The most common celebratory drink there is, is champagne. When it is time for celebration, fizzy wines are preferred because they are bubbly, and sparkling, and they make for a good time. And the pop that comes with opening a new and good bottle of wine adds to the merry. So what makes sparkling wines so different from other white wines, or red wines?
Sparkling wines have in them significant levels of carbon dioxide that give the drinks their fizzy quality. When poured into a glass, the bubbles of carbon dioxide seeking to escape from the glass of wine, give these wines their sparkling quality.
Champagne
Champagne, which is a very popular celebratory drink, is a sparkling wine, specifically from the Champagne region northeast of France. Most people assume that all sparkling wine is champagne, but that is not the case. All champagne is sparkling wine, but not all sparkling wines are champagne. Champagne is made of 3 grape varieties: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier. And depending on how it is made, it’s sweetness levels vary. It is (often) a dry wine, with high acidity.
Popular brands include Moet & Chandon, Bollinger (James Bond favorite brand), Veuve Clicquot and and they all come from the Champagne region of France.
Prosecco
Prosecco is from the Prosecco village in the Veneto region in north-east Italy. The main difference between Prosecco and Champagne is in the production method. Prosecco uses the tank method which is much shorter, and thus much more affordable compared to Champagne. The main grape variery is Glera, which accounts for 85% or more of the sparkling wine. It’s bubbles are bigger, and it also is sweeter compared to Champagne and Cava. For this reason, it is often used in cocktails. Are you keen on trying it out? Here are 10 different brands you could try out.
Cava
Cava comes from the Catalonia region of Spain. The main grape varieties are Macabeo, Xarel-lo, and Parellada. The production method is similar to that of Champagne, and it is less sweet compared to Prosecco. Thus, if you want a sparkling wine that is not as expensive as Champagne, but still robust, Cava is the way to go.
With these minor but important details about sparkling wines,when you are out with friends, business colleagues, or socializing, you should be confident to select the glass of sparkling wine that suits the occasion.
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