There's more to bubbly wine than just champagne! There are different types of sparkling wine from all over the globe that are made in a variety of ways. After tasting, you will see just how varied the bubbles can be.
Instructions
Identify Different Types of Sparkling Wine
1. Learn where Champagne comes from. Champagne is the most widely recognized sparkling wine in the world, and for good reason. It was in this region of France that the first sparkling wine was made, and it is only from the Champagne region of France that true Champagne can be made. It was also here that the most respected way to make sparkling wine was developed. It came to be known as Methode Champenoise, later changed to simply Methode Traditionale. Look at the label on your Champagne bottle and it should say one of these two phrases on the front. Champagne is made from a blend of three grapes: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. Although both Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier are red grapes, once they are crushed, the skins are removed immediately so no color bleeds into the juice.
2. Taste and understand Methode Traditionale. Open your bottle of champagne and pour it into the champagne flute. You will notice very small bubbles and a fine foam, or "mousse," that sustains for a while on top of the glass. This is due to the method it was made. In Methode Traditionale, the juice is fermented in a large tank, then transferred to bottles. Once in the bottle, a small amount of unfermented juice is added with a little yeast, and the bottle is capped. This starts a second fermentation inside the bottle. The fermentation releases carbon dioxide, and with nowhere to go, the gas is absorbed back into the wine, thus creating bubbles in the wine. The reason the bubbles are so small is because the small area that the gas is confined to created extremely high pressure, and the bubbles are forced to be smaller. Taste the wine. There will most likely be a yeasty quality to it, or as some wine professionals say "bready" or "biscuity" characteristics. This is from the close contact of additional yeast during the second fermentation.
3. Understand and taste Charmat Method. The second, and less expensive way of making sparkling wine is by the Charmat Method. This is how Prosecco is made. Prosecco is a sparkling wine from Northern Italy made from the Prosecco grape. Once pressed, the juice from the grapes go through a fermentation in a large tank. After that, a large amount of unfermented juice is added to the tank, along with more yeast, and the tank is sealed air tight. The second fermentation happens in the tank, creating a pressure situation where the gas is absorbed back into the wine again, then it is bottled. Because the pressure is not as great, the characteristics of the wine are very different. Pour a glass of Prosecco. You will see bubbles, but they will be big bubbles, and the mousse on top will dissipate quickly. Taste it. The flavors are fruity and simple. It is, no doubt, a fun party sparkler, but lacks the complexity and depth of a Methode Traditionale wine.
4. Taste Cava. Open your bottle of Cava and pour it. This is a sparkling wine from Catalonia, Spain made from a blend of grapes, the most important in the blend being Xarello, or Pansa Blanca. It is made Methode Traditionale, so the bubbles will be small, but the grapes that Cava is made from are less complex and full than those that make up Champagne. Taste it and you will get a little yeastiness, but it will be a bit lighter and less intense than the Champagne. It's flavor profile will most likely fall somewhere between the Prosecco and the Champagne.
5. Taste the Blanc de Noir. This sparkling wine is true California. The name references the fact that this is a white sparkling wine made entirely from red grapes, specifically Pinot Noir. In Champagne, it is illegal to make this and call it Champagne. All Champagne must have some amount of Chardonnay grape in it. In America, however, those rules do not apply. Pour it. One taste and you can see the difference. It is fruitier and more tart, but still retains a respectable toastiness. It may even have hints of under-ripe cherry. Remember, this is a sparkling wine made from a red grape.
Tags: made from, Methode Traditionale, sparkling wine, sparkling wine, Pinot Noir, second fermentation