The Meaning of Disgorging in Wine Making

The French have been the globally agreed upon tastemakers in the wine industry for thousands of years. Their style of winemaking is one that has been copied and coopted across the world. One tradition specific to French wine, though honored in other countries, is that of disgorgement.

So, what is the meaning of disgorging in wine making?

To understand disgorgement, we must first understand French wine and the love of sparkling wine.

French Wine Making

Around the 6th century BC, settlers first began planting vines in what are today known as some of the most vibrant wine grape growing regions in the world – Bordeaux, Burgundy, Alsace, Rhone, Provence, and Champagne, to name just a few.

The concept of terroir was first born in France, as winemakers began to understand the value of not just the grapes to the wine but also the soil.

Wine regions in France have temperate climates with little snow and a warming sun that contributed to highly sought after wine grapes.

France has long been a pioneer in setting standards for winemaking, thanks to the wide variety of grapes, the rich terroir, and the hard working, incredibly proud vignerons.

Free Yeast Analysis for Vintners

 

There are, in fact, 11 steps to making wine in France.

First, the plantation, or the grafting of the vine stock.

Next, the growing of the grapes.

The harvesting of the grapes comes next.

Then, the grapes are de-stemmed and crushed into a liquid.

The liquid is allowed to ferment into alcohol, and the resulting must is then macerated, or allowed to sit in the skins, pips, and stems to give body and color to the wine.

And after all these steps are complete, you have a wine that must be racked.

The primary racking is to allow the yeast to mop up its off flavors and to undergo malolactic fermentation, which is when natural bacteria will mellow out the malic acid and convert it to lactic acid.

The wine is then allowed to mature for a period of time, sometimes for years, until it is bottled.

Finally, the wine is tasted.

Sparkling Wine

The difference between sparkling wine and still wine also began in France, specifically in Champagne.

Surely by now you have heard that while sparkling wine can be made across the globe, only sparkling wine made in Champagne can be called champagne?

Sparkling wine made in Champagne is made special by the grapes grown on the chalky soils of the region, the northernmost location of all of France’s wine regions, about an hour east of Paris.

Only three grape varieties are permitted to be grown in Champagne – Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier.

But in truth, still wine and sparkling wine both undergo the same process, those same basic 11 steps as outlined above.

The only thing that makes a sparkling wine different is the addition of sugar and yeast during a secondary racking, once the wine has been bottled.

Right after disgorgement.

Disgorgement Explained

Right, so what is disgorgement and when does it take place among those 11 steps?

Disgorgement of wine is a process that follows the maturation of the wine.

After primary racking, the wine is allowed to undergo that maturation process during which sparkling wine will be settled in its bottle with the neck angled downward.

This way, all the remaining dead yeast cells (called lees) will naturally float to the neck and settle there. This process is called “resting on the lees.” When the wine sits on these dead yeast cells, the still living yeast cells will consume what they can, and those dead yeast cells will contribute to the enhancement of aroma, body, and texture in wine.

After maturation is over, the neck of the bottle will be frozen, the bottle will be opened, and the buildup of carbonation will force the frozen lees out of the end of the bottle, disgorging them.

Why a Disgorgement Date?

Many sparkling wines will then have a disgorgement date, which is the date the bottle of wine is considered to have reached completion of its production cycle.

Typically, a bottle of sparkling wine is good for up to three years after the disgorgement date when kept under the right conditions – at a cooler temperature, out of the sunlight, and kept at a slant.

What Is Dosage?

After disgorgement, a small amount of yeast and sugar are added back to the bottle, or even just a bit of sweet wine, which will kickstart a new, much smaller, fermentation process and produce more carbon dioxide. The bottle is recorked and prepared to go to market.

This addition of yeast and sugar is referred to as dosage, which almost always follows disgorgement.

In the end, while the France have long held the prize for best in wine and led the way in what is to be done with and about wine, the rest of the world has been catching up over the last hundred or so years thanks to rapid globalization.

Today, many sparkling wines are disgorged and dosed, and still wines may be disgorged but not dosed, all based on the vintner’s preference.

Wine drinkers, too, are much more involved in the process of winemaking now, demanding less sweet, more sweet, less sparkle, more sparkle, and any combination of the two.

And because of the huge competition, vintners are listening and adapting their wines to the true tastemakers of the world – wine lovers.

It is an interesting twist for a wine maker today to be tailoring wines to the preferences of the client.

Interesting, and not at all unfavorable as a positive interplay of client and business owner can be a fruitful one indeed.

Cheers!

Passionate about the wine and/or beer making process? So are we! If you’re interested in finding out how you can use our technology to control fermentation and monitor your yeast, save work hours and improve the cost-efficiency of your business, drop us a line at [email protected] or check out our product pages:

Also, you can now get access to a fully functional demo account to test your yeast via our Web App. Completely free of charge and with no commitment to purchase.

Sources:

  1. https://www.terroir-france.com/wine/making2.htm
  • Publications

    Best Pattern Recognition Software

    A review of the best pattern recognition software for those interested in the various applications, including colony counts, bacteria identification, and more.

    Read more
  • Publications

    Petri Dish Bacteria Identification Chart: Why Use One

    This article is dedicated to those in the lab wondering whether a comprehensive petri dish bacteria identification chart could make their job easier.

    Read more
  • Publications

    Is Bioethanol Good for the Environment?

    Have you been asking the question, “Is bioethanol good for the environment?” This article describes the role of bioethanol from an environmental perspective.

    Read more
  • 0
      0
      Your Cart
      Your cart is empty