Sparkling wine

Sekt is a sparkling wine that derives its carbonation from a second fermentation: In Germany, this term refers to quality sparkling wine that is pressurized in the bottle at a minimum of 3.5 bar.

Cuvée Marie-Luise Brut 2019 vom Sekthaus Raumland

Sekt is a sparkling wine that gets its carbonation from a second fermentation: in Germany, this is the name given to quality sparkling wine that is under pressure in the bottle of at least 3.5 bar.

The Duden dictionary is more concise: a sparkling wine obtained through secondary fermentation that foams strongly when opened. The word has had a crooked path. It goes back to the older "Seck," shortened from the French "vin sec" and the Italian "vino secco," a sweet, heavy wine made from dried grapes; "secco" comes from the Latin "siccus," meaning dry. A word for sweet wine from dried grapes today stands for a tart, bubbly drink. The language had made up its mind before the cellar masters were finished.

When does wine become Sekt?

When it ferments a second time. It starts with a base wine, a fully fermented still wine whose grapes are usually harvested earlier than for a table wine so that the acidity remains fresh. The cellar master composes the cuvée from several base wines. Then comes what the German Sekt Association calls the "Fülldosage" (liqueur de tirage): sugar and pure yeast dissolved in wine. The yeast eats the sugar and turns it into alcohol and carbon dioxide, and because the bottle or tank is closed, the gas cannot escape. It dissolves in the wine, and the wine is Sekt.

The law draws two boundaries here. Sparkling wine must have an overpressure of at least 3 bar at 20 °C and come from a cuvée with at least 8.5 percent vol. total alcohol; quality sparkling wine, i.e., Sekt, requires at least 3.5 bar and a cuvée with at least 9 percent vol. In both cases, the carbon dioxide must come exclusively from fermentation. And Sekt takes time: at least six months of production, including at least 90 days on the lees, as summarized by the Lower Saxony State Office for Consumer Protection.

Where does the carbon dioxide in Sekt come from?

From the yeast, never from a gas cylinder. The Sekt Association distinguishes between three origins of carbon dioxide in sparkling wines: added, from the first fermentation, or from the second fermentation. Only fermentation counts for Sekt, and as a rule, it is the second one. Where it takes place makes the difference between the three common methods. In traditional bottle fermentation, fermentation, riddling, disgorging, and sale all happen in the same bottle. It is filled with cuvée, liqueur de tirage, and yeast and sealed with a crown cap; fermentation takes place in the bottle, the yeast settles, and the aging takes at least nine months. Then the bottles are placed almost horizontally in riddling racks, and by shaking and tilting, the yeast sinks into the bottle neck. The neck is dipped into a freezing brine, the yeast plug freezes onto the crown cap, and when uncorked, the pressure forces it out: the disgorgement. The small loss is compensated for by the dosage, and that determines how sweet the Sekt becomes.

In the transfer method, the Sekt also ferments in the bottle but is then emptied into a container under counter-pressure, filtered, and bottled again. In the Charmat or tank method, the second fermentation takes place in pressure-resistant tanks, with six months of yeast aging; this is how large quantities of uniform Sekt are produced. "Flaschengärung" (bottle fermentation) may only appear on the label if the second fermentation took place in a bottle, the production lasted at least nine months, and the Sekt lay on its lees for at least 90 days. "Traditionelle" or "klassische Flaschengärung" (traditional or classic bottle fermentation) requires more: at least nine months continuously on the lees in the same bottle and in the same facility, followed by disgorgement.

How long does Sekt lie on the lees?

At least 90 days, at least nine months for bottle fermentation, and then as long as the producer wants. At Raumland in Flörsheim-Dalsheim, every Sekt lies on the lees for at least three years. Volker Raumland made his first Sekt in 1984 and from the beginning worked only with traditional bottle fermentation, which was unthinkable for many in Germany at the time. Today, the family farms 14 hectares organically, harvests by hand, and presses only the heart of the grape, the cuvée pressing, for their Sekt; since 2020, the house has been the first pure Sekt producer to be a member of the VDP. At Griesel, the "Tradition" line lies on the lees for at least 20 months, the "Prestige" line for around 46 months. The longer the yeast remains in play, the more brioche, nut, and bread crust aromas emerge, and the finer the bubbles become. The litmus test when buying is on the label: those who provide a disgorgement date or the months on the lees have invested time and say so.

What do brut, extra brut, and brut nature mean?

It is the sweetness, and it is fixed in grams of sugar per liter: "brut nature" under 3, "extra brut" 0 to 6, "brut" under 12, "extra dry" 12 to 17, "dry" 17 to 32, "demi-sec" 32 to 50, "mild" over 50. Therefore, "dry" is not dry for Sekt; those who really like it tart look for "brut." Only what has received no more sugar after the second fermentation may be called "brut nature." And "Winzersekt" is a protected term: a Sekt b.A. (quality sparkling wine from specific regions) from grapes harvested in the producer's own vineyard and processed into wine there, in traditional bottle fermentation with at least nine months on the lees, disgorged, with the producer, grape variety, and vintage on the label.

What it's worth it for: For a toast, any decent Sekt will do, but one with years on the lees deserves a glass with space and something to eat alongside it. A "brut nature" with oysters needs no explanation, and a "brut" with fried potatoes and a fried egg on a Sunday evening doesn't either. And if you don't finish the bottle, put it back in the fridge with a sparkling wine stopper; the pressure keeps the bubbles for another day.