How the history of sparkling wine could become the future for Door County.

THE EARLY DAYS OF SPARKLING WINE

Although the name is now synonymous with fine wines, the Champagne region’s early winemakers faced continual challenges. Champagne is the northernmost grape-growing region in France, which profoundly shapes its wines. Early growers struggled with their cool climate, a shorter growing season, unpredictable weather, and the constant threat of frost. The cooler temperatures often left grapes with high acidity and low sugar levels, making it difficult to produce the rich, ripe, still wines favored elsewhere in France at the time. Their cold winters would sometimes pause their wines’ fermentation, which would restart as temperatures warmed in the spring creating unstable wine and exploding bottles. Luckily the winemakers remained undeterred, and these hardships spurred innovation.

Techniques that were developed as a way to deal with a marginal growing climate evolved into maybe the most famous style of wine in the world, and what was once considered a flaw eventually became a hallmark. A winemaking approach born of necessity was honed to precision, leading to the creation of the winemaking process now known as the “Méthode Champenoise,” (also called Champagne Method, Méthode Traditionnelle, or Traditional Method.)

By embracing what nature had provided and their region’s unique conditions, winemakers transformed their high-acid, low-sugar grapes into a sparkling wine that captured the world’s imagination. Today, Champagne is celebrated not just for its taste but for its ability to turn adversity into artistry.

PERFECTING THE PROCESS

The Traditional Method of sparkling wine production is a meticulous, multi-step process that showcases both scientific precision and creative vision. It begins at harvest, after which the fruit is pressed, fermented, and blended to achieve the texture, structure, complexity, flavor and balance to become an exceptional wine.

The next step is to intentionally re-create what began as an unintended second fermentation caused by seasonal fluctuations in temperatures.

What used to happen is these re-fermenting wines would produce carbon dioxide in the bottle which then had nowhere to go. These wines could have a range of levels of pressure, from an unwanted fizziness in the wine to so much pressure that a bottle couldn’t contain it and would explode.

Over time, winemakers reigned in this process to have control over the level of pressure in order to create the small, dense, and refined bubbles we’ve come to love without exploding the bottles and ruining the wines.

This is done by adding a carefully calculated mixture of yeast and sugar to the wine just before bottling, allowing a controlled second fermentation inside the bottle. Wines are then aged for an extended period, sometimes years. The dead yeast cells (or lees) break down and create the wine’s creamy mouthfeel, complex flavors, and aged aromas. When deemed ready, the bottles go through a process called riddling which collects the lees in the neck of the bottle so it can be removed, or disgorged. Each bottle is popped open with a well-timed upward rotation allowing the pressure in the bottle to shoot out the sediment. Winemakers can then add a dosage to top off the wines and insert the corks.

This careful process of fermentation and aging creates the style of bubbles unique to the Traditional Method. They are finer and more persistent than those produced by other sparkling techniques, enhancing the wine’s texture and aromatic expression in the glass. The effervescence of a Traditional, Champagne Method wine lifts the wine’s profile, delivering flavors with elegance and intensity.

BEYOND CHAMPAGNE: NEW FRONTIERS FOR SPARKLING WINE

While it’s true that wines can’t be labeled a “Champagne” unless grown and produced there, it is also true that the method they have perfected is being used around the globe to produce excellent, though less famous, sparkling wines. The unique chemistry of the grapes used for Traditional Method wines is foundational to its success. High acidity provides the structure needed for the longevity of the sparkling wine process. Low sugar levels ensure the wine remains crisp and refreshing. Avoiding tannins is also critical, as they can impart bitterness that clashes with the delicate nature of sparkling wine. These precise chemical attributes make certain grape varieties—and certain regions—particularly well-suited to this style of winemaking.

Recently there has been an increase in awareness and popularity of “non-traditional” wine regions and grape varieties, which makes this a very exciting time to be looking further afield from the wines we are all familiar with. While searching out alternatives to Champagne region “Champagnes,” the best bet is to start in regions whose grapes offer these attributes and are therefore pre-disposed to being able to create some delicious Traditional Method wines.

The region is characterized by cool nights, moderate summers, and a slow growing season influenced by the meso-climate created by Lake Michigan and the Bay of Green Bay. Hybrid grape varieties, a cornerstone of the region’s identity, thrive here. Most of the hybrid grape varieties currently under cultivation in the Wisconsin Ledge AVA have the winning combination of high acidity, balanced sugar, and low tannins that make them ideal for Traditional Method production. These grapes, like LaCrescent, Itasca, and Frontenac Gris to name a few, come from decades of careful pollen crosses of native, wild grape species and more familiar European grapes.

Hybrid varietals selected for cultivation are chosen not only for their potential for exceptional wine quality, but also for their ability to survive our harsh winters as well as offer natural resistance to many pests and diseases. By adapting these grapes to their region rather than using extra resources to force traditional varieties into unsuitable vineyard sites, you get a more sustainable wine. Hybrids, even when farmed conventionally, require less than half the inputs that large traditional grape vineyards use and usually have no need for irrigation. Hybrid grapes provide not only an exciting new tasting experience for wine drinkers, but also are an increasingly important way to keep making wine production a more diverse and sustainable industry.

Door County’s potential to create world-class sparkling wine lies in its ability to combine the lessons of Champagne with the strengths of its own environment. By embracing both hybrid grapes and the Traditional Method, local winemakers can craft sparkling wines that rival those of established regions while telling their own story of place, resilience, and innovation and opening new doors to what a sparkling wine can be.

While the fine bubbles, complex flavors, and elegant textures of Méthode Champenoise wines have captivated wine lovers for centuries, with its distinctive climate, innovative grape varieties, and commitment to quality, Door County is poised to add its own chapter to the legacy of sparkling wine.

Follow us

More coverage about local selection process and wine growing is on the Network.