5 Fast Facts: Willamette Valley Sparkling Wine
- The Willamette Valleys isn’t just a destination for Pinot Noir lovers. Publications including Travel & Leisure, Wine Enthusiast, and others have celebrated the region as a must-visit for sparkling wine enthusiasts.
- Sparkling wine wasn’t always popular. Old World winemakers from centuries ago were plagued by effervescence in their wines. In fact, members of the Abbey of Hautvillers instructured the famous Dom Pérignon to eliminate the bubbles in his wine because they were causing so many bottles to burst in the cellar.
- Fruit for sparkling wine is harvested early. It’s critical that the grapes for sparkling wine remain acidic. While a sweet grape is desirable for Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and other varietals the Willamette Valley is known for, that’s not the case with sparkling.
- The wine doesn’t start sparkling until the second fermentation. The first fermentation allows carbon dioxide to escape, just like a still wine. In the second fermentation, winemakers ensure the carbon dioxide remains trapped and is absorbed back into the wine, which creates the effervescence.
- The wine bottles are made of exceptionally thick glass. Do you know why? All the CO2 in sparkling wine causes a significant amount of pressure inside the bottle, which requires a much thicker glass than is used for still wines. Once the cork is popped, the CO2 gas releases and the wine becomes effervescent.
