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Types of wine Part II: Sparkling wine, dessert wine, semi-sparkling wine and liqueur wine
Do you already know the differences?
Wine is a very complex subject. Most people think that it ends with red, white and rosé wine. But this is not the case! Sparkling wine, which is used mainly to toast on holidays, is still known to most people. But do you know about sparkling wine, dessert wine and liqueur wine?
If not, you will find a brief summary of the most important things here!
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Reading time approx. 2 min
Sparkling wine
Whether it's for a birthday, Christmas or other special occasions, people often toast with a sparkling bottle of sparkling wine! But the world of sparkling wine is very diverse and can seem confusing. So we'll shed some light on the matter:
Sparkling wine is a general term that includes all wines that contain carbon dioxide. These primarily include sparkling wine, prosecco and champagne. Just like “still wines”, sparkling wines come in all varieties: from sweet to dry, from light to heavy and in red, white and rosé.
The basis for all sparkling wines is always a still wine. This is then carbonated. This is achieved by adding sugar and yeast to a finished light wine. The yeast then ferments the sugar into alcohol. As with the first fermentation, the gas CO₂ is produced. This gas is then retained, which creates pressure in the container, under which the gas dissolves in the liquid as carbon dioxide. The longer the yeast is stored in the wine, the more additional typical aromas of the sparkling wine are formed and the bubbles become "finer". In other words: the glass sparkles even more!
In the case of sparkling wine, the fermented base wine is usually light because alcohol is added to the wine during the second fermentation.
Did you know?
Almost all well-known wine regions produce sparkling wine, such as Sekt in Germany, Prosecco in Italy and Champagne in France.
Sparkling wine
The sparkling wine is an intermediate category between the two types of sparkling wine and still wine. It contains less carbon dioxide than the sparkling wine and is therefore only a “semi-sparkling” wine. It has 1 and a maximum of 2.5 bar carbon dioxide pressure. Other sparkling wines are bottled with at least 3 bar pressure. So if you only want a slight fizz when drinking, sparkling wine is the perfect choice!
Sparkling wine is made with added carbon dioxide. This means that you can theoretically put your wine in the Sodastream and make sparkling wine out of it. This is also the reason why many sparkling wine lovers cannot do anything with the less sparkling wine and it is also one of the cheaper variants of sparkling wine.
Dessert wine & liqueur wine:
Dessert wine did not get its name by chance, but for a very specific reason. While most wines are drunk with the main course, dessert wine is particularly suitable with dessert or cheese.
The dessert wine is a particularly sweet and full-bodied wine, so it goes perfectly with sweet dishes.
But how does the high concentration of sugar get into the wine? There are various possibilities:
1. Overripe grapes
Only very ripe or even overripe grapes are used, which are usually affected by noble rot. This is because the later the grapes are harvested, the more sugar is formed in the berries.
2. Early frost
With the second method, the winemakers hope for an early frost. Here, the berries are left hanging until the temperature drops to at least 7 degrees below zero. They are then immediately harvested and pressed. Due to the low temperatures, the water in the berries is frozen, which is why only sugar, acid and aroma can be pressed from the frozen grape. These dessert wines are also called ice wines.
3. Liqueur wines
A third option is the so-called liqueur wines . Here, the fermentation, during which sugar is converted into alcohol, is interrupted by the addition of additional alcohol. Because not all of the sugar is converted into alcohol, the result is a very sweet and high-alcohol wine.
Remember:
A principle that every wine drinker must remember: the wine should never be sweeter than the food!
Summary
- Sparkling wines are often drunk on special occasions. They include all wines that contain carbon dioxide. These include sparkling wine, prosecco and champagne. The base is always a still wine, which is later carbonated.
- Sparkling wine is a cross between sparkling wine and still wine. This means that it has less carbonation than sparkling wine, but more carbonation than still wine.
- Dessert wine is a very sweet wine that goes particularly well with sweet dishes and cheese.
Tired of reading anymore? Then browse through our wine tastings and let us explain the world of wine to you personally!
Class!
You have already read 4 of 13 articles on the topic of wine. Now take a look at the next article to complete your basic knowledge!
Or go to Wine Course Part I to get an overview of all topics!