Sparkling Wine Vs Champagne

Sparkling wine vs champagne can be a tricky discussion. This is because they are as different as they are alike. Read on to know all about champagne vs sparkling wine.
Sparkling Wine Vs Champagne
If fleeting around to top notch parties is a part of your lifestyle, then you know the importance of knowing the right things. As such, I am sure you know how embarrassing it would be to mistake one alcohol for another. Well, with the difference between sparkling wine and champagne being quite difficult to find, this differentiation should be known well. Let's figure out the exact difference between the two. Presenting sparkling wine vs champagne.

What is Sparkling Wine?
When trying to figure out points for the sparkling wine vs champagne argument, it is important to know both sides of the coin. As such it is important to know about sparkling wine as well as champagne. Let's start with sparkling wine. Sparkling wine is white wine which has carbon dioxide, making it fizzy and bubbly. This carbon dioxide may be a result of two methods. Firstly, by natural fermentation or by carbon dioxide injection. In fact, one of the most well-known examples of sparkling wine, is champagne. However, there are other types. Like, Espumante produced in Portugal, Cava produced in Spain, Cap Classique produced in South Africa and Asti produced in Italy. In Italy, all sparkling wines are generically known as Spumante. Other than France, sparkling wine can be made by either of the two methods (natural fermentation or carbon dioxide injection). Sparkling wine is consumed all over the world and is associated with class and panache. Anyone knows that a celebration party in incomplete without a bottle of delicious sparkling wine.

What is Champagne?
Champagne is a region in France. The sparkling wine produced from the grapes in that region is known as Champagne. It is a law that dictates, that all champagne must be made by the traditional natural fermentation method. Champagne is indeed a sparkling wine. One could say that all the champagne in the world is sparkling wine, but all the sparkling wine in the world in not champagne. That's the perfect answer to the champagne vs sparkling wine question. Champagne through history has been associated with luxury and power. Even today, no celebration would be complete without the opening of a champagne bottle. It is normal for a wedding to have several points of time when the champagne glasses are clinked to get the bride and groom to kiss. As such, if you are wondering which is the best type of sparkling wine, well champagne would get the title. Champagne is a white wine, and is sweet as compared to red wine which is slightly sour. You can also read about different types of wine.

Sparkling Wine and Champagne Info
Just to go an extra mile, beyond just sparkling wine vs champagne for my dear readers, I have decided to tell you about the types of sparkling wine or champagne on the premises of their sweetness.
  • Extra Brut (Brut Sauvage): This type of sparkling wine or champagne is not sweet at all, and is dry to drink.
  • Brut: This type is not as dry as extra brut. But, it is not that sweet either.
  • Extra Dry: This type is medium in dryness. Extra dry is sweeter than brut.
  • Sec: This kind of champagne is slightly sweet and not that dry either.
  • Demi-Sec: This type is fairly sweet and barely dry.
  • Doux: This is the sweetest kind of sparkling wine or champagne. In fact, it is not at all dry.
So, in my attempt to ascertain an answer to the sparkling wine vs champagne debate, I am at a loss. The two are the same. However, one could say that champagne is a subset of sparkling wine, and a sinfully delicious one. So, enough of champagne vs sparkling wine. Just go get a drink! This is where I sign off! Have fun!

By Rashida Khilawala
Published: 11/6/2009
 
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