Elegant glasses, cheerful bubbles, sunny shades - sparkling wines have long been a part of any celebration. But how are they different from champagne? Alexey Mitrofanov, sommelier, expert of the L-Wine project will help us to understand this issue.
The history of sparkling wines goes back to the 16th century. We are talking specifically about sparkling, since the name "champagne" can only be used for wines from the Champagne region in France. Until 1936, this was not enshrined in legislation, so manufacturers could call any fizzy drink "champagne" without exception. Later, the Champagne Institute defined the boundaries of the region, variety, method and production technology. Of course, due to the high cost and high-quality marketing, the result is a rather expensive product.
However, many people like its taste, therefore, in different regions of the world, they everywhere began to come up with budget analogues, the most famous of which is Prosecco. We owe the appearance of this wine to three people - Federico Martinotti, who invented a method that significantly reduces the cost of the production process, and also Eugene Sharma and Anton Frolov-Bagreev, who improved it. Needless to say, the wine was far from being as subtle, deep and multi-layered as its progenitor. It is thanks to the combination of price and quality that it has gained great popularity.
By the way, Prosecco is also a geographical name. Only, unlike Champagne, it is not protected in any way, so anyone can call their product "prosecco" - from Paris Hilton to the St. Petersburg sparkling wines factory. By the way, the main variety used to make Prosecco is glera. Also, the wine is produced in a less "sparkling" version - "Prosecco frizzante" or "pearl prosecco".
Another representative of sparkling wine is Cava. We fell in love with this wine relatively recently, when we tasted the taste of Spain and local wines. Its production technology is very similar to Champagne, but thanks to the warmer climate, not so strict rules for aging and less aggressive marketing, this wine is very affordable. Unlike other sparkling wines, Cava is a category of drink (the word itself translates as "cellar" or a place for aging the wine), not a geographical name, so cava can be produced in 6 different regions, including the famous Rioja.
However, 95% of the total volume continues to be made in Catalonia. The main problem for the production is a rather hot climate, therefore, wines often turn out to be rather sugary, sharp and alcoholic.
You may be surprised, but there are many more variations on the Champagne theme: Cremana, Franciacorta, South African Сap Сlassique, German Sekt and even wines of the Krasnodar terroir. It is derived from the most popular sparkling wine, which was accidentally invented in the Cistercian monasteries near Reims.
As for the recommendations: do not be guided by the names, as there are many excellent sparkling wines in the world that you should definitely try and find your favorite among them.
