To understand what Champagne and sparkling wines are, you must first understand “méthode champenoise,” “méthode traditionnelle,” and the “Charmat method.” All three methods are the process of making sparkling wine through a double fermentation with added yeast and sugar, which creates CO2, making the wine effervescent. The term “méthode champenoise” is associated with Champagne production, as it was the traditional method used in the Champagne region of France. To protect the geographical indication and the term “Champagne,” the European Union ruled that only sparkling wines produced in the Champagne region could be labeled as such and use the term “méthode champenoise” to describe the process in which they were made. As a result, sparkling wines produced outside the Champagne region but made using a basically identical method are referred to as “méthode traditionnelle.” Both of these methods carry out the secondary fermentation inside the wine bottle. The Charmat method is the process where the second fermentation is carried out within large stainless steel vats, rather than within the bottle. And while the champenoise and traditionnelle methods can take up to 18 months to ferment, the Charmat method takes mere weeks to ferment. THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CHAMPAGNE AND SPARKLING WINE Champagne falls under the umbrella of sparkling wine, but it is a specific subset and should not be used as “shorthand” for all sparkling wine. Sparkling wines are produced worldwide, but many nations legally reserve the word “Champagne” exclusively for sparkling wines from the Champagne region in France, made in accordance with French governmental regulations. All other sparkling wines are simply wines that have gone through a second fermentation via méthode traditionnelle or the Charmat method. Prosecco from Italy and Cava from Spain are the some of the most well-known non-Champagne sparkling wines, but there are plenty of others that deserve recognition.
PARTY IN A BOTTLE
25
Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online