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The new bone-dry champagne, a Blanc de Noirs made from Pinot Noir was actually released late last year. It is a boon for the Drappier family, all of whom are reportedly allergic to the preservative. Says Michel Drappier, owner and winemaker of the company that planted its first vines in 1808 reportedly, 'When I taste sulfur I really feel it, which is why we limit it in all our wines.'
Sulfur has been added to wines including champagnes for centuries. Although sulfites are an essential tool for stabilizing wines, they also give headaches to many drinkers. But Drappier believes it is not necessary provided the fruit is very high-quality and some special vinification techniques are used.
'It has been very difficult to create pure and fresh unsulfured Champagne. First, vinifications failed due to uneven quality of the grapes and different levels of oxidation during the process,' Michel says, according to Decanter.
Unsulfured Champagne costs more to make and doesn't last as long as sulfured versions, raising a question of commercial viability. But Drappier isn't concerned as it claims to have more demand of this product than they can supply. This bubbly is part of a trend that is catching on as consumers increasingly favour Sulphur-free, light and fresh sparkling wines that are made without adding the liqueur d’expédition.
Champagne Drappier, located in the small town of Urville in the Aube’s Côte du Bar, is a serious producer whose passion for quality has endured ever since the family started the business two hundred years ago. Its production is relatively small; with 1.4 million bottles it is a small fraction of Moët & Chandon’s 25 million. But the wine critics love this champagne because of its special character.
Animae Prosecco - World’s first bubbly san sulfites
 ANIMAE Valdobbiadene Prosecco Spumante Senza Solfiti, as the name suggests is the Prosecco label of an Italian winery, Perlage which is located in the north of Veneto in the Valdobbiadene- Conegliano belt where the ubiquitous Prosecco bubbly is being produced
DelWine had the privilege of tasting this sulfite-free Spumante at Vinitaly 2008 in Verona last April. The 30-year old winery has been increasingly involved with organic and bio-dynamic form of viticulture and wine-making.
‘More and more, the oenological world is approaching the development and the trade of quality Spumante with no sulphurous anhydride added. Perlage is proud to have been the first winery, in 2008, to present this new method,’ says Erika Gallone, Marketing Manager of the winery.
‘The Italian winery Perlage presented ANIMAE its first SPUMANTE SULPHITES FREE at Vinitaly in 2008, now they have the new vintage which is amazing, on sells,’ Erika had commented on an article on delWine in February this year. The company has already come out with the second vintage of the Sulfite-free Spumante this May.
Coincidentally, Drappier uses a diversified range of bottles all of which are imported from Italy. It is being imported in India by Sovereign Impex.
You may be interested in a recent article on Prosecco:
http://www.indianwineacademy.com/item_2_313.aspx |