Sparkling Wine 101

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LA Wine Fest 2012

Sparkling Wine 101

by Adam Haggerty

January 3rd, 2013

Well, the New Year is upon us and the only thing I can think to do is to drink a glass of bubbly and kiss off 2012 or thank it. Sparkling wine is usually the drink to celebrate all things good, but I say it’s like every other drink, it’s the “for every reason” liquid. So let’s really break down the sparkling stuff and understand its many names and regions.

The most common style of sparkling wine is a blend of several grape varieties and sometimes vintages in order to produce a consistent product from year to year. This is known as non-vintage sparkling. Sparkling wine made with grapes from one single year is known as vintage sparkling. The reason I keep calling it sparkling wine is because that’s exactly what it is. It can only be called Champagne if it is actually from the region of Champagne, France. It’s one of those things people say, like Band-Aid, Kleenex or Rollerblade. It’s a word that controls the product, but when ordering “Champagne”, you may actually be getting Prosecco, Cava or California Sparkling Wine. So let’s really break down the flute glass filler.

CHAMPAGNE: France
CAVA: Spain
SPARKLING WINE: California (U.S.A)
SPARKLING SHIRAZ: Australia
ESPUMANTE: Portugal
PROSECCO: Italy

These are probably the 6 most well known regions that produce sparkling wine, but obviously there’s a lot more regions than this and with many different names. In France and Italy alone you can find different names, mostly because they’re so strict on their appellation rules. For years California and France have lead the way in sparkling wine favoritism, but recently, Italian Prosecco has become quite the fan favorite. Why? I have no idea…alright, moving on. As you may or may not know, there are a few styles of sparkling wine and the price points for these different styles can get real crazy, I mean blow your mind crazy.

EXTRA BRUT: 0-6 Residual Sugar (Dry)
BRUT: 0-15 RS
BRUT EXTRA DRY: 12-20 RS
DRY: 17-35 RS
OFF DRY: 35-50 RS
SWEET: 50+ RS (Cuvee)
ROSE: Adding Pinot Noir to the blending process

I hope I helped with increasing your Champagne, excuse me, Sparkling Wine knowledge and that the next time you go out or hit up a party, you can check out the bottle and know what’s up. Also, in case you weren’t aware, sparkling wine is also a healthy choice regarding calories. Now get out there! Drink up! And most importantly, Enjoy!

Adam Haggerty

Follow me @AdamHaggerty

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