What is sparkling wine? Sparkling wine is any wine that has gone through a secondary fermentation. Many of us assume that sparkling wine is just another name for Champagne, but really, the definition refers...
Many of us assume that sparkling wine is just another name for Champagne, but really, the definition refers specifically to the production process.
"Sparkling wine is any wine that has gone through a secondary fermentation," says Dave Cedrone, a wine consultant who offers private tasting, basic wine education, etiquette classes, and buying services for the restaurant industry.
"Sparkling wine is any wine that has gone through a secondary fermentation," says Dave Cedrone, a wine consultant who offers private tasting, basic wine education, etiquette classes, and buying services for the restaurant industry.
"What happens is that when you originally make wine you put all the juices into large containers and you add ingredients to start the fermentation process of the juices. That's the beginning stages of a normal production of what we would call still wine. Later, if you do that process again and you ferment the wine again it will start to bubble as it becomes oxygenated and that's what creates sparkling wine."
Grapes are also harvested earlier for sparkling wines to keep the alcohol levels low. They will increase when the additional fermentation takes place.
Later in the process, sugar and yeast are both added. This promotes the next fermentation and forms the carbon dioxide bubbles.
Cedrone admits, sparkling wine production wasn't always so calculated.
"I think most people generally agree that the first champagnes made were a mistake. Someone fermented it twice by accident and realized that they had something on their hands that might actually be good."
Now, sparkling wine and champagne are among the most popular varieties served during special occasions around the world such as weddings, New Years parties and other celebrations.
Typically served in a flute-style glass, sparkling wine is traditionally sweeter than still wine, and pairs well with a wide range of meals and desserts. It's also the most popular wine used to make toasts.
The main distinction of sparkling wine is not how it's made, but where it came from, Cedrone says.
"Sparkling wine from California is the same as sparkling wine from the Champagne region of France,they are both wines that went through a secondary fermentation process. Generally speaking, sparkling wine just means a wine with bubbles or champagne depending on the region that it comes from."
It is important to note that there is a specific rule for referencing sparkling wine, if it did not originate in that famous area of France.
Cedrone explains "If it comes from the Champagne region of France you call it champagne. If not, you are not supposed to use that term. It would be illegal for people in other regions of France to use that term."
Champagne makers go to lengthy measures to ensure the quality of the drink is up to par. They use dark bottles to protect the contents from light and thicker glass than regular wine bottles, to preserve the bubbles.
There are also extreme climate changes in Champagne, France, that effect the way that their grapes are harvested. Because of its geographical positioning between continental and oceanic conditions, the grapes grown in Champagne mature more slowly than they would in a similar vineyard in Italy or the United States.
Despite their distinction, Champagne and sparkling wines should be served in the same manner,always chilled, but not iced. The glass you present it in should not be chilled, but shaped in a way that promotes the bubbles and indeed makes the wine sparkle.
