The procedure for making sparkling wine according to the Classic Method is among the longest and most complex in the winemaking field. This particular technique is characterized by detailed manual processing and long refinement in the bottle which, for Cà Rovere, always lasts at least three years (36 months). Each step must be carried out impeccably because, until the end of 36 months, it is not possible to verify the presence of defects inside the bottles, nor to implement any interventions to correct them.
The selection takes place for the best rows for the harvest, the best bunches through manual harvesting and the selection of the must: in fact, only the free-run must is used, i.e. the one resulting from the most delicate pressing of the grapes.
Following the specifications of the great Italian and French sparkling wines, the pressing takes place "with whole grapes", i.e. without destemming. This creates channels that facilitate the release of the free-run must without the need to increase the pressure on the grapes. The soft pressing thus avoids crushing the skins and seeds, which would release aromas that are not interesting for winemaking purposes.
The manufacturing process begins with the manual harvesting of the Chardonnay and Garganega grapes in the vineyards of the Cà Rovere farm, taking care to preserve a strong level of acidity. In the cellar, the bunches are pressed softly, at a capacity of 0.8 atmospheres, to prevent the grape skins and seeds from releasing substances that would interfere with the delicate aromas of the free-run must.
The juice of the grapes is left to ferment for the first time, transforming the free-run must into base wine. The various base wines thus obtained will then be mixed in the delicate phase of assembling the cuvées, between wines from different grapes and vineyards. Due to the fact that they do not use grapes from different vintages, Cà Rovere sparkling wines have the denomination of "Millesimati".
After the first fermentation, the liqueur de tirage is added to the cuvée, a mixture of sugar and selected yeasts which will fuel the second fermentation. We then proceed with bottling: temporarily, the bottles are closed by a crown cap with a small plastic cylinder called "bidule" inside, intended to collect yeast residues at the end of processing. The glass used for the bottles is dark to avoid oxidation of the wine in the years of aging that await it.
The bottles are stacked in the underground cellar dug into the rock, where they will rest in a horizontal position for a minimum of 36 months. During this period, a second fermentation will take place in each bottle which will lead to the second fermentation: the yeasts, attacking the wine enriched with sugar, will produce alcohol and carbon dioxide and the formation of the characteristic bubbles, with a final pressure of 5 bar. The quality of the base wine and the aging time on the yeasts are fundamental for the future quality of the product, visible by a very fine and persistent perlage.
At this point the residues of the yeasts, now inert, are removed: using the "remuage" technique, the bottles are rotated so that the deposit gradually flows towards the neck of the bottle. The magnum bottles are still inserted into the pupitres, the characteristic holed stands intended for this operation. The cellarman turns them clockwise, gradually increasing the inclination until they reach the "tip", i.e. in a vertical position, taking about four weeks.
Once the yeast sediments are at the end of the neck of the bottle, it is immersed in a cooling solution at -27°C and then frozen. We then proceed with the disgorgement, or "dégorgement": each bottle is uncorked, allowing the internal pressure to expel the frozen yeasts. The bottle is topped up with the spilled wine and, at the end of the disgorgement operations, the "liqueur d'expedition" is added, prepared by each sparkling wine house with a secret mixture based on wine and sugar. This will also define the level of final sweetness of the sparkling wine.
The bottle is permanently closed with the classic cork stopper (which will take on the characteristic mushroom shape due to the pressure) and the cage. Once washed and labelled, each bottle will be left to rest in the cellar for a few more months before being tasted.
