Traditional Method / Méthode Champenoise (Méthode Traditionnelle)

Méthode Traditionnelle is a winemaking process where secondary fermentation occurs inside the sealed bottle itself, rather than in a large tank. A still base wine, which may be a blend of different grape varieties, vineyard sites and vintages, receives a liqueur de tirage, a mixture of still wine, sugar and yeast. The yeast consumes the sugar, producing carbon dioxide that dissolves into the wine under pressure, creating natural carbonation, a small increase in alcohol, and dead yeast cells (lees) that accumulate in the bottle. The second fermentation typically raises alcohol by around 1 to 1.5% ABV. Champagne makers introduced bottle fermentation to control the prise de mousse, and this is the Méthode Champenoise.

• Regulation (EU) 2019/33 limits 'bottle-fermented by the traditional method', 'traditional method', 'classical method' and 'classical traditional method' to wines made sparkling by a second alcoholic fermentation in the bottle, kept in contact with the lees without interruption for at least nine months in the same undertaking, and separated from the lees by disgorging
• The plain EU term 'bottle-fermented' is broader: it also allows the wine to be separated from the lees by filtering under the racking method, with a production process of at least nine months and at least 90 days of fermentation and lees contact
• Under Regulation (EEC) No 2333/92, wines not entitled to the Champagne designation could use 'méthode champenoise' only where such use was traditional, together with an equivalent expression, and only for five wine-growing years from 1 September 1989; in its judgment of 13 December 1994 in case C-306/93, the EU Court of Justice found nothing affecting the validity of that provision
• The pressure inside a Champagne bottle is 5 to 6 bar, and sparkling wine bottles are made from thicker, heavier glass than still wine bottles to contain the carbon dioxide
• In Champagne, the deliberate production of sparkling wine dates to 1670 to 1720, the first riddling racks to the turn of the 19th century, a reliable method for measuring the sugar needed for effervescence to 1837 (Jean-Baptiste François), and cold disgorging to 1884 (Armand Walfard)

The process begins with assemblage: winemakers blend still base wines to create the desired cuvée. The liqueur de tirage (still wine with a measured amount of sugar and yeast) is added to each bottle, which is then sealed with a crown cap and stacked horizontally in a cool cellar for secondary fermentation, a stage the French call prise de mousse (capturing the sparkle). In Champagne, tirage cannot take place before 1 January of the year after the harvest, and the wine is sold in the bottle in which it underwent its second fermentation. The bottles then rest sur lie (on lees) for the legally required minimum aging period, during which autolysis gradually adds complexity. Remuage (riddling) follows, gradually angling bottles neck-down to consolidate sediment. Riddling is now usually automated, using machines called gyropalettes. Finally, dégorgement (disgorgement) removes the frozen sediment plug, dosage is added, and the bottle is sealed with a cork and wire cage (muselet). The OIV's International Code of Oenological Practices lists the same sequence: preparation of the cuvée, preparation of the tirage liqueur, yeast inoculation, addition of clarifying agents, tirage, placing in stacks, placing on riddling racks, riddling, inverting bottles, disgorging and addition of the dosage.

• Temperature stability matters: a steady temperature of around 12°C is crucial for maturation on lees, and the union of Champagne houses (UMC) puts the ideal temperature for the second fermentation in the bottle between 9 and 12°C
• Riddling moves bottles until they are neck-down (sur pointe); manual remuage takes 4 to 6 weeks with on average 25 turns per bottle, while automated riddling handles racks of 500 bottles and takes about one week
• For disgorgement the neck is plunged into a solution at approximately -27°C so the sediment forms a frozen plug, which the pressure in the bottle expels when it is opened; large bottles and some cuvées are still disgorged by hand ('à la volée')
• The dosage, a mixture of cane sugar dissolved in wine, is calibrated by the winemaker to achieve the desired sweetness category, from Brut Nature, with no sugar added, to sweet Doux
• Post-disgorgement, bottles are corked, muzzled, shaken to mix the wine with the liqueur, and given a few more months of cellar rest before release

Time on the lees shapes the aromas of traditional method wines. Autolysis brings aromas such as brioche, toast, pastry and cream, and the yeast in the bottle adds flavours of pastry and biscuit. Maturation on lees combines yeast autolysis with slow oxidation, as minute quantities of oxygen enter the bottle, and together they give tertiary aromas of maturity and fullness. Disgorgement is the first contact with outside air in months, and the oxygen that enters at that stage helps enhance the wine's aromatic personality.

• The longer the wine remains on its lees, the more intense and complex the autolytic flavours become
• Vintage sparkling wines are typically aged for longer and tend to develop secondary and tertiary aromas such as brioche, nuts and savoury complexity over time
• In Crémant d'Alsace, riper aromatic notes, often buttery or toasted, appear during lees ageing, and the mousse is fine and light
• By contrast, tank method wines spend little or no time ageing on lees and focus on primary fruit and aromatic freshness

Several European appellations require the traditional method. Under its specification, Cava is a quality sparkling wine made by a second alcoholic fermentation in the bottle following the traditional method, with at least nine months in contact with the lees in the same bottle; Cava Reserva needs at least 18 months from tirage to disgorgement, Gran Reserva 30 months and Paraje Calificado 36 months. In Franciacorta, all wines must undergo a second fermentation in bottles (Metodo Classico), with at least 18 months on the lees for Spumante. Under Regulation (EU) 2019/33, any wine labelled Crémant must meet the traditional method conditions, and the Crémant d'Alsace specification requires at least 9 months in bottle on the lees. Beyond Europe, traditional method wines are made in New Zealand, Australia (particularly Tasmania and the Mornington Peninsula) and South Africa, where the style is known as Cap Classique. Tank method wines are generally more affordable because of faster production and lower labour requirements.

• Regulatory minimums: Champagne 15 months from tirage before release (36 months for vintage) and no disgorgement before 12 months; Cava 9 months on lees (Reserva 18, Gran Reserva 30, Paraje Calificado 36 months from tirage to disgorgement); Franciacorta 18 months on lees; Crémant d'Alsace 9 months on lees
• English sparkling wine, Franciacorta, Trento DOC, Cava and Corpinnat are all made using the traditional method
• Crémant wines are made in several French regions using the traditional method, often with local grape varieties

WSET calls Champagne the benchmark for traditional method sparkling wine, typically made from Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. In Spain, several winemaking families in the province of Barcelona began making sparkling wines in the second half of the 19th century following what was then called the méthode champenoise, and the first bottles of cava were made in Sant Sadurní d'Anoia in 1872. Crémant carries extra EU conditions on top of the traditional method rules: manual harvesting, no more than 100 litres of must for every 150 kg of grapes, a maximum sulphur dioxide content of 150 mg/l and a sugar content below 50 g/l. In Italy, Franciacorta's second fermentation in bottle cannot start before 1 February of the year after the harvest.

• Franciacorta minimum lees ageing: 18 months Spumante, 24 months Rosé and Satèn, 30 months Millesimato, 60 months Riserva
• Crémant labels must pair the word Crémant with the name of the geographical unit behind the appellation, such as Crémant d'Alsace
• South Africa uses its own term for traditional method sparkling wine: Cap Classique

Dosage is the final touch before corking. The liqueur de dosage is cane sugar dissolved in wine, about 1cl for a 75cl bottle of Champagne brut, with the quantity depending on the style being made. A very neutral liqueur keeps as much of the wine's personality as possible, while a liqueur containing a reserve wine can add other aromas. Dosage adjusts the final sweetness and plays an important role in balancing acidity and overall style.

• Seven EU sweetness terms apply to sparkling wine: Brut Nature (under 3 g/L, no sugar added after the secondary fermentation), Extra Brut (0 to 6 g/L), Brut (under 12 g/L), Extra Dry (12 to 17 g/L), Sec (17 to 32 g/L), Demi-Sec (32 to 50 g/L) and Doux (over 50 g/L)
• Extra Dry is sweeter than Brut, a term most commonly seen on Prosecco labels
• The Champagne AOC specification caps how much the liqueur d'expédition may increase the volume of the wine

Primary sources (INAO, Comité Champagne, EU law, Spain's agriculture ministry, OIV and WSET): https://extranet.inao.gouv.fr/fichier/pno-CDC-Champagne-cn260618.pdf, https://www.champagne.fr/en/about-champagne/how-champagne-is-made/blending-champagne, https://www.champagne.fr/en/about-champagne/how-champagne-is-made/bottling-and-second-fermentation, https://www.champagne.fr/en/about-champagne/how-champagne-is-made/maturation, https://www.champagne.fr/en/about-champagne/how-champagne-is-made/riddling, https://www.champagne.fr/en/about-champagne/how-champagne-is-made/disgorgement, https://www.champagne.fr/en/about-champagne/how-champagne-is-made/dosage, https://www.champagne.fr/en/about-champagne/how-champagne-is-made/corking-shaking-and-final-inspection, https://www.champagne.fr/en/about-champagne/a-great-blended-wine/champagne-bottles-bottling, https://www.champagne.fr/en/champagne-frequently-asked-questions?nid=608, https://www.champagne.fr/en/about-champagne/champagne-and-its-history, https://extranet.inao.gouv.fr/fichier/pno-cdc-CremantAlsace-cn250612.pdf, https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32019R0033, https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:61993CJ0306, https://www.mapa.gob.es/es/alimentacion/temas/calidad-diferenciada/20211104pliegodecondicionesmodifap8betiquetadoparaweb_tcm30-564756.pdf, https://www.oiv.int/standards/international-code-of-oenological-practices/part-ii-oenological-treatments-and-practices/special-wines:-sparkling-wines/secondary-fermentation-in-bottle, https://www.oiv.int/standards/international-code-of-oenological-practices/part-ii-oenological-treatments-and-practices/special-wines:-sparkling-wines/tirage, https://www.wsetglobal.com/knowledge-centre/blog/2021/october/19/making-traditional-method-sparkling-wines, https://www.wsetglobal.com/knowledge-centre/blog/2026/a-guide-to-sparkling-wine-production-methods-and-regional-styles. Secondary sources: https://www.decanter.com/wine-news/taittinger-english-champagne-invented-408486/, https://italianwinecentral.com/denomination/franciacorta-docg/. The INAO Champagne and Crémant d'Alsace texts are the published national-opposition versions of each specification. Last verified 2026-10-05