Winemaking Techniques

Sparkling winemaking at Gloria Ferrer is defined by a house style, and people who appreciate wine with bubbles know that the best producers are revered for their consistency. Executive Winemaker Bob Iantosca and Winemaker Steven Urberg move seamlessly from vineyard to cellar, from sparkling wine to estate varietal wines, and from a rich history of winemaking to the individuality of each new vintage and each new wine. Rooted in a dynamic blend of innovation and tradition, Gloria Ferrer’s winemakers use creativity, ingenuity, and a gentle hand to reveal the distinctive Carneros terroir in sparkling and estate varietal wines made to pair perfectly with food.

The Base-ics of Sparkling Wine

It takes experience and imagination to record the subtle flavors and textures of an unfinished base wine (still wine before it undergoes fermentation) and project them into what a finished wine will taste like after secondary fermentation, aging, disgorging, and dosing. The most important and difficult qualities to achieve in sparkling wine, such as texture, mouthfeel, balance, and harmony, are created in the base wine. “Although the base wines are very different from the finished sparkling wines they will eventually become,” Urberg says, “I mentally construct how the nuances in the base wine will translate into the elegance of the finished wine long before they ever end up in the bottle.” This process ensures consistency from vintage to vintage.