The best sparkling wines are produced by using the Classic Method, the so-called French Methode Champenois (when you mention it everybody is offended, starting from the French themselves, but in any case it is clear what it means).

A THREE-YEAR WAIT AND FUNDAMENTAL STEPS.
The Classic Method is a complex process that requires plenty of time and very precise steps.
Yeasts are added (tirage) to the selected wine (cuvèe); afterwards the bottles are stored horizontally for the prise de mousse. This phase is known as the second fermentation in bottle during which the pressure inside the bottles increases. After aging three years in Bellaguardia caves the prise de mousse transforms itself presenting the typical bubbles.

MORE IN DETAILS.
The best sparkling wines are produced by using the classic method, the so-called French Methode Champenois.
Each year towards the end of the winter we estimate the quality of the cuvée which represents our “style”, then we add the "liqueur de tirage", which is a blend of wine and selected yeasts, after that we proceed with bottling. In the dark cellars the yeasts transform the sugar into alcohol and carbon dioxide, inducing the "prise de mousse", which confers the sparkling wine the lively effervescence.
After at least 3 years of aging on lees, during which the characteristic flavours of yeast and bread crust develop, we proceed to the remuage phase (riddling) in order to remove through disgorgement the sediments of the added yeasts. A small portion of wine gets frozen in the neck of the bottle so that the sediments are collected in the bidule (small plastic reservoir); taking out the crown cap the inner pressure (6 bars) expels the ice plug with the sediments and leaves the wine perfectly clear.
The bottle is then topped up with the so-called "liqueur d'expédition" (dosage syrup), a mixture of cane sugar and base wine. The bottle is afterwards sealed with the characteristic cork which is fastened firmly with a wire cage. After the disgorgement the bottles rest for at least thirty days before being ready for tasting.
All these production phases are performed manually, from the riddling to the disgorgement in order to preserve the quality of the product.

Cuvèe, Tirage, Remuage, Dègorgement (Blend of wines, Bottling the blended wine along with yeast, Riddling, Disgorgement) are the elegant terms of a productive ritual that reaches perfection thanks to its slow and precise stages. Thus, when we uncork a bottle of Bellaguardia sparkling wine, the years of meticulous work can be seen in the cheerful vivacity and perfection of its bubbles.