bubble- From the harvest to the second fermentation, from the long rest on the yeasts to the riddling and disgorging: behind a Classic Method glass there are years of work, precision and waiting.
We ideally entered the cellar to follow the journey that transforms a still wine into one of the most refined expressions of Italian oenology.
The noise comes before the wine. It’s dry, sudden. The cap leaves the neck of the bottle and for a few seconds all the attention ends there, on that little explosion that accompanies toasts, parties, weddings, victories and New Year’s Eve. Then the wine is poured. The bubbles rise in the glass, form small regular chains and reach the surface. It all seems simple.
And yet that moment is the last gesture of a story that began long ago. In some cases years earlier. Because a large bubble produced using the Classic Method does not arise when it is uncorked. It is born in the vineyard and goes through one of the longest and most fascinating processes in the world of wine. To understand it, you have to forget the toast for a few minutes and go down to the cellar.
It all starts with the grapes
Before the bottle is the vineyard. It is a seemingly obvious, but fundamental consideration. No cellar technique can completely replace the quality of the raw material. To produce a base for sparkling wine production, grapes with precise characteristics are needed. The balance between acidity, sugars, aromatic ripening and health of the cluster is decisive. For this reason, grapes intended for sparkling wine bases are generally harvested earlier than those used for many still wines.
Freshness and acidity must be preserved, essential elements to support the long subsequent journey. The harvest can therefore begin early, sometimes as early as August depending on the territory, grape variety and climatic trend of the year. In many quality productions, collection is done manually, using cassettes that allow the integrity of the bunches to be preserved. From this moment on, a controlled run begins. The grapes must arrive in the cellar quickly and in the best possible condition.
Pressing, the first delicate step
Once they arrive in the cellar, the bunches are pressed. The word might suggest an energetic gesture. In reality, when looking for high-quality bases, pressing must be particularly careful. The goal is to extract the must while avoiding unwanted components and processing the different fractions according to production choices. This is where the base wine comes from. And it’s important to understand one thing: there are no bubbles at the moment yet. What we have in front of us is a still wine. It has undergone the first alcoholic fermentation and already has characteristics that the winemaker will have to evaluate. But it’s only the beginning.
The art of assembly
Thus comes one of the moments that is least visible to the consumer and most important for those who produce: assembly. The winemaker may find himself faced with wines from different vineyards, different parcels, different grape varieties and, for some types, even wines from previous vintages. To taste is to imagine the future. That is the difficulty. The wine that is evaluated today will not be the one that will be drunk tomorrow.
It will have to undergo a second fermentation and then months or years of refinement. Whoever makes up the cuvée must therefore predict how those characteristics will evolve. It is a technical work, certainly, but it also has an interpretative component. A bit’ like listening to individual instruments and having to imagine the orchestra before the concert starts.
The bottle where the bubble is born
At this point the step that defines the Classical Method takes place. Sugars and yeasts are added to the base wine through the so-called liqueur de tirage. The wine is bottled and closed. The second fermentation begins. This time, however, the carbon dioxide naturally produced during the process cannot disperse into the environment. It remains in the bottle and progressively integrates into the wine.
This is where the bubble is born. It is not simply added from the outside. It is the result of fermentation taking place in the same bottle from which, after a long journey, the wine will be served. This is one of the fundamental differences of the Classic Method compared to other sparkling wine systems.
The silence of the cellar
Then something happens that completely contrasts with the speed of the contemporary world. The bottles are left to rest. Apparently nothing happens. Actually, it’s happening a lot. Once the second fermentation is over, the spent yeasts remain inside the bottle and the wine begins a long period of contact with these deposits. It is the refinement on yeasts.
Many months can pass. Often years. During this period the wine evolves and progressively acquires complexity. Through the autolysis of yeasts, those notes that we often associate with the great Classical Method can develop: bread crust, pastry, dried fruit, toasted nuances. Of course, not all wines are created equal and it is not enough to leave a bottle in the cellar to make it large. But the time on the yeasts represents one of the fundamental elements of the construction of the style.
Franciacorta, Trento, Alta Langa: three territories, not three copies
In Italy, the Classical Method has found territories capable of developing precise identities. Franciacorta, in Lombardy, has become one of the most recognizable denominations. Between Brescia and Lake Iseo, vineyards, glacial hills, monasteries, and historic homes build an area where sparkling wine production has become a central part of the local identity. Further north, Trento DOC tells another geography: that of the mountains. Altitudes, temperature variations, and vineyards nestled in the Alpine landscape give rise to an interpretation deeply linked to Trentino.
Then there is the Alta Langa, in Piedmont, where Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grow on the high hills of Piedmont and give life exclusively to the vintage Classical Method. Three territories that use the same production principle but do not produce the same wine. And that’s exactly the point. The Classical Method is a technique. Identity comes from the place.
Franciacorta and the revolution of a territory
The contemporary history of Franciacorta is particularly interesting because it demonstrates how quickly a territory can build a reputation when production, discipline, and identity move in the same direction. The area naturally had a much older winemaking history, but it was in the second half of the twentieth century that the adventure of sparkling wines began, destined to transform its image. The name Franciacorta today does not simply indicate a geographical area. Identify a precisely regulated designation and production method.
Chardonnay and Pinot Noir form its heart, along with Pinot Bianco within the required limits and Erbamat, an ancient local grape variety recovered and admitted into the appellation. The specifications establish minimum aging times on different yeasts according to the types. For a non-vintage Franciacorta, the starting point is at least 18 months on the yeasts; for the vintage, the minimum period increases, and for the Reserve, it becomes even longer. This means that when a bottle arrives on the market it already carries years of work on its shoulders.
The mountain inside Trento DOC
Trentino offers another interpretation. Here viticulture climbs slopes and valleys, with vineyards located at different altitudes. The Trentino Classical Method is particularly linked to the figure of Giulio Ferrari, who at the beginning of the twentieth century understood the potential of the area for the production of sparkling wines through refermentation in bottles.
From that intuition, a tradition would have developed that today involves numerous producers united under the name Trento DOC. The mountain is not an element of communication added later. It really affects the conditions of viticulture: temperatures, temperature variations, exposures and altitudes contribute to the character of the grapes. Once again the technique remains the same, but the landscape changes the result.
Alta Langa, the bubbles of the high Piedmontese hills
In Piedmont, the Classical Method has important historical roots. Already in the nineteenth century, fundamental experiences for the history of Italian sparkling wine developed in Canelli. Today the Alta Langa DOCG represents one of the most interesting expressions of this tradition. Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are grown in hillside vineyards in the provinces covered by the appellation and the wines are necessarily vintage.
It is a precise identity choice: each bottle carries with it the vintage of the grape harvest. Here too, time on the yeasts is an essential part of the project. The bottles remain in the cellar for extended periods before being ready. While Franciacorta recalls the landscape between hills and lake and Trento DOC the Alpine one, Alta Langa tells the story of the high hills of Piedmont. Three Italies within the same technique.
The riddling, when the bottles start to move
After the long refinement comes a very concrete problem. Yeast deposits are still present inside the bottle. They must be brought towards the neck in order to be eliminated. This is where one of the most iconic gestures of the Classical Method comes into play: the riddling. Traditionally, bottles are placed on pupitres, inclined structures in which they are progressively rotated and brought to a nearly vertical position with the neck facing downwards. Through small, repeated movements, the sediments slowly slide towards the plug.
In modern cellars this is often automated through large mechanical containers called gyropalettes, capable of handling numerous bottles simultaneously. In some productions and for particular cuvées, however, manual riddling continues to be practiced. Observing it allows us to understand how much work lies behind a gesture that the consumer will never see.
The disgorgement
When the sediments are collected in the neck comes the moment of dégorgement, in Italian disgorgement. The neck of the bottle is generally cooled until the small part containing the deposits is frozen. The bottle is opened and the internal pressure expels the sediment. It’s a very quick step after years of waiting. At that point the level is re-established and the liqueur d’expédition can be added, the mixture that also helps define the final dosage of the wine.
This is where we encounter now familiar indications on labels: Pas Dosé, Zero Dosage, Extra Brut, Brut and other categories determined by the sugar residue. Dosage is not simply a matter of more or less sweetness. It’s a stylistic choice. It must integrate with acidity, structure, maturity and character of the wine.
The cap we will only see once
After disgorging, the cork finally arrives with the characteristic shape we associate with sparkling wines and the metal cage necessary to keep it in place against internal pressure. The bottle may require an additional rest period before marketing. Only then is she ready. Let’s think about what happened. The grapes were harvested. Pressed. He faced a first fermentation. The wines were eventually assembled. The bottle was refilled with yeasts and sugars. A second fermentation took place. The wine has been on the lees for months or years. The bottle has been rotated. The sediments eliminated. The defined dosage. The cap inserted. All this to arrive at a gesture that lasts a few seconds: uncork.
Perlage: Not all bubbles are created equal
When wine is poured, the eye inevitably looks at the perlage. The bubbles rise to the surface and form small columns. It is often repeated that the finer and more persistent they are, the higher the quality. The reality is more complex, and the size of the bubbles depends on several factors, including pressure, temperature, wine composition, and glass characteristics.
But it is true that the long process of refermentation and refinement contributes to the way carbon dioxide integrates into the wine and is perceived on the palate. A large bubble should not attack. It should accompany the sip.
Don’t just call it an aperitif
For a long time, sparkling wines were associated almost exclusively with toasting. Aperitif, party, dessert, midnight. It is a vision that has progressively changed. The great Italian Metodo Classico have proven that they can accompany an entire meal. The freshness, acidity, structure and complexity resulting from the refinement allow for extremely broad pairings.
Fish, shellfish, risottos, pastas, white meats, cured meats, cheeses and even more structured preparations can find interesting interpretations according to type and dosage. The Rosé, Satèn in Franciacorta versions, the Reserves and the long refinements open up even different possibilities. It is also through this gastronomic evolution that Italian sparkling wines have gained a new centrality.
The economic value of time
Then there is an aspect that we often forget when we look at the price of a bottle. Time costs. A winery that produces Metodo Classico must today bear the costs of a bottle that it could sell in years. Vineyard, grape harvest, winemaking, bottles, cellar space, energy, staff, and financial immobilization.
Thousands or millions of bottles remain stationary while the company continues to work. It is one of the reasons why understanding the production method also helps to understand the economic value of the product. When a wine rests for 24, 36, 60 or more months on the yeasts, that wait is not abstract. It takes up space and capital. Time literally becomes a raw material.
The winery as a place of travel
And it is precisely the Classical Method that offers some of the most fascinating wine tourism experiences. Going down to a cellar and seeing thousands of bottles stacked up during aging completely changes the relationship with wine. Underground tunnels, pupitres, disgorgement areas, and dust-covered bottles physically convey the anticipation.
In Franciacorta, this relationship between production and territory will be particularly evident during the Franciacorta Festival in Cantina, scheduled for September 18-20, 2026. For three days, participating companies will open their doors with visits, tastings, and experiences that will allow them to get to know not only the wine, but the landscape in which it was born. It will be the theme of our next trip.
The luxury of waiting
Perhaps the Classical Method fascinates precisely because it belongs to an idea of production that almost goes against the grain. It does not allow time shortcuts. We can use more precise technologies. Controlling temperatures and fermentations with tools unthinkable a century ago. Automate the riddling. Analyze each parameter. But we can’t ask a bottle that has to stay on the yeasts for years to do so in a week.
We have to wait. In an economy built on speed, some of Italy’s most prestigious sparkling wines continue to rely on slowness. It is only an apparent paradox. Time is not what slows down the product. It’s what builds it.
When the toast comes
Let’s go back to the initial noise then. The cage is removed. One hand holds the cap while the other slowly rotates the bottle. The cork comes out without needing to be shot towards the ceiling. The wine goes down into the glass. The bubbles begin to rise. At that point we know what we’re looking at. Not just carbon dioxide. We are observing the latest movement in a process that began in a vineyard years earlier. Inside that chalice there is a grape harvest, two fermentations, yeasts, cellar, work and waiting.
There are different territories that have chosen to interpret the same method with their own identities. Franciacorta, Trentino, Alta Langa and other Italian realities have demonstrated that the Classical Method does not belong to a single place and does not have to imitate anyone to be authoritative. The big challenge is exactly the opposite: being able to make the territory recognized through bubbles. Because a big bottle shouldn’t just make us say it’s good. It should make us want to know where it comes from. And maybe, the next day, leave to go there.