If you are a wine enthusiast, then you know very well that sparkling wine and sparkling wine are sometimes confused. Indeed, despite their many similarities, there is a difference between these drinks.
Therefore, for special occasions, it is best to choose the best wine in terms of value and quality. However, with so much controversy surrounding them, choosing the best wine is not always easy. In an era where the benefits of wine are no longer a secret, it is essential to clarify the subject.
Find out everything you need to know about the difference between sparkling and semi-sparkling wine.
What is a sparkling wine?
A sparkling wine is first and foremost an oenological preparation with an overpressure of carbon dioxide produced during fermentation. Also known as carbon dioxide or carbon dioxide, it is the gas that is released when the bottle is uncorked. In fact, when the bottle of wine is suddenly opened, the internal pressure of the bottle suddenly drops. This leads to the generation of bubbles and foam.
In general, this type of wine is placed in glass bottles hermetically sealed with a cylindrical cork by means of a worm. Most of the time, these are large bottles (more than 20 centiliters), which carry an effervescent wine. Between the explosion of the bubbles and the effect of the carbonic acid, the effervescent wine offers a tingling sensation when tasted.
This is indeed what makes it special and sets it apart from other categories of wines. Because of its ability to produce bubbles and foam, sparkling wine is primarily considered a sparkling wine.
What is a sparkling wine?
As stated in the previous paragraph, sparkling wine is considered a sparkling wine. When we go back in the history of wine, it is indeed an official term since sparkling wine releases bubbles of carbon dioxide.
However, in the jargon developed by wine lovers, the term sparkling has acquired a pejorative connotation in the eyes of the public. In other words, it refers to a wine of mediocre quality sold at a cheap price. This is not entirely accurate. However, this common idea is not entirely accurate since some categories of famous wines are sparkling. For example, champagne is the most prestigious of wines, and it gives off carbon dioxide bubbles.
Moreover, a sparkling wine is a preparation of the family of sparkling wines that contains a high concentration of carbon dioxide. It usually has a pressure of 3 bars and produces a huge amount of bubbles when uncorked. A thick layer of foam also appears on the surface of the drink when the wine is served in a glass.
Thus, the common point between sparkling and semi-sparkling wines is that they are all different from still wines. They all produce a release of gas when opened and have a particular taste. The difference made between the two types of wine is due to a need for elegance as opposed to the widespread ideas.
What about sparkling wine?
Beyond sparkling wine, there is a category called sparkling wine. Let’s remember that it also belongs to the family of sparkling wines. In fact, sparkling wine is considered a semi-sparkling wine because of its characteristics and preparation. It is a drink with a high carbon dioxide content. Placed in a bottle or a corked jar, it reveals an overpressure of between 1 and 2.5 bars at a temperature of 20°C.
After preparation and bottling, this type of wine undergoes a second fermentation. Thus, when tasting sparkling wine, the tingling sensation is much more accentuated and lasts longer. Some consumers and wine lovers prefer sparkling wine to other types of sparkling wines. This is because of the taste and sensations it has to offer.
Be careful not to confuse it with sparkling wine, which has a few points of effervescence. After the bottling of the latter, it is subjected to a degassing after fermentation. This gives it a slight saturation in carbon dioxide and allows it to release almost invisible bubbles.
The difference between sparkling and semi-sparkling wine
The difference between sparkling and semi-sparkling wine lies mainly in the type of effervescence. First of all, sparkling wine has a higher carbon dioxide content than all other sparkling wines. Its overpressure in a closed container is around 3 bars and its taste is much more pronounced than that of its brethren.