The process of perfection: How we make our Traditional Method Sparkling Wines
Have you ever wondered how we make our method bubbles? At Peterson House we use the traditional sparkling method to craft our method vintages like our Chardonnay Pinot Meunier and Blanc de Blanc. Wine making is a labour of love, patience… and a little bit of science. Let’s go on a step-by-step journey together! (With a glossary at the end).
Step 1: Pressing the Grapes 🍇
Our grapes are picked early, when they’re crisp, lean, and full of acidity—perfect for that refreshing sparkle. We hand-pick and gently press the grapes to extract the juice (or “must”).
Fun fact: The first pressing gives the best quality juice—and that’s what goes into our reserve range.
Step 2: Fermentation 🍷
Once pressed, the juice goes into stainless steel vats. Here, the magic begins: yeast turns sugar into alcohol and carbon dioxide—the building blocks of wine… and bubbles! Next comes malolactic fermentation, which softens the wine and adds creamy, rich flavours that make sparkling wine extra special.
Step 3: Blending 🎨
Our winemaker doesn’t just aim for good wine—they aim for consistency and signature style. By tasting wines from different vintages and grape varieties, they create the cuvée—the blend that gives every bottle of Peterson House sparkling its distinctive character.
Step 4: Secondary Fermentation & Aging 🥂
We add a mix of wine, sugar, and yeast during bottling. This triggers a second fermentation inside the bottle, creating those lively bubbles we all love. Secondary fermentation is completed around 6-12 weeks, the yeast has consumed all the added sugar to produce more alcohol (~1% ABV) and CO2 (the Bubbles). The bottles then age on their lees (spent yeast cells), as the yeast cells age and die they add texture and flavour—think toasty, biscuity, creamy notes.
Step 5: Riddling (Remuage) 🔄
After aging, bottles contain yeast sediment. Traditionally, bottles were placed in riddling racks and gently turned so the sediment collected in the neck. Today, mechanical cages do the job in about a week instead of three!
Step 6: Disgorgement ❄️
Next up: disgorgement! The neck of the bottle is snap-frozen, trapping the sediment in an ice plug. When opened, the pressure (around 80-90 psi, that’s like three car tyres!) pops the plug out—leaving crystal-clear sparkling wine.
Fun fact: In the old days, sparkling wine was sometimes drunk with sediment in the bottle, inspiring the iconic frosted flutes and hollow stems.
Step 7: Dosage 🍬
The amount of sugar and any small acid additions at this stage are the finishing steps which are chosen to best suit the wines and keep in our house style.
Step 8: Recorking & Dressing 🎀
Finally, we cork the bottle, secure it with a wire muselet, and let it rest for at least three months to let all the flavours marry. Then it’s dressed in labels and caps, ready to make its bubbly debut at your next celebration! 🥳
Quick Glossary
- Must – fresh grape juice before fermentation
- Cuvée – the blend of different wines
- Lees – spent yeast cells that add flavour
- Riddling / Remuage – turning bottles to collect sediment
- Disgorgement – removing sediment for a clear wine
- Dosage – sugar and any small acid additions to finish
At Peterson House, every bottle of sparkling wine is a story of care, patience, and a touch of artistry.
Join our premium wine club to experience these traditional method wines, which can be delivered to your door three times a year! As a part of the wine club you can even have a go at making your own bubbles, at our Bubbleologist Experience, join here!
Stay tuned for our blog on tank fermentations (Charmat Method) for our non-vintage wines in the new year!