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WINEMAKING with lower pH and higher acidity, and the resulting wine is fermented dry. After some blending, cleanup and stabilization, a second fermentation is conducted in a tank, with additional yeast and sugar, all kept under pressure by tank walls. After some period of aging and lees stirring, the wine is filtered, dosed, bottled and corked under pressure. Only two hard-and-fast differences emerge from this processing comparison: the size of the secondary fermentation vessel (with tanks being several thousand times as large as bottles) and the mix of hand and machine labor (with méthode champenoise wines needing more manual effort and ultimately simpler equipment.) The other variables are up to the wine- maker: what grape varieties to use, when to pick, how to blend base wines, how long to leave in contact with the second- ary lees and what balance of acidity and sweetness to pack into the final bottle. Nothing inherent in the process guar- antees that Charmat will be an inferior sparkler. "It's what you start with, the base wine," says Fred Weibel, "that determines the final product." Inferior, overcorpped, flavorless grapes will make bad wine either way. Cutting corners will undercut wine quality either way. The past few decades suggest that in the United States, the Char- mat contingent has cut its share of corners; at the same time, Italian Prosecco producers using the Metodo Italiano have built a high- profile, regionally branded wine juggernaut, selling 150 million bottles per year. So it's not the tank, it's what's in the tank. Grape expectations Great sparkling wine has to be made with great grapes; you can't get there by tak- ing inferior berries grown in the wrong climate and tarting them up with bubbles and sugar. If the varieties farmed for the Charmat base wines have the character and get the same attention as grapes going into the méthode champenoise programs, there's fighting chance the end results will be quite similar. That's why the best of Pro- secco holds its own—and why Charmat strategies can yield more than respectable Brut and Blanc de Blanc wines. Charmat also offers an option for which méthode champenoise is ill suited: young, fresh, varietally expressive bubblies from a much broader range of grape varieties. A version of Metodo Italiano is what gives us Moscato d'Asti, and what would be the point of summer without Moscato d'Asti? A Moscato Brut produced by the méthode Get the best out of your grapes. The Europress exclusively by Euro-Machines would be bone dry (not charmingly sweet), piercing rather than soft and long past its varietal character expiration date. Needless to say, Metodo Italiano is the engine of the current sparkling Moscato boom, for better or for worse, depending on how much you like Moscato. This versatility is one of the reasons McPherson at South Coast, who previously put in 18 years doing méthode champenoise at nearby Thornton Winery, thinks Charmat is so much fun. South Coast puts out spar- kling versions of Pinot Grigio, Gewürztra- miner, Muscat and Syrah, along with wines based on Chardonnay and Pinot Noir that fit a more traditional profile. Grapes for this fruitier tier of bubblies are picked somewhat riper (close to table wine numbers) and vini- fied so as to maintain some residual sugar throughout processing, coming out with 12%-13% alcohol and 2%-4% sugar. Stashak points out that Charmat is a better option for experimenting, particu- larly with grape varieties that don't have the high acid and low pH levels that are crucial for holding méthode champenoise wines together during years of aging. In Virginia's Piedmont region (not the Italian Piedmont where he learned his trade), Pas- china says it's an advantage of Charmat Euro-Machines offers high-quality equipment based on your vision to bring out the best of every vine, with our proven history in the careful handling of grapes and together our love of good wine. Europress-Cool with cooling jacket Euroselect berry selector Destemmer crushers Sorting equipment Conveyor belts Vibrating tables Custom-made tanks Pumps Europress 6-320 hl Braud grape harvesters and much more West: Fairfield, CA 94534 - Phone 707-864-5800 East: Culpeper, VA 22701 - Phone 540-825-5700 info@euromachinesusa.com www.euromachinesusa.com Euro-Machines, Inc. A subsidiary of Scharfenberger Company Germany WINES & VINES DECEMBER 2012 51