Sugars in Champagne HARRY E. GORESLINE Bureau of Chemistry and Soils, U. S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, D. C.
Production
F. M. CHAMPLIN Pleasant Valley Wine Company, Rheims, N. Y.
A study was made of the role of a number of commercial sugars in the making of champagne. When used as the ferrnentable substance in the secondary fermentation, the commercial sugars tested were equally fermented, and it was impossible on a “blind” test to tell one lot from another. When these same sugars were used as the sweetening agents in making up the dosage, a difference could be detected in the finished champagne. There was no objectionable flavor in any case, but certain lots lacked the body and fullness of flavor found in a good commercial champagne. There was a considerable difference in the amount of sugar necessary to produce equal sweetness in the various lots.
trose were used without any treatment. Invert sirup containing ap roximately 87 per cent sugar was also used straight. &he bottling was in pint champagne bottles. The various
sugars were used in quantities that would give approximately the same amount of fermentable material and were added t o a cuvee with an 11 per cent alcohol content. The bottles were divided into seven lots as shown in Table I and, after being inoculated with a ure culture of champagne yeast, were placed in tiers in the ceiar. The temperature was maintained at about 15” C. during the storage period. Frequent inspection showed that yeast sediment formed at almost the same rate in the various lots and that the wine remained brilliantly clear. After 107 days in the cellar the champagne was placed on the clearing tables reparatory to the hemova1 of the yeast. All of the lots olearetrapidly and uniformly and in the same time as regular commercial champagne. When the yeast had all collected on the corks, the wine in the necks of the bottles was frozen and the bottles were disgorged. Half of the bottles of each lot were refilled with champagne t o make up for any loss and then corked; the other half were sweetened with the same su ar as was used in the secondary fermentation, refilled, and tfen corked. All bottles were allowed to stand for some time to reach equilibrium and then were opened for tasting. The unsweetened samples all had good aroma and flavor and gave fine beads of gas in champagne glasses. After tasting samples from each lot, it was agreed that no difference could be detected between the seven lots in taste, aroma, or size of gas beads. The pressure developed during the fermentation was fairly uniform. Since the corks used in the bottles are seldom of uniform porosity, and some leakage of gas takes place, some variation in pressure is to be expected. The residual sugar figures show that uniform fermentation took place, and the low pressure in lot 7 was no doubt due to insufficient sugar. Commercial champagne of similar age has a residual sugar of approximately this amount. Lots 2 and 4 had a higher acid content than the rest. This was due to the introduction of acid which was used in the sugar inversion. Since i t is important that the acidity be kept as low as possible, the use of some other method of inversion or other sugar would be desirable. These studies seem to show that dextrose would prove satisfactory in the secondary fermentation, since it is readily available t o the yeast and requires no inversion. Invert sirup could be used, and the saving in time and labor might offset the higher price. When the sweetened samples were opened, all had good aroma, bead, and flavor, although slight differences could be detected in the flavors of some of the samples. Lots 5, 6, and 7 seemed a little sweeter than the others, and 5 and 6 to possess aslightlyflat flavor. There was no difference in the size of beads given off in a glass, and some activity could be seen in all samples after 2.5 hours of standing a t room temperature. All gave off gas quite freely for about an hour and then gradually slowed down. The actual amounts of sugar present in the various lots is shown in the last column of Table I. It was concluded after tasting all samples that there was a
T
HE effervescence of champagne is brought about by the yeast fermentation of sugar to carbon dioxide and alcohol during a secondary fermentation in the bottle. This secondary fermentation may be carried out in either of two ways: (a) Enough residual sugar may be maintained a t the end of the initial fermentation of the wine to produce the required carbon dioxide pressure upon fermentation, or (b) enough sugar may be added to a dry cuv6e to yield the required amount of carbon dioxide. The second method is the one ordinarily employed since the amount of sugar is easier to control, and the dry wines from which the cuv6e or blend is made may be kept in storage with little danger of spoilage. It is essential that the correct amount of sugar be employed since too high a pressure will cause breakage of the bottles; too low a pressure gives an insipid product. The custom of using rock candy sugar in the production of champagne has been built up by long experience. It no doubt has arisen from the fact that in the past ordinary sugars were often impure and contained considerable material which gave off colors and flavors to wine. Since modern methods of sugar manufacture produce material of high purity, it was thought advisable to study the adaptability of these products to wine making.
Experimental Procedure In testing the various sugars, a cuvee was selected which was being used for a commercial filling of champagne. The yeast and the fermentation temperature were the same as were used in making champagne in the cellar; thus the sugar was the only variable. It is customary to invert the sugar by heating with tartaric acid so that it may be more available to the yeast. In these experiments ordinary cane and beet sugars were used in the inverted and noninverted state; dextrose and anhydrous dex112
JANUARY, 1938
INDUSTRIAL AND ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY
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The sweetness of this champagne was higher than the ordinary commercial product, since the maximum effect of the sugar was desired. I n order to obtain the full flavor effect of the sugar, no cognac or similar material was added to the dosage. The bottles of sweetened champagne were allowed to lie in the cool cellar for 30 days to reach equilibrium and were then opened. The samples TABLE I. USE OF SUGARS IN SECONDARY FERMENTATION AND SWBETENING were not chilled but were maintained a t the Final Results cellar temperature of about 10" C. Pressure Residual Added5 This set of samples differed from the set shown develsugar , Acld as sugar Lot Sugar oped a t as taras in the last column of Table I in that the acidity No. Type Treatment Amount 20° C. glucose taric glucose of all samples was the same, since the sucrose G./100 G/100 GI100 G/100 cc. Lb./sq. In. re. cc. cc. had not been inverted before use. There was no None 1 Cane 2.53 119 0 21 0 7986 4 8 discernible difference in the size of the beads or 2 53 103 0 21 Inverted 2 Cane 2 53 110 o 26 o 78 4 5 the amount of gas given off in champagne glasses. None 3 Beet 4 Beet Inverted 2 53 109 0 24 0 99 The aroma of all lots was the same; although some 4. 5 Dextrose None 2 66 109 0 37 0 73 6 Bnhydrous 5.6 of the samples were slightly sweeter than others, 2 41 106 0 37 0 75 dextrose None this was no doubt due to differences in bottle 7 Invert sirup None 2 81 92 5 0 24 0 76 6.0 Represents sugar added for saeetening purpoees. capacities and to faulty introduction of the sirup into the champagne. I n these tests i t was impossible to tell the sucrose and dextrose samples apart, pared more favorably with the commercial products than any but a slight difference in flavor could be detected in the anhyof the others. Lot 7 was judged next best and might have drous dextrose. There were differences in sweetness and body, been equal to lot 2 if the acidity had been the same (Table I). but the basic flavor was the same. The 60 per cent sucros&Invert sirup can be purchased in large drums, and i t seems to 40 per cent dextrose sample was good in flavor and body and offer one solution to the problem of preparing the dosage. seemed to be a desirable combination. This is a laborious process, calling for a great deal of stirring As controls, inverted sucrose and commercial invert sirup and heating to dissolve and invert the sugar. The comwere included in this series. Both gave excellent products, mercial invert sirup is neutral and will not increase the acidity but the inverted sucrose sample was a little more tart. of the finished champagne. Summary Since dextrose seemed to increase the body of the champagne when used an a sweetening agent, experiments were set No difference could be detected in the flavor, aroma, and up t o test the possibility of using this product in a dosage. carbonation of dry finished champagne when cane, beet, dexLots were made up to test combinations of sucrose and dextrose, and anhydrous dextrose sugar or commercial invert trose in order to get the fullness of flavor of the sucrose and sirup was used as the fermentable substance. The secondary the added body of the dextrose. These combinations are fermentation was uniform in all samples, and all of the chamshown in Table 11. pagne cleared rapidly on the clearing tables. Because of the difference in molecular weight, more dextrose than sucrose had to be used-i. e., a ratio of about 105 parts dextrose to 100 TABLE11. USEOF SUQARS IN SWEETENINQ CEAMPAQNE parts sucrose. Sugar Slight differences could be detected when these sugars were Sugar as Su,crose Anhydrous Dextrose Lot No. sirup sirup dextrose sirup Dextrose used as a dosage to sweeten lots of champagne which had been % G./100CC. % % fermented with the same sugar. No off flavor developed, but 1 100 4.2 ... ... 2 5 ... a slight flatness could be detected in the dextrose and anhy95 4.7 95 3 ... 5 4.6 drous dextrose samples. The practice of inverting sucrose 4 10 90 ... 5.1 5 ... 10 4.0 90 with tartaric acid for use in the dosage causes a slight increase 6 15 4.2 85 ... 7 15 in the acidity of champagne, and the use of invert sirup seems 3.9 a5 20 8 80 3.6 ... to offer possibilities in the wine field because of its neutral 9 .. 80 20 5.0 10 40 60 ... 4.1 reaction and saving in labor. 11 40 .. 60 4.1 Tests were made on the sweetening of commercial cham12 60 40 ... 4.3 40 13 60 3.7 pagne with dextrose, sucrose, anhydrous dextrose, and comio0 14 3.9 ... ... ... i00 15 5.1 binations of these sugars, When the same acidity was present Inverted sucrose 100 .... 4.3 there was no discernible difference between the sucrose and Invert sirup 100 4.3 the dextrose, but a slight difference was noted between the sucrose and anhydrous dextrose. A combination of 60 per cent sucrose and 40 per cent dextrose seemed to be a good Bottles of commercial champagne which were ready for the mixture, giving rise to a little more body than is usually disgorging process were chosen for these trials. Heavy sirups found in sweetened champagne. had previously been made from each of the sugars and adInvert sirup also gave good results in this series of experijusted to the same general sweetness. Since dextrose is not ments. The introduction of these materials into commercial BS sweet as sucrose, i t was necessary to increase the weight winery practice should be on the basis of individual experiof sugar in the dextrose sirup, and sweetness adjustment was mentation and individual preference. made on the basis of taste in 1 to 100 dilution. From these sirups a quantity of each of the combinations was made up Acknowledgment and introduced, as a dosage, into the champagne bottle as soon as it was disgorged. The bottles were refilled at once Acknowledgment is made to E. N. Davis for valuable assistand corked. The sirup was introduced with a pipet, and, ance in these studies. since some of the bottles foamed more than others, it was RECEIVmD September 18, 1937. Presented before the Division of Agriculimpossible to maintain a n exact amount of dosage in all tural and Food Chemistry a t the 94th Meeting of the American Chemical cases (Table 11). Society, Roohester, N. Y.. September 6 to 10, 1937.
slight difference in the flavor of the various lots, but i t was not objectionable in any way. When compared with cornmercial champagne, lots 5 and 6 did not seem to have the same fullness of flavor although it possessed a very good body. The flavor of the inverted cane sugar sample com-
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