To Sparkling Wine or to Champagne? That is the question.

Written by Maureen Bayer, CS, CSW, CWP

Working in the wine industry many people know when someone says Champagne it may not be what they mean. Especially with the holidays quickly approaching you might want know what you are really looking for and what to bring to your holiday party. Often people will walk in saying “I want Champagne”, then we show them our offerings and they quickly realize that is not the price point they imagined. Champagne is a sparkling wine but not all sparkling wine is Champagne. It’s like your square and rectangle situation. To be called “Champagne” the wine must come from the region of Champagne in France and be made up of specific grape varietals.

So what can you do when you want to celebrate with bubbles but do not want to break the bank? There are several awesome options of Sparkling Wine to choose from!

Prosecco:  Is a sparkling wine that comes from the Veneto region in Northern Italy. To be a designated wine of Prosecco (which is also a region; how confusing!) it must be produced as a white wine. In order for Prosecco to be called Prosecco it must be made up of 85% of the Glera grape. The remaining 15% can be made up of the Verdiso, Perera, Bianchetta, Glera Lugna, Pinot Nero or Chardonnay grapes. Prosecco is made using the tank method to keep the fresh fruity characteristics of the grapes. This will be a fruitier style with notes of peach and apricot that both sweet and dry drinkers will enjoy. This wine has slightly larger bubbles than those of Champagne and is an excellent choice for mimosas!

Sommelier Pick: Bocelli Prosecco

Cava: A sparkling wine from Spain. Cava can only be made in eight regions of Spain. This is unique to Cava because most designations are within a specific region, rather than throughout the country. The primary region, making 95% of Cava in Spain, is Catalonia. Cava is made from the Macabeo (also known as Viura or White Rioja), Xarel-lo and Parellada grapes, these are all white grapes. The only red grapes allowed to make Cava only as a Rosado are Pinot Noir, Garnacha, Monastrell, and Trepat. Approximately half of all Cava production is made as brut. Cava is made in the traditional method or metodo tradicional. Bottles must be cellared at least nine months on the lees to be considered Cava. To be labeled Cava Reserva bottles must be aged on the lees a minimum of fifteen months and must be brut or drier. There is approximately only 15% of this style made into production. To be labeled as Cava Gran Reserva, bottles must be aged on the lees a minimum of thirty months and must be brut or drier. This makes up less than 5% of production and is only made in excellent vintages. Being made in the same method as Champagne, Cava will be an excellent choice for those that want that style at a lower price range.

Sommelier Pick: Aria Cava

Sparkling Wine in America: As Champagne made stricter guidelines on the term Champagne it forced wineries to change the title to Sparkling wine. There are only a few wineries left that were grandfathered in and are allowed to continuing using the term Champagne on their label. Most will say sparkling wine and have some sort of reference to which method was used but it is not required. Also, there no restrictions as to which grapes can be used for sparkling wine. However, most wineries stick to the classic grapes of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Pinot Meunier.  Mendocino in particular has become very well known in the United States for its sparkling wine production, since it is a cooler region. Many sparkling wines in the United States can resemble those of Champagne if made with the same grapes and in the same method, as the Signal Ridge is. However, there are also many sparkling wines that are unique and can be fun to explore since there are few regulations on how the wines are made into sparkling wine in the United States.

Sommelier Pick: Signal Ridge Sparkling Wine

Champagne: is a sparkling wine from France. To be called Champagne it must come from this region in France. Other sparkling wines made in France will be called cremant. The grape varieties used for Champagne are primarily Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier. Other grape varieties also allowed are Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Petit Meslier, and Arbane. Champagne is made in the traditional method (because that’s where it started of course!) Champagne must be aged for at least fifteen months. There is a requirement of a minimum of twelve of those months to be left on the lees. Vintage Champagne must age on the lees a minimum of three years. Wines are not ranked in Champagne as they are in many other French regions; however the villages are in grand cru or premier cru. Champagne has toasty and nutty aroma with a creamy texture and fine bubbles. These wines can age for years but are also ready to drink when you are!

Sommelier Pick: Monopole Heidsieck & Co Blue Top