When people have a major milestone to celebrate, they choose sparkling wine<\/a> to commemorate the moment. And when only the best will do, they choose Champagne. But why is that? Marc Supsic, DipWSET and partner wine expert, explains:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Bubbles are universally understood. Pop a cork and it\u2019s a party in a bottle! Sparkling wines can be classy and luxurious, or laid back and fun. They\u2019ll mingle with almost any crowd and pair with a variety of foods. Sparkling wine is the Swiss Army knife, or maybe, the little black dress, of wine.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s talk about what makes Champagne the best and most famous sparkling wine<\/a> in the world, the different types and styles available, and then we\u2019ll talk about a few other high quality sparkling wines that are a great alternative to Champagne.<\/p>\n These days, the term \u201cChampagne\u201d is used loosely to describe any wine with bubbles in it, but not all sparkling is Champagne. Technically, there is only one.<\/p>\n Not everyone knows what differentiates real Champagne from other Sparkling wines. There are two main factors: Geography, and history.<\/p>\n Champagne is a wine region in the north of France, just east of Paris. The climate is almost too cold to make wine, but this environment is actually the key to Champagne\u2019s natural sparkle.<\/p>\n The soils are also one of a kind and the land used to be an ancient sea bed made of limestone and chalk, which gives the grapes qualities and flavors unlike anywhere else in the world.<\/p>\n The sheer amount of time the Champenois had to hone their craft is what gave the region a head start in the world of wine<\/a>. Roman monks had been making wine here for centuries, and in 1690 we see the first mention of sparkling Champagne.<\/p>\n It was embraced by British nobility, used to celebrate French Royal coronations and was the house wine for the Russian Czars. This is what set the stage for Champagne as a luxury drink, fit for the most high of occasions.<\/p>\n Over centuries, pioneers of the region used science and technology to perfect Champagne and and with the advent of global shipping and marketing, major houses like Mo\u00ebt & Chandon, Veuve Clicquot, and Pol Roger touted their wines worldwide<\/a>, making it the most famous sparkling wine on the planet.<\/p>\n Since the Middle Ages, just three grapes have been used in all Champagne – Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier. These three grapes are best suited to the climate and soils of the region.<\/p>\n Each type of grape plays a unique role in a blend, which is known as the cuv\u00e9e in French. Chardonnay gives acidity, citrus and white fruit flavors to a Champagne. Pinot Noir gives it body, color, and red fruit flavors, and Pinot Meuni\u00e8re contributes floral aromas.<\/p>\n The magic that gives Champagne its bubbles is known as the M\u00e9thode Champenoise. The wine is actually fermented twice, once outside, and once inside the bottle<\/p>\n This highly controlled Second Fermentation seals carbon dioxide in the bottle and gives Champagne its super-fine, creamy mousse. By law, all Champagne must be sold in the same bottle it\u2019s fermented in<\/p>\n Something else that distinguishes Champagne is Sur-lie aging. This is where the wine is allowed to rest with the yeast, still in the bottle. This gives the wine its signature toasty and nutty flavors. Some Champagnes can be aged sur-lie for up to ten years!<\/p>\n There are a few main wine styles of Champagne and each Champagne house has its own recipe for crafting a signature style.<\/p>\n Nonvintage Champagne is the most popular, and it\u2019s made with a blend of wine<\/a>s from different years. This approach allows the head winemaker, known as the Chef De Cave, to maintain a consistent style year after year.<\/p>\n Getting the right balance of flavors is truly an art form. Nonvintage Champagnes can be made with up to 60 different wines that span a decade or more in age.<\/p>\n Our wine recommendation:\u00a0<\/strong>Julien Denby Brut Re\u0301serve Champagne NV <\/em><\/a><\/p>\n Vintage Champagnes are produced only in exceptional years and therefore are some of the best and most expensive. All wines in the cuv\u00e9e (bled) must come from just one year\u2019s harvest. They require at least three years of bottle maturing, which makes them very intense in flavor.<\/p>\n Vintage Champagnes can age for very long periods of time so these are the wines that collectors love to keep in their cellars.<\/p>\n Our wine recommendation:\u00a0<\/strong>Philippe Fourrier Champagne Cuve\u0301e Mille\u0301sime Brut 2014<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n In the 1600s, Dom P\u00e9rignon perfected a technique for making a white wine from from red grapes. A white Champagne made from red grapes is known as a Blanc de Noir. Literally, a white of blacks. The flavor profile tends to be more full-bodied, lightly perfumed and has whispers of red fruits on the palate, thanks to those red grapes.<\/p>\n Our wine recommendation:\u00a0<\/strong>Champagne Delfour Brut Champagne NV<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n In similar fashion, a Blanc de blanc is a white of whites. Meaning, it\u2019s made from just Chardonnay. Blanc de Blancs are usually very crisp, acidic and citrusy, often with hints of lime, green apples and pears on the palate.<\/p>\n Our wine recommendation:\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>93 Pt. Le Brun de Neuville Champagne NV Co\u0302te Blanche Blanc de Blancs Chardonnay<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n Ros\u00e9 Champagnes get their color from extended contact with one or both of the two red grapes and is typically more intense with its red fruit and berries on the flavor profile.<\/p>\n Our wine recommendation:<\/strong>\u00a092 Pt. Le Brun de Neuville Au Bout du Chemin Rose\u0301 Extra-Brut Champagne NV<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n So all of these fine nuances, take experience, time and labor and they\u2019re what makes Champagne the absolute best. But other parts of the world have perfected their own versions, and often the quality is as good as Champagne, for a fraction of the price. If you love a great value, or just want to try something different, here are a few to check out:<\/p>\n In 1531 Benedictine Monks in the South of France created a bubbly wine<\/a> of their own. This is Cr\u00e9mant, France\u2019s other sparkling wine.<\/p>\n Cr\u00e9mant is made in eight different major French wine regions, and the term translates to mean, \u201ccreamy,\u201d referring to the bubbles. As with Champagne – it\u2019s bottle fermented and aged on the yeast – but the grapes vary depending on the region. This one here uses Pinot Blanc and this one here uses a grape called Chenin Blanc.<\/p>\n Our wine recommendation:\u00a0<\/strong>Montgermont Cre\u0301mant de Bourgogne Blanc de Noirs Brut NN<\/em><\/p>\n Cava was invented in the 1870s and was Spain\u2019s homage to fine Champagne. It\u2019s also bottle fermented and aged sur-lie, typically made with grape varieties that are indigenous to Catalonia.<\/p>\n Prosecco<\/h4>\n On brunch tables around the world, you\u2019ll find Prosecco, northern Italy\u2019s contribution to sparkling wine.<\/p>\n Prosecco is made from an Italian grape called Glera. Unlike the others, it is not fermented in the bottle, nor is it bottle aged, so it\u2019s typically light, fruity and less complex. This is what makes it much more affordable and so ubiquitous.<\/p>\n Our wine recommendation:<\/strong>\u00a0Luca Paretti Prosecco DOC NV <\/em><\/a><\/p>\n No matter the occasion, whether you\u2019re celebrating a once-in-a-lifetime milestone, or a simple Sunday brunch, there\u2019s a sparkling wine type for that!<\/p>\n If you want the best in the world, tap into history and savor the creamy mousse of France\u2019s original sparkler, Champagne. For something more accessible or to try something different, grab a Cr\u00e9mant, Cava or Prosecco.<\/p>\n Thanks for drinking with me today! If you want to get monthly shipments of nice wines like these, and the opportunity to taste live with me and the WTSO wine community, visit WTSO.com<\/a> and join our Premium Wine Club<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Celebrate with Bubbly Wines When people have a major milestone to celebrate, they choose sparkling wine to commemorate the moment. And when only the best will do, they choose Champagne. But why is that? Marc Supsic, DipWSET and partner wine expert, explains:<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":6348,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[338,339,336],"tags":[8,14,809,21,106,806,807,808],"class_list":["post-6347","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-seasonal","category-wine-101","category-wine-learning","tag-cava","tag-champagne","tag-cremant","tag-prosecco","tag-sparkling-wine","tag-sparkling-wines","tag-types-of-champagne","tag-types-of-sparkling-wine"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wtso.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6347","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wtso.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wtso.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wtso.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wtso.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6347"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.wtso.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6347\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6353,"href":"https:\/\/www.wtso.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6347\/revisions\/6353"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wtso.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6348"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wtso.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6347"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wtso.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6347"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wtso.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6347"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}What Makes Champagne the Best?<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Geography<\/h4>\n
History<\/h4>\n
How Champagne is Made<\/h3>\n
Grapes used<\/h4>\n
Second Fermentation<\/h4>\n
Bottle Fermentation and Aging Requirements<\/h4>\n
Different Styles of Champagne<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Nonvintage<\/h4>\n
Vintage<\/h4>\n
Blanc de Noir<\/h4>\n
Blanc de Blancs<\/h4>\n
Ros\u00e9<\/h4>\n
Champagne Alternatives: Different Types of Sparkling Wines<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Made to Similar Standards<\/h4>\n
Cr\u00e9mant<\/h3>\n
Cava<\/h3>\n
Because Cava is fairly easy to find, and about one quarter the price of a fine Champagne, this is my go-to for everyday bubbles.<\/p>\n