Those bubbles take time

There's a reason why the bubbly you might be planning to open tonight costs a bit more.

"It take a long, long time to make," said Yvonne Hall, co-owner of Terra Savia winery in Hopland, explaining that it typically takes three years to make a bottle of sparkling wine the traditional way, known as methode champenoise.

Only wine made with grapes from the Champagne region of France can be called Champagne, but many wineries in Mendocino County create their bottles of bubbly using the same labor-intensive process that includes doing some steps twice.

While still wines are fermented once, sparkling wine is fermented again in the bottle with yeast, the step that creates the bubbles, said Penny Gadd-Coster, head winemaker at Rack and Riddle in Hopland.

It only takes about three months for the wine to ferment, but most sparkling wines will spend many months beyond that getting ready to be enjoyed. Gadd-Coster said some winemakers let their wine sit on its side for 20 years, but the average is more like a year.

Once wine has fermented as long as the winemaker wants, its bottle is put into a rack and then onto riddlers -- a machine that slowly tips the bottle from being on its side to sitting on its head, allowing all the yeast to collect at the top.

Cynthia Faust, business development manager at Rack and Riddle, which prepares sparkling wine for many local wineries as well as its own label, said the wines spend several days in the riddlers, which are programmed to turn a certain amount a day.

After the riddling, the wines rest in the dark for a bit, then are ready to get dressed up for their big day.

First, the yeast must removed. Each bottle's first cap is designed to collect the yeast so it can be "disgorged." Once the yeast is gone, Faust said the wine is often given a "dose" of sugar for sweetness, which can be done by adding all sorts of liquids, even brandy.

The level of sweetness is revealed by the name, with the sweetest being "doux," and "brut" meaning dry, and "ultra brut" meaning no sugar was added.

Next the wine gets its second cork, then a metal cage of sorts is put over that to keep the bubbles from pushing out the cork before the buyer is ready to drink it. Finally, the neck of the bottle is covered in foil and the winemaker's label is added.

Standing in Rack and Riddle's warehouse Monday, Faust estimated that about 3 million bottles of wine were waiting in various stages of undress, including some bottles of Terra Savia, which Hall said are designed to not be very sweet at all.

"These are the sparkling wines of choice -- super dry," she said, explaining that the grapes, either Chardonnay or Pinot Noir, are picked early to make sure they are not too ripe.

Another local winery focusing on dry sparkling wines is Graziano, which tasting room manager Mike Williams said introduced its first vintage this year.

Williams said the winery expanded into sparkling wines because its owner, Greg Graziano, "loves the classic French champagnes," which he described as having a "deep yeast flavor" that was dry and not too sweet.

Faust said Rack and Riddle makes a brut as well, but she said the winery also likes to appeal to those wanting more fruit taste in their sparkling wine, who might prefer the blanc de noir.

As for when to enjoy sparkling wine, all of the winemakers said it shouldn't be saved just for New Year's Eve. Faust said perhaps 60 to 65 percent of sparkling wine is sold during the holiday season, but the bubbly can join nearly every meal.

"It goes with everything: spicy, Asian, Mexican, fish, desserts -- it is really versatile," she said. "Sparkling wine should be in your fridge every day."
