That hiss when the cork eases out isn't added. It has been building in the bottle for months. We sat down with our Head Winemaker, Matt Patterson-Green, to learn more about Méthode Traditionelle: what it is, how it is made, and how it differs (or doesn't) from Champagne.
Méthode Traditionelle is a sparkling wine that gets its bubbles from a second fermentation in the bottle, rather than from carbonation added later. Matt makes ours from Chardonnay grown on the Gimblett Gravels.
How we make our Méthode Traditionelle at Pask
Every Méthode Traditionelle starts as a still wine. The bubbles are made later, inside the bottle, in a second fermentation, so each bottle ferments individually. Here is each step.
The base wine
Our Méthode Traditionelle starts with Chardonnay, hand-picked from selected clones in our Gimblett Gravels vineyard; the grapes are whole-bunch pressed and fermented in barrel. For our Méthode we pick the grapes earlier than we would for a still wine, at lower sugar and higher acidity, because that natural acidity is what keeps a sparkling wine fresh and lifted right through to the finish.
The second fermentation: making it sparkle in the bottle
We bottle the base Chardonnay with a small amount of yeast and sugar, then seal it. The yeast gets to work on the sugar, and one of the things it gives off is carbon dioxide. In a tank, that gas would simply escape. Sealed in a bottle, it has nowhere to go, so it dissolves into the wine. That is how the bubbles are made.
Time on the lees
Once that fermentation finishes, the yeast has done its job and dies off, leaving a fine sediment in the bottle: the lees. Rather than removing it right away, we leave the wine resting on it. Depending on the vintage, this can run anywhere from one to three years; for our Méthode Traditionelle, we aim for 12 to 16 months. That time on the lees is what builds the character you taste later: a bready, biscuity, brioche note and a soft, creamy texture that a young sparkling wine lacks.
Riddling and disgorgement
Left in the bottle, the lees would cloud the wine, so the traditional method has a careful way of removing them. Over days or weeks, the bottles are riddled: turned and tilted a little at a time until all the sediment collects in the neck. The neck is then frozen, the bottle is opened, and the pressure inside pushes the frozen plug of sediment out, leaving the wine clear. That step is called disgorgement.
The dosage and the final cork
Just before the bottle is closed for good, it is topped up. That top-up is a small amount of wine, sometimes with a touch of sugar, and it sets the final style, from bone-dry to a little softer. Ours sits at the dry end, with only a few grams of residual sugar. Then the cork and cage go on, and the wine is ready for release.
How it differs from Champagne
People often ask whether Méthode Traditionelle is Champagne. Matt answers that "it is and it isn't." It is made in the same way. Champagne isn't a method; it is a place. Champagne is a region in the north-east of France, and by law only sparkling wine grown and made there may be called Champagne. Ours is made the same way, from our Chardonnay in Hawke's Bay, so it bears the name it deserves: Méthode Traditionelle.
Méthode Traditionelle vs. Prosecco and tank-method sparkling
Not all sparkling wine is made the same way, and the method used changes what ends up in your glass. Prosecco and many inexpensive sparkling wines take their second fermentation in a large sealed tank and are then bottled under pressure. This method is faster and cheaper, and it tends to give bigger, softer bubbles that fade quickly. The traditional method does that second fermentation in each bottle instead. It is slower and more hands-on, and it gives the fine, long-lasting bead you find in Champagne and in our Méthode Traditionelle.
How to tell it in the glass
You can see a sparkling made by the traditional method as soon as it is poured. It starts with a satisfying pop as the cork comes out. In Matt's words, look for "fine streams of bubbles coming up through the wine rather than just a full glass of foam." A carbonated sparkling foams up and settles quickly. A traditional-method wine sends up lots of fine bubbles in clear, steady lines that keep going. On the palate you get freshness and lift first, then the deeper, bready complexity the time on the lees gives you. It belongs at the table as much as at a celebration, and pairs especially well with fish, oysters, and shellfish, or with salty, richer dishes that its acidity can cut through.
Common questions about Méthode Traditionelle
What does méthode champenoise mean?
Méthode champenoise is the older name for the same winemaking method. Because "Champagne" is legally protected, producers outside the Champagne region use "Méthode Traditionelle" instead. The winemaking process is identical.
What is a "poor man's Champagne"?
"Poor man's Champagne" is an old nickname for traditional-method sparkling made outside the Champagne region. It uses the same winemaking method, just made in a different place, and it usually costs less because it does not carry the Champagne name.
Is Méthode Traditionelle dry or sweet?
It can be either. The dosage, the small top-up added just before the bottle is corked, sets the final style, so a traditional-method wine can be anything from bone dry to sweet. Ours is dry, with only a few grams of residual sugar.
Where to find our Méthode Traditionelle
If you have not tried a New Zealand Méthode Traditionelle, ours is a good place to begin. Find our Declaration Méthode Traditionelle in the online store, part of our Declaration range of reserve wines.
