Ancestral Method

What is the ancestral method?

The ancestral method is a sparkling wine production technique that is characterized by its simplicity and its aging in crickets. This method is based on production of sparkling wine without the addition of yeasts or sugars for the third fermentation, as is done with the traditional method. Instead, a second fermentation takes place directly in the bottle, using native yeasts found in the grapes or in the vineyard itself.

The ancestral method is very similar to traditional method, with the difference that a selection is not made of the most suitable wines for the production of sparkling wine and they are not dosed with sugars or yeasts for the third fermentation. This makes the sparkling wine obtained with this method lighter and less fruity than sparkling wines produced using the traditional method.

In addition, the ancestral method is also characterized by the cricket parenting, that is to say, by the constant rotation of the bottles over a period of time that can range from six months to several years. This process is what gives sparkling wine its character complexity and elegance.

The ancestral method is less known than the traditional method, as it is only used for the production of small quantities of sparkling wine in some regions of France and other countries. However, it has gained a lot of popularity in recent years, as it offers a more natural and ecological alternative to the production of sparkling wine with the traditional method, and at Mas Gomà we have adopted it as one of our techniques.