Sparkling wine and champagne have long been associated with celebratory affairs. Who wouldn’t want to celebrate with a good glass of a fizzy, alcoholic drink? It’s not only refreshing; it’s simply appropriate!
Whatever your poison is for occasions that call for celebration, it’s generally agreed upon that either champagne or sparkling wine would work best. Have you ever wondered whether there’s a difference between the two?
Does it matter which one you choose to pop open during certain events? Sure, both champagne and sparkling wine provide the same fizzy sensation on the tongue, and some varieties even taste similar to the other.
But what are the slight contrasts between the two drinks that make them stand out from each other? Mainly, they differ in region of production, production process, and grapes used.
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Sparkling wine
Sparkling wine is an umbrella term. Under this type of wine, there are other subcategories. But the words “sparkling wine” themselves are used to refer to wine that contains carbonation in general.
The production method for this type of wine varies. There’s the traditional method, carbonation method, and tank method. All these processes will result in carbonating of the wine.
Although champagne also uses similar production methods, sparkling wine doesn’t always equal champagne.
Sparkling wine is also lenient when it comes to what kinds of grapes are used to make the wine. You can virtually make any grape variety into a sparkling wine, although white sparkling wines are much more common than red ones.
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Types of sparkling wine
- Sekt – this is used to refer to sparkling wines produced by the tank method, originating in Germany and Austria
- Prosecco – the Italian version of sparkling wine is called prosecco, and it contains bigger carbonation bubbles
- Cava – in Spain, sparkling wine is called Cava. Its production process is exactly the same as champagne; however, it uses different types of grapes
Champagne
Unlike sparkling wine, champagne is not a term that refers to a general type of wine. Production of champagne is regulated and therefore needs to follow specific rules in order to qualify as a bottle of champagne.
Firstly, champagne has to be produced in the region of Champagne, France. Any other sparkling wine produced outside of this region cannot be called champagne, even if it uses the same grapes and goes through the exact same production process as champagne.
There are also specific types of grapes that can be used to make champagne. This sparkling wine is limited to only pinot noir, chardonnay, and pinot meunier. These grapes in particular give champagne a nutty flavour.
With regards to production, champagne utilizes a specific method called the champagne method. This mixes in sugar and yeast into the base wine after bottling. In this way, the wine ferments twice, producing carbon dioxide and carbonating the champagne.
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