° angle, with the crown cap pointed down. Once a day, the bottles are given a slight shake and turn, alternatively on
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right then left, and dropped back into the riddling rack, with the angle gradually increased. The bottles are rotated by stages, 1/4 of a turn at a time, to the right or left, while moving the bottles slowly on point (capsule down), with a paint mark on the bottom of the bottle for reference. The objective is to consolidate the sediments and leave the wine crystal clear. Manual remuage takes 45 days and involves on average 45 turns per bottle. “This technique was created by Madame Clicquot and used since the 1700’s, it has since had some automation, but the general concept has remained the same since.” Bailey Williamson Next, disgorgement - a traditional method used to remove the lees. Disgorgement is a technique used in the traditional method of sparkling wine production that involves removing the dead yeast cells (lees) from the neck of the wine bottle after secondary fermentation. Bailey keeps the sparkling wine in a very cold room which will keep the lees intact for removal. Our Paula Sparkling is disgorged by hand by opening the bottle and quickly releasing the sentiment. After disgorgement, the wine is finished by adding more wine to top up the bottles, this is called dosage. Dosage is some form of sweetness (sugar, or wine
