🍷 Carbonation

Carbonation is a way to make wine sparkling by adding carbon dioxide to it, instead of getting the gas from fermentation.

EU law places such wines in categories of their own. Aerated sparkling wine is made from wine without a protected designation of origin or a protected geographical indication; the carbon dioxide released when the container is opened comes wholly or partly from added gas, and the excess pressure is at least 3 bar at 20 °C. Aerated semi-sparkling wine has an excess pressure of 1 to 2.5 bar and an actual alcoholic strength of at least 7 % vol, and is sold in containers of 60 litres or less.

On the label the name of the category must be supplemented, in characters of the same type and size, by the words "obtained by adding carbon dioxide", unless the language used already shows by itself that the gas was added.

In EU sparkling wine and quality sparkling wine the carbon dioxide must come exclusively from fermentation, so these categories are not made by carbonation.