Champagne’s magic isn’t a machine pumping in gas. It’s a second fermentation, sealed inside each bottle — a painstaking method that gives the world’s great sparkling wines their fine bubbles and toasty depth.
The méthode champenoise — the “traditional method” — is how Champagne, and the finest sparkling wines everywhere, are made. It’s more work than any other way of putting bubbles in a bottle, and that effort is exactly what sets these wines apart. Here’s how it works, step by step.
A second fermentation, in the bottle
It starts with an ordinary still base wine. A small amount of yeast and sugar (the liqueur de tirage) is added, and the wine is sealed in the bottle for a second fermentation. As the yeast ferments that sugar, it produces carbon dioxide — but with nowhere to escape, the gas dissolves into the wine as fine bubbles. That’s the whole secret: the fizz is made inside the sealed bottle.
Aging, riddling, and disgorgement
The wine then rests for months or years on its spent yeast cells, the lees — a slow process (autolysis) that gives traditional-method sparkling its signature notes of brioche, toast, and bread. To remove the sediment, bottles are gradually tilted and turned (riddling, or remuage) until it collects in the neck, then the neck is frozen and the plug of sediment shot out (disgorgement). A final touch of wine and sugar — the dosage — sets the sweetness, from bone-dry Brut to sweeter styles.
Anyone can inject gas into wine. It takes years, and this method, to grow bubbles from within.
Not just Champagne
Only sparkling wine from the Champagne region may be called Champagne, but the same traditional method is used the world over — for French Crémant, Spanish Cava, and the increasingly acclaimed sparkling wines of Oregon’s Willamette Valley, whose cool climate and Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are ideally suited to it.
| 1. Base wine | A still wine is made, usually from Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, or Pinot Meunier |
|---|---|
| 2. Second fermentation | Yeast & sugar added; the wine re-ferments sealed in the bottle, trapping CO₂ |
| 3. Aging on lees | Months or years on spent yeast build toast and brioche complexity |
| 4. Riddling | Bottles are turned and tilted so sediment gathers in the neck |
| 5. Disgorgement & dosage | Sediment is removed; a dose of wine/sugar sets the final sweetness |
Curious how winemaking developed over the centuries? Read the history and evolution of winemaking, or trace it on the Wine History Timeline.
Frequently asked questions
What is the méthode champenoise?
It’s the traditional method for making sparkling wine, in which a second fermentation happens inside the sealed bottle. The carbon dioxide produced has nowhere to escape, so it dissolves into the wine as fine bubbles. It’s the method used for Champagne.
Is all sparkling wine made this way?
No. Many sparkling wines (like most Prosecco) are made by a faster tank method. The traditional method — used for Champagne, Crémant, Cava, and fine Willamette Valley sparkling — is more labor-intensive and generally produces finer bubbles and more complexity.
Related reading: Willamette Valley sparkling wines · the history of winemaking · the art of aging wine
Read more about wine
Books we return to for understanding how wine is made.
The World Atlas of WineHugh Johnson & Jancis Robinson
9000 Years of Wine: A World HistoryRod Phillips
A Concise Guide to Wine and Blind TastingNeel BurtonAs an Amazon Associate, Wine History Tours earns from qualifying purchases. This supports our research at no extra cost to you.
