Champagne is made to ferment twice in order to produce its famous bubbling or sparkling quality. It first ferments in wooden casks. After fermentation, the wine is left to clarify and is then blended by expert tasters, the artists of champagne. After adding a little sugar and yeast, the wine is transferred to strong bottles.
The wine then goes through a second fermentation in the bottle, making it naturally sparkling. For the first three months in the bottle the wine is gradually moved and tipped by hand until the bottles are upside down and the impurities have fallen on to the bottom of the cork. The bottles stay in the position for at least six months, sometimes for years. The “bubbly “effect is produced by the carbon dioxide gas released during fermentation in the bottle.
When the wine is mature and ready for market the cork is released and the sediment shot off with it. Then a small amount of syrup dissolved in old champagne is added and the wine quickly recorded.
Other wines are not bottled until fermentation is complete.