Types of Sparkling Wines
As a group, sparkling wines are characterized by carbon dioxide (CO2) bubbles in the wine that are released when the bottle is opened. The rising bubbles catch the light and the wine appears to “sparkle”. This carbonation in the wine can be created by several different methods. The wines are usually light to medium-bodied and of moderate acidity.
Types of sparkling wines include:
Champagne – This wine must come from the Champagne region of France and the carbonation is produced by a second fermentation of grape sugar in the bottle. If produced in France outside of the Champagne region, they are called Crémant.
Cava – Cava is a sparkling wine, usually from the Barcelona region of Spain.
Prosecco – This is an Italian sparkling wine and it is lower in alcohol than most wines, with good acidity and a creamy flavor.
Moscato from northern Italy is a low alcohol, perfumey and spicy sparkling wine while Franciacorta is a traditional champagne-like sparkling wine from central Italy.
Sparkling wines from America and other countries are often made similar to French Champagne but they cannot be called “Champagne” which is a protected or trademark name for sparkling wines produced in the Champagne area of France.