Not all sparkling wines are the same, as they are not always made with the same process. Different wine-making methods give the end product different characteristics and are more or less recommended for certain types of grape varieties.

The Charmat method – originally created in 1895 by the Italian Federico Martinotti but then patented by the Frenchman Eugène Charmat – produces a sparkling wine much more quickly than the classic method.

The base cuvée is fermented again in a pressurised stainless steel container (autoclave) with added sugars and yeasts for a period of time ranging from 30 to 80 days.
Such a quick fermentation is highly recommended for making sparkling wine from aromatic varieties, such as Spergola, Prosecco or Lambrusco grapes, because the bouquet created by the long period of time spent resting on the lees in the classic method would spoil the natural aromatic nature of the original grapes.

The long Charmat method is a cross between the Charmat method and the classic method. The wine rests on the lees for 9 to 15 months, while the autoclave contains propeller mixers that stir the lees up again. In this way, you get a wine with a more complex sensory profile, characterised by a stronger yeasty aroma and a finer bead. It is precisely to get a more sophisticated, structured sparkling wine that we chose this method for making our 1077 line of sparkling wines. Try it and you’ll see!