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The Perfect Sparkling Wine for the Holidays – Champagne
Champagne is the famous sparkling wine from the Champagne region in France. There sometimes exists some confusion about what gets classified as sparkling wine and what is called Champagne. Basically, unless it comes from the specific region in France, it cannot receive the name by French law. In Italy, sparkling wine is called Prosecco. In Spain, Cava. High quality sparkling wines also come from the United States, Australia, and New Zealand, among other locations. The minerals in the ground in each area will lend a different flavor to each region’s wines.
Sparkling wine, regardless of its name, comes from a specific method of fermentation that provides the legendary bubbles. The wine is made much like any other wine and aged in barrels. There is a second fermentation that takes place in the bottles after the vintner adds yeast and sugar, which then carbonates the wine. It is chilled, then corked to protect the bubbles. The Charmat method of making sparkling wine means the yeast and sugar is added to the fermenting tanks instead of the bottle.
Champagne is usually made from pinot noir, pinot meunier, or chardonnay grapes, though depending on the growing region, other countries may use different grapes in their sparkling wines. Blanc de noir refers to a wine made from dark wine grapes, such as a pinot, that are not allowed to keep their skins on during the wine making process. Contd..