Both are sparkling wine production methods. Here are characteristics, similarities and differences of the Charmat and Champenoise Methods.

Charmat and Champenoise Methods: the differences

Sparkling winemaking, that is, the process that leads to the transformation of wine into sparkling wine through a second fermentation on yeasts, is complex and sophisticated. The characteristics of the sparkling wine are affected not only by the quality of the starting cuvée and the exact composition of the liqueur de tirage but also the Method by which refermentation is induced. In fact, according to the technique used to induce the second fermentation, there are two different methods: the Charmat method and the Champenoise one.

The difference between the Charmat Method and the Champenoise Method is mainly related to the second fermentation. It takes place in stainless steel barrels in the former case and in the bottle in the latter. However, the subsequent steps also differ in some aspects, as does the final product:

• Charmat Method sparkling wines are fragrant, aromatic and have rich, penetrating perlage
• Champenoise Method (or Classical Method) sparkling wines are delicate and fresh, very balanced and with a very fine perlage.

The unique characteristics of the two types of sparkling wine are easy to identify during a guided tasting session, such as those organized at L'Enoteca di Castello Banfi Wine Resort, which include tastings of some of the best of Banfi's signature wines accompanied by typical Tuscan products.

The Champenoise Method

The Champenoise Method owes its name to the Champagne region of France where the best French sparkling wines hail from. This process of sparkling wine making is also known as the "Classic Method". The Italian Classi Method sparkling wines made from Chardonnay - or Pinot noir cuvées are extremely fresh and elegant.

The Origins of the Champenoise Method

The origins of this method of sparkling wine making are very old and date back to the late seventeenth century. Sources attribute the invention of sparkling wine (initially made only according to the Classic Method) to Abbot Pierre Pérignon.

In fact, the latter discovered the possibility of a second fermentation of bottled wine through the addition of sugars and the subsequent formation of bubbles.

How the Champenoise Method works

As with all sparkling wines, the choice of base cuvée is crucial: preference is given mainly to still wines from an early harvest and good acidity. Next, the cuvée is bottled together with the so-called liqueur de tirage, a solution of sugars and selected yeasts that can activate the second fermentation. This stage can last several years, during which the sparkling wine acquires the complexity of aromas and flavors that will characterize it in its final stage.

Subsequent steps in the production of Classic Method sparkling wines are the perfect synergy between new technologies and time-honored manual practices, such as remuage or degorgement, two techniques used, respectively, to separate the lees from the sparkling wine by rotation and to remove the crown cap where these lees have settled.

The Charmat Method

As anticipated, the difference between the Charmat and Champenoise Methods is the location where the second fermentation takes place: in the case of the Charmat Method, temperature-controlled stainless steel barrels, called "autoclaves".

The Origins of the Charmat Method

The Charmat Method owes its name to Eugène Charmat, a French winemaker who patented a new method and innovative technology for refermenting sparkling wine in the early 1900s.

However, the first person to devise such a method was the artisan winemaker Federico Martinotti. His new technique aimed to reduce the cost and time of sparkling wine production by introducing mass fermentation of the traditional cuvée inside pressurized stainless steel barrels (the autoclaves). Charmat is credited with improving this technique and acquiring the patent, about fifteen years after Martinotti's first uses, which is why this procedure is known as both the Charmat Method and the Martinotti Method.

How the Charmat Method works

The starting point for producing Charmat Method sparkling wines is a cuvée of base wines with intense aromatic background. In fact, this technique is the one that best preserves the olfactory characteristics of the grape variety by enclosing them in the bottle and expanding them through the bubbles.

The cuvée is introduced into stainless steel barrels under pressure for 30 to 80 days. During this period, the wine undergoes rapid fermentation, thanks in part to the introduction of sugars and selected yeasts, until it creates the foam. The permanence on yeast allows aromas to develop and evolve into a fresh, fragrant sparkling wine with a complex olfactory profile.

The differences between Charmat and Champenoise methods are not only in the fermentation but also in the subsequent stages of sparkling wine making. In fact, to preserve the variegated, intense aroma and bigger perlage that distinguishes Charmat Method sparkling wines, the remaining stages of the sparkling process (racking, refrigeration, filtration and bottling) take place under isobaric conditions (under pressure) in order not to disperse the carbon dioxide created and to bring to the table a bottle with an exuberant and complex flavor.