How to Buy a Sparkling Wine

Sparkling wine is not champagne. Yes, champagne is sparkling, but it can be called champagne only if it comes from the region of the same name in France. Sparkling wine can come from anywhere. Sparkling wine is light and delicate in body, fresh and fruity in flavor and a fine accompaniment to nearly any meal.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Learn what puts the sparkle in sparkling wine. Carbon dioxide gas is imparted into white wine through either the Méthode Champenoise, the Transfer Method or the Charmat Process. Directly injecting carbon dioxide through carbonation is another method but only for the more inferior sparkling wines.

2. Know how to read the label. Brut means dry. Extra Brut means extra dry. These sparkling wines have very little residual sugar. The French term Sec means extra dry, Demi-Sec means half dry or semi dry and Doux means sweet.

3. Discover Italian sparkling wines. Referred to as Spumante, there are four types of Italian sparkling wines: Prosecco, Franciacorta, Asti and Moscato D́Asti.

4. Seek California sparkling wine. Anderson Valley, Green Valley, Russian River Valley and Carneros are considered the best appellations in California for sparkling wine production because of their cool climates.

5. Find out about Spanish sparkling wine. Called Cava, Spanish sparkling wines are produced in the northwestern region of Penedes.

Tips & Warnings

• Choose Freixenet, Cordorniu or Paul Cheneau for Spanish sparkling wines.
• Buy Domaine Chandon, Roederer or Domaine Carneros Le Reve if you are looking for California sparkling wines.
• Purchase Nina Franco's Rustico, Vietti or Rivetti if you are looking for Italian sparkling wine.
• Avoid inexpensive sparkling wines. These sparkling wines are overwhelmingly tasteless. Reserve them for your champagne punch, where the flavor of the wine doesn't really matter.

Resources

• Italian sparkling wine resource
• Winepros

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