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Vinho Espumante

Portuguese name for sparkling wine; see there.

The German term Schaumwein was first used by the German poet Wilhelm Hauff (1802-1827) in his novel "The Man in the Moon" in 1827 and then first appeared in a dictionary in 1876. It is to be understood as an umbrella term or collective term for sparkling wines with a certain proportion of carbon dioxide (colloquially often referred to as carbonic acid ). The higher the proportion and the finer the bubbles, the higher the quality. Good quality is characterised by a pronounced, long-lasting effervescence with very fine, i.e. tiny bubbles bubbles. This can be achieved particularly with the classic production method of bottle fermentation with prolonged yeast ageing.

Schaumwein - Flasche im Einschenkkorb und gefülltes Glas

Types of sparkling wine

Depending on the carbon dioxide pressure, there are basically two quality levels - sparkling wine and semi-sparkling wine:

Sparkling wine

There are three different EU-standardised quality designations. A sparkling wine with added carbon dioxide is produced from wine or country wine to which carbon dioxide has been added in whole or in part. It must have a carbon dioxide pressure of at least 3 bar at 20 °Celsius. If the carbon dioxide comes exclusively from a second fermentation (in a tank or bottle), the designation sparkling wine may be used. Quality sparkling wine with the base product quality wine must have a minimum carbon dioxide pressure of 3.5 bar (up to 6 bar can be achieved) at 20 °Celsius and an alcohol content of at least 9.5% vol. It must also have been produced with at least 60 days of lees storage.

semi-sparkling wine

A slightly foaming (sparkling) product of lower quality is semi-sparkling wine with less carbon dioxide pressure (1 to 2.5 bar) and coarser bubbles. There are many country-specific designations (see table below). To avoid confusion with quality sparkling wine, the cork must not be fixed with an agraffe (wire basket). These criteria may also have an influence on sparkling wine tax, which is not levied at semi-sparkling wine. Sparkling wines are sealed with a normal cork and, especially in Italy, are usually secured with a spago (cord).

Country-specific designations

There are many country-specific names, but only the names Cava and Champagne are protected. The origin of the name sparkling wine has its own history, which is described in detail.

Country

Quality sparkling wine

Explanations

semi-sparkling wine

Australia Sparkling Wine also in other countries Pearl Wine
Germany Sparkling wine, Crémant, Winzersekt Sparkling wine, Crémant in many countries semi-sparkling wine Frizzante, Secco
France/Champagne Champagne protected origin Pétillant
France/Champagne Crémant, Vin mousseux outside the Champagne region,
Crémant also in other countries
Pétillant
Greece Afrodis Oinos - Frizzante
Italy Spumante, Satèn, Talento Spumante and Frizzante
also in other countries
Frizzante, Rosecco, Vivace
California/USA Sparkling Wine also in other countries -
Croatia Pjenušca - -
Austria Sparkling wine, Crémant, Hauersekt - semi-sparkling wineFrizzante, Secco
Portugal Vinho Espumante - Vinho Frisante
Russia Shampanskoye EU protest against the name -
Switzerland Sparkling wine - semi-sparkling wine, Sternli wine
Slovakia Sparkling wine Šumivá vína...

Voices of our members

Dr. Christa Hanten

For my many years of work as an editor with a wine and culinary focus, I always like to inform myself about special questions at Wine lexicon. Spontaneous reading and following links often leads to exciting discoveries in the wide world of wine.

Dr. Christa Hanten
Fachjournalistin, Lektorin und Verkosterin, Wien

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