'Méthode Traditionnelle'
Since they were established, the Caves Bernard-Massard have devoted much of their activity to producing sparkling wines using the 'Méthode Traditionnelle'. This vocation was a natural consequence of the expertise gained by their founder in champagne cellars, combined with the characteristics of wines from the Luxembourg Moselle.Today, production of 'Méthode Traditionnelle' sparkling wines exceeds three million bottles a year.
The first key step towards ensuring that each of these bottles deserves to bear the Bernard-Massard label, is meticulous selection of the grape varieties and growths used to produce our sparkling wines.
Then the magic of oenology creates the various cuvées, through the blending of complementary wines in order to maintain a constant standard of quality. We hold a large stock of vins de réserve for this purpose, so we can compensate for the vagaries of the weather that cause variations in the characteristics of each vintage.
Once composed, the cuvée (contents of the vat) is bottled. Then the liqueur de tirage (made of wine, sugar and yeasts) is added to cause fermentation in the bottle. The carbon dioxide gas produced by this fermentation makes the wine effervescent.
After a long period of maturation, each bottle is remuée (riddled) to collect the yeasts in the neck and then dégorgée (disgorged) to extract them.
The appropriate dose of liqueur d'expédition (depending on the 'Brut' or 'Demi-Sec' style of the finished product) is finally added prior to corking and labelling of the bottle.
This famous 'Méthode Traditionnelle' has remained pretty much the same for centuries. Technical progress has affected only the handling operations and, essentially, it's always Nature that makes the difference. Therefore, we have chosen to let time do its work. All our 'Méthode Traditionnelle' wines are rested for one to three years before disgorging, and then for a few months longer before 'dosage'.
