Celebrate Mother’s Day: Bubbles & Barks: The Paw-some Process (Méthode Champenoise or Méthode Traditionnelle) Behind Rescue Dog Wines’ Sparklers! 

Moms and Dog Moms, what’s better to celebrate Mother’s Day than Méthode Champenoise Sparkling Wine! Ever wondered how those magical bubbles get into your glass of Rescue Dog Wines’ sparkling goodness? Grab a treat and get comfy—we’re diving into the tail-waggingly amazing world of méthode champenoise! 🐾🍾

The Doggone Delicious Process

At Rescue Dog Wines, where every bottle helps save our four-legged friends, making sparkling wine isn’t just science—it’s a labor of love that would make any pup proud!

The Paw-by-Paw Guide

1. The Grape Roundup: Like herding playful puppies, Rescue Dog’s winemakers collect their grapes. They work with varieties like Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and other Lodi AVA grapes. Then, they give the grapes a gentle squeeze. This first fermentation creates what we call the “base camp” wine—still no bubbles yet!
2. The Perfect Mix (or “The Pack Blend”): Different wines come together like a diverse dog park meetup! Rescue Dog’s winemakers blend various wines to create that perfect “personality”—each as unique as a rescue pup’s backstory.
3. Bottle Time with a Twist: The wine gets bottled with a special yummy mixture of yeast and sometimes a sweeter wine (the “tirage”) for a second round of fermentation. Then they’re capped tighter than a treat jar!
4. The Magic Bubbles Appear: Inside each bottle, those hardworking yeasts munch on the residual sugar creating alcohol and—woof!—carbon dioxide bubbles that can’t escape the bottle. Bubbly Goodness!
5. The Long Nap: Just like your favorite rescue pup, these bottles need rest… for MONTHS or YEARS! During this snooze time (called “aging on the lees”), the wine develops those yummy biscuity flavors that make Rescue Dog’s sparklers taste like brioche toast and sometimes a hint of sesame !).
6. Roll-Over: In a move that would impress any dog learning tricks, each bottle gets gradually rotated and tilted until completely upside down, sending all the yeasty bits into the neck.
7. The Big Freeze-Out: The bottle necks get a cold shoulder treatment! Once frozen, the cap comes off and—BOOP!—out shoots the frozen yeast plug!
8. The Sweet Touch: A splash of a sweeter wine or sugar (the “dosage”—or as Rescue Dog calls it, the “final belly rub”) determines if your sparkler will be bone dry or treat-level sweet.
9. Cork, Cage, and Cuddle Time: After being sealed tight, these bottles get extra rest time, like a rescue pup settling into their forever home.

Every bottle of Rescue Dog Wines’ spectacular sparkling wines not only brings joy to your taste buds but helps fund rescue organizations! We know that great wine can come with an even greater purpose.

So next time you’re popping one of their bottles, remember—those aren’t just bubbles rising in your glass, they’re little hope floats for dogs everywhere!  Please remember that we donate 50% of our profits to Rescue Organizations. Cheers to that! 🥂🐶

Blair and Laura