carbonation [kar-buh-NAY-shuhn]
A method of making sparkling wine (and other beverages) by injecting it with carbon dioxide. This technique is the least-effective way to create effervescence and is used only for inexpensive wines. Such wines must be labeled “carbonated” in the United States, gazéifié in France. They’re characterized by large, crude bubbles that quickly lose their effervescence, whereas méthode champenoise sparklers have smaller, more refined and longer-lived bubbles.
The New Wine Lovers Companion, 2nd Edition, by Ron Herbst and Sharon Tyler Herbst. Copyright © (1) 2003, 1995 by Ron Herbst and Sharon Tyler Herbst. Reprinted by arrangement with Barron's Educational Series, Inc.