Frizzante vs. sparkling meads

The terminology can be confusing, and legislation doesn’t always help!

Frizzante (or lightly sparkling) meads are made by adding CO₂ to finished mead. The fizziness of frizzante mead is roughly half that of traditional sparkling mead, around 1.5–2 bars. They’re a good middle ground for those unsure whether they’ll enjoy bubbles in mead. After all, sparkling mead is still a relatively new product, and many customers haven’t encountered it yet. But the popularity of frizzante wines is rising sharply, so lightly sparkling meads may similarly appeal to honey wine enthusiasts.

An interesting approach to producing frizzante mead is used by Bubble Bee at Apimed in Slovakia. They capture the carbon dioxide released during the fermentation of their meads and use it to carbonate their frizzante mead. During fermentation, not only CO₂ escapes, but also many aromatic compounds that further enhance the final beverage.

Many people have only encountered sparkling mead when the fizz developed unexpectedly – the mead, unfiltered and unpreserved, spontaneously fermented on its own… and it doesn’t always end well! :-D

Sparkling mead is produced by secondary fermentation in the bottle, making the production process significantly more demanding than that of frizzante mead. As a result, the price is often up to twice as high. There are several methods: it can be made from a sweeter mead, or the finished mead can be sweetened with sugar. Yeast is then added again, and a second fermentation occurs, creating a pressure in the bottle above 3 bars and increasing the alcohol content. The meads are then bottled in sturdier bottles and fitted with Champagne-style corks, which is not necessary for frizzante meads.

Frizzante meads are only truly refreshing when properly chilled. I personally recommend about 7–10 °C; otherwise, it just won’t work. It’s perfectly fine to add fresh fruit to your glass, ideally from your own garden or orchard. Fruit from the supermarket that’s been artificially enhanced won’t improve the taste. If the mead seems too sweet or too strong, you can make a light spritzer by adding gently sparkling water. However, I think the alcohol content of current frizzante meads, ranging from 9 to 11.5%, has been very sensibly chosen by the producers.
 

Wishing you a wonderful rest of the summer (but not so hot that you turn your back on mead! :D)

Jiří Pouček
Medovinárna

Article pictures