Vintage Sparkling Wine
Producing Vintage Sparkling Wine
Because most sparkling wines are made in marginal climates, this rarely occurs more than a few times a decade. Slightly warmer years will produce wines with more weight and depth.
In a vintage year, the initial fermentation will make a wine with more complexity than normal. This wine will left in contact with its lees for a longer time after the second fermentation is complete inside the bottle. The result is a sparkling wine with developed flavors, perhaps slightly higher alcohol, and a creamy texture from the extended time it was aged sur lie.
Vintage Champagne must be aged for at least 3 years under AOC regulations. The best producers allow their vintage Champagnes to sit on their lees for 8 years or more. This leads to extremely complex aromas, flavors and textures.
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