All That Bubbles is Not Champagne

A brief guide to sparkling wines and the requisite classification drama

On a trip to northern California, a friend and I happened to drive past the Korbel Champagne winery and decided to stop in for a tasting.

There is a certain kind of person who, upon acquiring knowledge, also acquires the irrepressible urge to declare things that are inconsistent with that knowledge, “Wrong.” I am that kind of person, although I’ve entered recovery. But at that time, I was that kind of person to my core, and so my reaction to seeing the Korbel Champagnes winery was, “Wrong.” Champagne comes from Champagne, a region of France. How dare they?

Fortunately our tasting included an explanation of the 100 year-old loophole that allows Korbel - and only Korbel - to legally label their products as California Champagne. Which is not to say that they are recognized as champagne in France. Korbel also claims to make their California champagnes in the méthode champenoise, in the same way champagne is made, by fermenting the wine first in a barrel and then in a secondary fermentation in the bottle in which it will eventually be sold. But this is another area in which the legal loophole comes in handy, because technically sparkling wines made by this method outside of Champagne, France are supposed to use another name for it, usually méthode traditionelle.

Of course, most Americans are blissfully unaware of wine classification systems. Korbel is ubiquitous at brunches, weddings, and New Year’s Eve celebrations, and we just call it champagne without question. Meanwhile, sparkling wines of all kinds are becoming more popular on menus, so you might come across Prosecco, Cava, Crémant, sparkling rosé, Espumante, and more. Some of these wines are separated by obvious geographical roots, but origin isn’t the only thing dividing them.

So: my brief guide to major types of sparkling wine, along with some Wine Drama (one of the rare kinds of drama I really love) and notes about sparkling wines I particularly enjoy.

Champagne - As mentioned above, it must be made in the Champagne region, according to the specific rules of the appellation. (What’s an appellation? It’s a legally defined and protected area used to identify where the grapes for a particular wine were produced, and may include other restrictions about how the grapes are grown, what grapes are used, and how the wine is made.) The first fermentation in a barrel or tank is followed by a second in the bottle, in which yeast and sugar are added to the wine and then capped with a bottle cap and left to ferment slowly, producing alcohol and the carbon dioxide that causes the signature bubbles. As the wine ages, it is stored upside down at an angle and turned regularly (called riddling) so the sediment floats to the neck of the bottle, where it can later be removed through disgorging, or freezing the neck of the bottle so all that dead yeast cell sediment forms a little plug that is expelled by the pressure of the carbon dioxide in the bottle. Finally they add a mixture of wine, sugar, and liqueur to top off the bottle before corking it. That mixture is called the dosage, and the recipe is often kept Top Secret, but the amount of sugar in it determines how they classify the sweetness.

Crémant - Basically, sparkling wine that is made in the same method as champagne, but in parts of France that are not Champagne. They are also allowed to use different grape varietals than the Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier used in champagne.

Cava - Also made using the method used for champagne, but in Spain! And with Spanish grapes! Cava is its own appellation, and although it can be produced anywhere in Spain, almost all of it comes from Penedés in Catalonia. Wine drama: a few producers in that area have recently bucked the restrictions of the Cava Regulatory Board and are now making premium sparkling wine called Corpinnat. Although I have no specific recommendations because I’m not sure what is available in the U.S. at this point, I haven’t had a bad one yet.

Espumante is the same process, but from Portugal.

Prosecco - First of all it’s less tightly controlled and can be made anywhere, although most of it comes from Veneto, Italy. Second, the fermentation happens in large stainless steel tanks, rather than in individual bottles. It’s also not usually aged as long as champagne, and the easier and shorter production time may not make for an equally complex wine, but it definitely makes a more palatable price tag.

Other sparkling wines - Back when I had only had Korbel and equivalent, I thought I didn’t like sparkling wine. It was too sweet, and left me with a raging headache. Needless to say, the problem was the quality of the wine (no offense to my friends serving champagne-ish at their weddings), not the whole category of sparkling wine. The bubbly that brought me ‘round was Iron Horse Vineyards.

I’ve had the privilege of visiting several times now, and if you get the chance - GO. The best place to drink their excellent sparkling wines is overlooking their gorgeous hillside vineyards, preferably on one of the days they bring in the Oyster Girls. But I’ve also seen them on more menus and shelves lately, and they’re easily available online.

A fun sparkling winemaker I’m currently enjoying is Carboniste. Their sprightly Albarino is a particular favorite, and I’m also a fan of their slightly lower price point. That said, you can generally expect to pay a bit more for a bottle of sparkling wine than you would for an equivalent quality still wine - unless you are okay with the resulting headache. Cheap bubbly tends to have more added sugar and artificially introduced carbonation, and your body pays for those things even if your wallet doesn’t.

On a final note, speaking of headaches: if you do ever make it to Korbel, make sure to try their shockingly good port.