121. How Traditional Method Sparkling Wine Is Made - Champagne, Cava & More | WSET Study Classics — Wine Educate: Wine Lessons, Travel & WSET Study Prep

Episode 121: How Traditional Method Sparkling Wine Is Made - Champagne, Cava & More | WSET Study Classics

Host: Joanne Close Episode Length: 11:33 Release Date: July 23rd, 2026

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Level 2 Mock Exam Bundle

The traditional method is a core topic at WSET Level 2, and the steps of the process are exactly the kind of detail that shows up in multiple choice questions on exam day. The Level 2 Mock Exam Bundle includes practice questions modeled on the real exam format to help you test your knowledge before you sit.

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Episode Description

This is the final episode in the WSET Summer Classics series, and Joanne closes it out with one of her favorite topics: how traditional method sparkling wine is made. It is a process she describes as pure magic, and once you understand how the bubbles get into the bottle and what happens to the wine along the way, it is hard to disagree.

Joanne walks through the full traditional method step by step, from the base wine through to the final cork and wire cage. She covers yeast autolysis and lees aging, the riddling process and the invention of the Gyropallette, disgorgement and the frozen lees popsicle, and the dosage that determines whether the finished wine is brut or demi-sec. It is a thorough and entertaining explanation of a production method that shows up at both Level 2 and Level 3.

Corresponding Level 2 quiz questions and a Level 3 essay question are available in the newsletter.

What You'll Learn in This Episode The Two Broad Methods for Making Sparkling Wine

Tank method: second fermentation occurs in a sealed tank
Bottle fermentation method: second fermentation occurs in a sealed bottle
The traditional method falls under the bottle fermentation method

The Traditional Method Step by Step

The Base Wine:

An already-fermented wine, lower in alcohol than usual (around 10 to 11%) because a second fermentation will increase alcohol by approximately 1.5%
Can be a blend of different years, grapes, plots of land, and villages

Bottling and Second Fermentation:

Base wine is bottled in a thick-w