What is the difference between still and sparkling wine production?

What is the difference between still and sparkling wine production?

• A. Still wine is fermented and bottled without carbonation; sparkling wine uses secondary fermentation to create CO2 and bubbles.
• B. Still wine is carbonated; sparkling wine is not carbonated.
• C. Both are always aged in oak.
• D. Sparkling wine is produced by distillation.

Answer: (A)

The difference comes from whether carbon dioxide is produced and retained in the wine. Still wine is fermented and then bottled without creating bubbles, so there’s no secondary fermentation to generate CO2. Sparkling wine undergoes a second fermentation, either in the bottle or in a sealed tank, which produces carbon dioxide that stays dissolved under pressure and forms the bubbles you see and taste. The defining production step is this second fermentation that creates the fizz. Other statements don’t fit because sparkling wine is the one that is carbonated, not still; distillation isn’t involved in producing wine (that would make a spirit); and oak aging isn’t mandatory or universal for distinguishing the two.

The difference comes from whether carbon dioxide is produced and retained in the wine. Still wine is fermented and then bottled without creating bubbles, so there’s no secondary fermentation to generate CO2. Sparkling wine undergoes a second fermentation, either in the bottle or in a sealed tank, which produces carbon dioxide that stays dissolved under pressure and forms the bubbles you see and taste. The defining production step is this second fermentation that creates the fizz.

Other statements don’t fit because sparkling wine is the one that is carbonated, not still; distillation isn’t involved in producing wine (that would make a spirit); and oak aging isn’t mandatory or universal for distinguishing the two.