Bubbly Essentials
Troubles with bubbles? Here is a basic fact sheet that will help you to “Never fear a wine list again™.” If you have further questions about sparkling wine – or any other types of wine – feel free to contact us.
What is a Sparkling Wine?
Sparkling Wines are wines containing carbonation that occurs either naturally, as part of the wine making process, or is artificially introduced, Sparkling Wines are usually light in color, but may also be rosé or even red.
Are Champagne and Sparkling Wine the same thing?
No, they are not. Champagne is a sparkling wine, but only wines made in the Champagne District in France are properly entitled to be called Champagne, every other wine with bubbles is Sparkling Wine. There is considerable confusion about this in the US, because we never signed the international agreement that established Champagne’s protected status.
Is Champagne a region or a type of wine?
Right on both counts – as just explained Champagne is a region in France as well as the particular type of Sparkling Wine made in that region.
How do you make the stuff?
The Champagne Process or Methode Champenoise, where the secondary fermentation that produces the bubbles takes place in the individual bottle. This process is tedious, labor intensive and expensive, but produces the best results.
The Charmat Process, where the secondary fermentation occurs in a large stainless-steel tank and the resulting bubbly is then bottled. Most Proseccos are made in this manner.
Artificial Carbonation, the quick, easy, down and dirty way – pump some really cheap grape juice full of CO2. Voila, instant bubbles – just like Coke or Pepsi – as well as truly memorable hangovers, which we industry pros call “The Walgreen’s Willies”.
What does Bubbly terminology mean?
“Brut” means dry, so of course “Extra Dry” means dry, but not as dry as Brut. This doesn’t make sense? Blame Champagne, they started it and virtually every other sparkling wine producer followed suit.
These terms are not a matter of opinion, but are measured by the amount of sugar present in the finished product. “Brut” refers to wines containing less than 12 grams of sugar per liter and “Extra Dry” refers to wines containing 12-20 grams per sugar per liter.
“Blanc de Blanc” means that the wine made only with white grapes, such as Chardonnay.
“Blanc de Noir” means that the wine is made only with red grapes, such as Pinot Noir.
Vintage Years – Isn’t good wine supposed to have a year on the bottle? This is true in most cases, but not with sparkling wines. The vast majority of sparklers are “NV” or non-vintage wines. If a bottle of sparkling wine does have a year on the label it is likely to be a good deal more expensive than a similar bottle from the same producer that does not have a specific year listed.
