Spritz (wine)

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German white wines sometimes have small amounts of carbon dioxide present at bottling. This very slight carbonation and its prickly sensation are known as spritz. In Italian wine, this is known as frizzante.

When it occurs naturally, spritz indicates that the wine has been very well protected from exposure to oxygen, and is not a flaw. Spritz can also be produced artificially by the addition of carbon dioxide at bottling.

Carbonation that is accompanied by undesirable flavors is not spritz, and is a fault. Typically this is the result of unintended malolactic fermentation.