Champagne or Sparkling Wine? What's the Difference?

Grape Variety

The Washington Post

To answer the question briefly; all champagne is sparkling wine, but not all sparkling wine is champagne.

Sparkling Champagne was first made in 1693 by a French monk; Dom Pérignon. Initially it was by accident, where the pressure in the bottle led to the bottles exploding or corks popping by themselves – at this time bubbles were considered a fault with the wine. In 1844, the cage that secures the cork (muselet) was created and this was the beginning of an exponential growth of Champagne production from 300,000 bottles a year in 1800 to 20 million bottles in 1850.

This growth in popularity meant that many other wine regions began trying to make their own versions and called it Champagne. This eventually led to regulations being put into place to protect the authenticity and quality of Sparkling Champagne.

These regulations were put into place by the French Appellation d’Origine Controlée system; I’ve listed some below:

1. Grapes grown for Champagne can only be from the Champagne area and only made from specific varieties (primarily Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier grapes).

2. Producers must ensure that their wine remained in the Champagne region throughout the winemaking process from harvest through to bottling.

3. There are exact rules regarding the height, spacing and density of the vine plantings.

4. Champagne had to made in the traditional method only, meaning that it had to be put on lees for a minimum of 15 months

The Traditional Method, or “Méthode Traditionnelle” is a process that involves two fermentations, the second of which take place in-bottle. When the wines are moved into the bottle for the second fermentation they are blended with a small mixture of yeast and sugar to initiate the second fermentation (called the Liqueur de Tirage). The wines are then racked and aged for a minimum of 15 months on the lees (the dead yeast particles), then the bottles are rotated (riddled) to make the lees gather in the bottle neck. The bottle necks are placed in a frozen bath and the frozen plug removed (disgorging), this prevents loss of the carbon dioxide from the Sparkling Champagne. After this some wine and sugar (residual sugar) are added back into the bottle (called Liqueur d’Expedition) and then the wines are corked.

My Cup of Wine

The Traditional Method creates fine, persistent bubbles and complex flavours of almonds, brioche and orange zest. It is the most appreciated method for Sparkling Wine production in term of quality and it is also the costliest in terms of production. This method of making sparkling wine has great cultural significance and was awarded UNESCO heritage status in 2015.

Quite like Champagne there are other Sparkling Wines from other countries that have different names, such as Prosecco from Italy, Cava and Lambrusco from Spain and Crémant from France (outside of Champagne). However, unlike Champagne these other types of Sparkling Wines have fewer regulations which can allow for more variability in flavour, quality and price.

Prosecco is arguably the second most popular Sparkling Wine after Champagne. However, it is made primarily from the Glera grape and produced using a more affordable method – Tank Method (Charmat). The major difference between the Tank Method and the Traditional Method is that the second fermentation happens in a pressure-resistant tank for about 10 days before they are filtered, dosed and then bottled. This method will produce Sparkling Wines with a fresher and fruiter character and larger, frothy bubbles than a Champagne.

My Cup of Wine

Champagne and Sparkling Wine are the most versatile when it comes to wine and food pairing. This is because of the bubbles that help the palate and can compliment fattier foods as well as lighter delicate foods.

The three hallmarks of a good Sparkling Wine are the freshness (bright and fruity but not necessarily sweet), acidity (giving a crisp mouth feel) and the bubbles (small and delicate bubbles are a sign of a high-quality wine).

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Sources

Wine Folly

Le Grand Courtage