Many home wine vintners never think of sparkling beyond champagne. If you are not a champagne drinker, it’s easy to think that sparkling is not for you – or too difficult to achieve. The reality is that several of our customers and staff bring a sparkle to wines such as Rose (Seasonal Selection – almost all gone for this year), Chardonnay, or even choices from the white Limited Releases. Recently several of our staff and guild members had the opportunity to taste a selection of sparkling Island Mists, brought to us by one of our Airdrie customers. (Thanks for that!) What a fantastic treat! The sweet, fruity and lower alcohol content of these kits created a finished product that was a taste explosion in the mouth. This experience was enjoyable enough that it merits repeating again – and again LOL!
So what do you need to venture into sparkling? Champagne bottles, toppers and cages are required. The final product has to be in bottles designed to withstand contents under pressure. Carbonating the wine brings choices as well, depending on style of kit and desired outcome. You could choose to carbonate naturally with dextrose, in much the same way that beer is naturally carbonated. The trade-off is that the finished product will have sediment on the bottom of the bottle. Carbonating by machine will enable you to retain the clarity and brilliance of the wine in the finished product.
If you are interested in exploring the process of adding sparkle to your wine, come into any of our locations and our staff will be pleased to assist you in wine choices and learning about the process. Not all wines are appropriate for carbonating, and kits that include F-Packs can only be machine carbonated.
If summer ever arrives – I sure am looking forward to a hot afternoon on the patio with snacks and some fruity summer sparkling wine!
