🍷 Secondary fermentation
Fermentation of finished wine with sugar and yeast, which creates the bubbles.
Secondary fermentation is the stage where a finished still wine becomes sparkling. A little sugar and yeast are added to it. The yeast eats the sugar and produces alcohol and carbon dioxide. The gas cannot escape because the container is sealed, so it dissolves in the wine. When the bottle is opened, it comes out as bubbles.
The first fermentation turns grape juice into ordinary wine. The second one happens in that finished wine. It raises the alcohol slightly and builds up pressure inside.
There are two main ways to do it. In the traditional method, fermentation takes place in the bottle itself, and the wine then rests on its lees for a long time. This stage is called tirage. In the Charmat method, the wine ferments in a large closed tank and is bottled afterwards. Many light sparkling wines are made this way. Secondary fermentation is part of general winemaking and the main reason Champagne and similar wines have bubbles.
How it connects to Wine
🍷 Secondary fermentation → kind of → 🍷 Winemaking → kind of → 🍷 Wine
Links
- Part of
- 🍷 Winemaking
- Similar and different
- 🍷 Tirage, 🍷 Traditional method, 🍷 Charmat method
Frequently asked questions
Why is secondary fermentation needed?
It creates carbon dioxide in the wine, which dissolves under pressure and forms bubbles in the glass.
Where does secondary fermentation take place?
In the bottle in the traditional method, and in a closed tank in the Charmat method.
How is it different from the first fermentation?
The first turns juice into wine; the second happens in finished wine with added sugar and yeast and produces gas.
Similar
🍷 Continuous method · 🍷 Sorting table · 🍷 Must · 🍷 Acidification · 🍷 Deacidification · 🍷 Fortification