A California Winemaker Is Rethinking Wine Carbonation

Champagne, cava, prosecco, sekt: all familiar methods of conjuring up bubbles. But one California producer is trying to reinvent the wheel, introducing a new kind of carbonation to wine.

Libby bubbled wines recalibrates carbonation, introducing a new process that offers high-octane, low-in-calorie-and-ABV bubbles for everyday occasions.

“I’ve been playing with carbonation for a long time,” says Libby winemaker Grant Hemingway. “There’s this whole magic and chemistry of carbonation that’s supercharging flavors and aromas — understanding the difference between 1600 and 1900 PPM?”

To make Libby, he injects CO2 at precise levels in lieu of secondary fermentation, coaxing out lush, vibrant bubbles from still wine. Their custom carbonation method takes the guesswork out from the production side of things — they can tweak and adjust carbonation levels, and zero in on the exact level of ebullience to fit the varietal or blend.

What’s wrong with the old method of bubbly? Absolutely nothing. “We’re not trying to compete with Champagne,” says Hemingway. While Champagne demands occasion, Libby does not; it’s a joyful, homegrown alternative to a weeknight glass of wine. Low in sugar, high in fun. “The occasion for sparkling wine needs to expand beyond that celebratory moment. It can be a Tuesday night!”

The brand is launching with two SKUs: a white blend (with 56% Chenin blanc and 44% Riesling) and a rose (43% Syrah, 41% zinfandel and a splash of Moscato and Grenache). The white blend contains 6300 PPM CO2, while the rose calls for 6375 PPM CO2.

All grapes are sustainably grown and sourced from multi-generational growers, who focus on methods that minimize water consumption, waste generation, and greenhouse gas emissions. “While grapes are important, they’re just one of our inputs in our supply chain,” says Hemingway. “Are we buying post-consumer glass? Are we forgoing foil to prevent waste? Everything needs to be assessed in this day and age vertically in the supply chain. Sustainability does not come cheap, but it’s a mandatory understanding.”

Bottles will roll out via an omnichannel approach with a tight focus on digital. “The realities of wine purchasing are changing, slowly, and the direct-to-consumer shift and impact of the pandemic have brought e-commerce into the forefront,” says Hemingway.

The bubbles fall in line with a few trends. Sessionability, for one — at a lower proof (7.7%), it’s far easier to pace your drinking. As drinkers become more mindful of their consumption, lower-proof beverages are increasingly enticing.

Recently, we’ve seen an uptick in sales of products like piquettes and pet nats; bubbly, whimsical bottles of naturally-fermented wines that fall in at a lower ABV. But products like those are tough to scale up, consistency-wise.

“These products tap into a broader trend, but the variability with their production makes it hard to do that on a commercial scale,” says Hemingway. “With our blending, we realized we could deliver at a commercial scale with consistency and cost-effectively.”

And while Champagne and Cava and other method traditional bubbles call for time to achieve precision, Hemingway’s methods are speedier — he can nail ebullient, hyper-precise bubblies in a fraction of the time.

“The sparkling wine industry is huge. It’s on fire. The sales data and the consumer insights support that,” he explains. “We wanted to try and optimize the category.”

It’s democratization, of sorts. “You look at the sparkling wine category and it’s traditionally topped with a cage and foil and bottle in a heavy, decorative bottle.” Libby’s bottles are closed with a crown cap.

“From marketplace observation and consumer research, we found it alarming that the general consumer doesn’t know how carbonation happens and what grapes are in prosecco,” he notes. “We’re going to tell you exactly how we’re carbonating and to what levels.”

Down the line, they’re entertaining format extensions and experimenting with different varietal blends but for now, Libby is focusing on bringing to life bright bubbles for the everyday occasion.