Sparging

Sparging meaning in winemaking

Sparging in winemaking means bubbling a gas through must or wine to change its dissolved gas balance. Winemakers most often use inert gases such as nitrogen, argon, or carbon dioxide to displace oxygen and protect wine from oxidation, or use CO₂ to add or retain a light spritz in some styles. Sparging is therefore a gas-management step, not the same thing as traditional sparkling-wine production by bottle or tank fermentation.