What are sparkling wine/made-wine and cider/perry?
Gases (mainly carbon dioxide) can be dissolved in wine/made-wine or cider/perry to produce a sparkling effect when the bottled product is uncorked. This is normally achieved either by aeration, mixing with carbonated water or secondary fermentation. No matter which method is used, if the process raises the pressure of the wine/made-wine or cider/perry at 20°C to 1.5 bars or more above atmospheric pressure the process must be carried out on entered winery or cider makers’ premises or in a suitably approved excise warehouse. Such processes “render wine/made-wine or cider/perry sparkling”. The reason for this requirement is that a higher rate of duty is charged on bottled sparkling wine or made-wine when the strength exceeds 5.5% but does not exceed 15% bottled sparkling cider or perry when the strength exceeds 5.5% but is less than 8.5% and either: the excess pressure in the bottle is 3 bars or more at 20°C; or the excess pressure at 20°C is between 1.5 and 3 bars and the bottle is close
