Do you know the difference between Champagne and Sparkling Wine?

Sharing or enjoying occasionally, the freshness that a good champagne or sparkling wine leaves in your mouth, is definitely a pleasant sensation.

These are two very popular types of wine, however, before choosing your favorite variety to toast, let us clarify a couple of concepts. Have you ever heard someone speak of champagne as a synonym for sparkling wines?

Surely more than once you might have made this mistake. Not many people know this, but there is a subtle difference between champagne and sparkling wine that marks the distance between both concepts. Do you want to know what is it about?

So what is the difference between sparkling wine and champagne?

In simple terms, we could say that all champagne is a sparkling wine. However, not all sparkling wines can be called champagne. The latter has some peculiarities that differentiate it.

This difference depends on a few aspects

Origin

Champagne is a sparkling wine with a specific appellation, or place of origin. It comes from the region of Champagne, in France. This place is famous for the sparkling wine they produce, which has managed to become popular all over the world.

To be considered champagne, in addition to being made in that particular French region, this type of wine must meet certain standards, which depend, among other things, on the grape varieties used to make it and the method with which it is produced.

Therefore, if you want to share a champagne or sparkling wine with your friends and loved ones, remember to look on the label to find out where it was made.

In general, those wines that are classified as “champagne” indicate this on the front of the label, so that it immediately stands out from other sparkling wines.

The grape variety

Another difference between sparkling wine and champagne is that, on the former, any grape variety can be used, which results in a great variety of sparkling wines with particular characteristics that differentiate them, allowing you to enjoy a delicious range of possibilities.

In contrast, champagne, whose production must follow stricter guidelines, only uses three types of grapes: Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay, which give it a characteristic and very distinctive flavor.

Production Methods

There are different methods of producing sparkling wine and this makes a difference between champagne and sparkling wine.

In the case of champagne, the traditional method or “champenoise” is used, which implies that the second fermentation takes place in the bottle, in contact with the yeasts for several months.

For its part, the production of sparkling wines can be based on other methods, among which the Charmat stands out. The main difference between champagne and sparkling wine is that, in Charmat, this second fermentation is done in stainless steel tanks, which highlights its freshness and gives it a more fruity style.

This is the method that Viña Cono Sur uses to make its most outstanding sparkling wines. Do you already know our varieties?

Enjoy the incredible flavor of our Sparkling Brut or the striking shade of Sparkling Rosé, and be surprised by the pleasant sensation of freshness that the Cono Sur Vineyards sparkling wines can offer you.