121. How Traditional Method Sparkling Wine Is Made - Champagne, Cava & More | WSET Study Classics

Episode 121: How Traditional Method Sparkling Wine Is Made - Champagne, Cava & More | WSET Study Classics Host: Joanne Close Episode Length: 11:33 Release Date: July 23rd, 2026

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Level 2 Mock Exam Bundle The traditional method is a core topic at WSET Level 2, and the steps of the process are exactly the kind of detail that shows up in multiple choice questions on exam day. The Level 2 Mock Exam Bundle includes practice questions modeled on the real exam format to help you test your knowledge before you sit.

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Episode Description This is the final episode in the WSET Summer Classics series, and Joanne closes it out with one of her favorite topics: how traditional method sparkling wine is made. It is a process she describes as pure magic, and once you understand how the bubbles get into the bottle and what happens to the wine along the way, it is hard to disagree.

Joanne walks through the full traditional method step by step, from the base wine through to the final cork and wire cage. She covers yeast autolysis and lees aging, the riddling process and the invention of the Gyropallette, disgorgement and the frozen lees popsicle, and the dosage that determines whether the finished wine is brut or demi-sec. It is a thorough and entertaining explanation of a production method that shows up at both Level 2 and Level 3.

Corresponding Level 2 quiz questions and a Level 3 essay question are available in the newsletter.

What You'll Learn in This Episode The Two Broad Methods for Making Sparkling Wine Tank method: second fermentation occurs in a sealed tank Bottle fermentation method: second fermentation occurs in a sealed bottle The traditional method falls under the bottle fermentation method The Traditional Method Step by Step The Base Wine:

An already-fermented wine, lower in alcohol than usual (around 10 to 11%) because a second fermentation will increase alcohol by approximately 1.5% Can be a blend of different years, grapes, plots of land, and villages Bottling and Second Fermentation:

Base wine is bottled in a thick-walled sparkling wine bottle designed to withstand the pressure that builds up Yeast and sugar are added to trigger the second fermentation, then the bottle is sealed with a crown cap CO2 produced during fermentation is trapped in the bottle, creating the bubbles Flavour compounds also develop during this fermentation Lees Aging and Yeast Autolysis:

Once the yeast has consumed all the sugar it dies and falls to the side of the bottle as lees (dead yeast cells) The lees undergo yeast autolysis, developing aromas and flavours described in the WSET textbook as biscuit and bread Joanne describes these as pastry shop aromas including lemon tart and apricot danish The longer the wine rests on the lees, the more of these flavours develop Minimum lees aging requirements vary by region: Champagne requires a minimum of 12 months, Crémant a minimum of 9 months In practice, producers often far exceed these minimums Riddling:

The process of gradually tilting and rotating the bottle to move the lees down into the neck Traditionally done by hand by cellar workers, one small movement at a time over weeks Now mostly done by a machine called the Gyropallette, which can riddle bottles in a matter of days Hand riddling still occurs but is in the minority Disgorgement: