History of Wine - CO2 Content
During fermentation, grape must produces a lot of carbon dioxide, which translates into a large amount of carbon dioxide in the finished wine. The wine from the Barbadillo winery, known as Castillo de San Diego, retains much more carbon dioxide than old wines. When a wine from the Barbadillo winery is uncorked, it produces the same click as when a sparkling wine is uncorked.
Afterwards, you can see how the bubbles in the cup rise. The “new Beaujolais”, which is made as soon as the wine has fermented, also has these characteristics. Because wine is more easily digestible, it contains more carbon dioxide.
Still wines do not normally contain carbon dioxide overpressure. “Sparkling wines” are those that do contain it. When gas is injected into wine, they are often referred to as “carbonated wines”. Under Community legislation, wines with a pressure greater than three bars are known as sparkling wines. “Needle wines” are those with an upper pressure of between one and two and a half bars.
The terms “sparkling wine” and “lightly carbonated wine” refer to beverages with an excess pressure of between one and two and a half bars. It is currently used to refer to lightly carbonated wine. “Sparkling wine is its Italian equivalent. “Effervescent wine” is used to designate any carbonated beverage, alcoholic or not.
To make the most popular wines, an aging system is used in the cellar, in which temperatures are carefully controlled to keep the wine at the right degree of aging, so that it develops complex flavors without becoming tasteless. Sugar, must, lees and other residues are added to the wine to stimulate a second fermentation.
Once this second fermentation is finished, the wine remains are removed and the bottle is kept upside down to facilitate its extraction. This procedure is called degassing. “Expedition liqueur” is an acronym for the substances that are added after the tasting. These additives give the wine the necessary character. “Cava” was once a popular choice in Spain.
“Cava” has become a term of origin that not everyone can use, since it covers 135 municipalities (90% of production) in Penedés, a region that provides 90% of production. Macabeo, Xarel-la and Parellada are the varieties used in the blends. The most famous houses are Freixenet, Codorniu and Delapierre, which have expanded outside of Spain.