This method, which can be quite difficult to control, is still used in the French appellations of Limoux, Gaillac, Bugey and Cerdon…

It is likely that this was the first method developed for making effervescent/sparkling wines.

• Phase 1 :
  Making the base wine
  Classic techniques for making still, half-fermented white wines.
  
  
• Phase 2 :
  Transforming the base wine (still wine with residual sugar) into an effervescent/sparkling wine.
  • The secondary fermentation (“prise de mousse”) occurs in bottles without addition of sugar (no tirage liqueur or expedition liqueur).
  • The “prise de mousse” is stopped simply by yeast cell depletion. The deposit is insignificant in volume and is not ejected from the bottle. In other words, there is no disgorging.
  • With this method, the action of the native or cultured yeast cells is controlled or stopped by:
    • Depletion of the medium or of nutrients, low temperature.
    • Depletion of the medium or filtration, sulphur dioxide addition.