Bubbly 101

I never really thought that champagne would get so much airtime on my blog, but at a friend’s request, here is another post on bubbly.  I was asked to explain the differences between champagnes.  Example- what’s the difference between Brut and Dry?  What’s the difference between vintage and non-vintage?  The difference between champagne and sparkling wine?  And on and on.  So, here is my short guide to all things champagne.
First of all, champagne can only be called champagne if it is from the Champagne region of France.  Any other bubbly cannot bear the name champagne (there are a few exceptions, but they are very rare so we will ignore them for the moment).  So, first clue is that the word champagne on the bottle means that it is French.  Sparkling wine means it’s made in the style of champagne, but that it isn’t from that region of France.  It’s simple enough if you know to look for it.

Secondly, bubbly is rarely classified by vintage.  This is because sparkling wines are frequently made from a blend of grapes from several different vintages.  This allows producers to give the bubbly more different flavors, more complexity, and ultimately creates a more balanced drink.  Occasionally, a producer will release a vintage bubbly, this means that all the juice in the bubbly is from the same vintage.  This generally only happens in the best vintages and with the best grapes from that vintage.  With bubbly, style and producer are more important anyway, so let’s move on to the different styles you’re likely to come across.

The Brut, Dry, Doux, etc. that you are likely to find on a champagne bottle don’t refer to the varietal like they might with normal wine, rather they refer to the sweetness of the champagne.  I’ll list the types from least sweet to sweetest: Extra Brut, Brut, Extra Dry (or Extra Sec), Sec (or Dry), Demi-Sec, Doux.  So, Doux is the sweetest classification of bubbly you’ll find, Extra Brut the least.  I’d try several different levels of sweetness and see where you fall.  Most of what I see on the grocery store shelves range from Brut to Sec, so those might be a good place to start.

You should know what Rose refers to on a bottle of bubbly, if not, read my Pink Champagne post.  There are several other descriptions you might find on a bottle, so here are some common ones and what they mean.  Blanc de blancs refer to champagne made with Chardonnay grapes.  Blanc de noirs refers to champagne made with Pinot Noir grapes (it’s still lightly colored).  Prosecco, Asti, Lambrusco are all Italian takes on bubbly and hail from different Italian regions.  Moscato is likely a sweet, dessert like bubbly.  Cava is from Spain, and any bubbly with “sparkling wine” in its description is likely from a country that speaks English.

This is basically all I know about champagne.  The big thing is to try several different levels of sweetness to find what you like, and then at some point in your life, try a nice bottle of champagne; it really is something that everyone needs to try at least once.  I’ll leave with a fun fact.  There are about 50 million bubbles in the average bottle of champagne, but I’ve read that some scientists believe there are more like 200 million bubbles in a single bottle!  Either way, with each glass you pour, you are consuming more than a million bubbles!