Champagne vs. Sparkling Wine 101: What's the difference?

Yep, still cold outside. I think I'll stay right here in the warmth of my own home, and if I want something cool, crisp, and refreshing, I'll reach for a bottle of sparkling wine. Or maybe some champagne. Wait, I see that look on your face. You thought they were the same thing, right? Well, don't worry. I'll show you what the difference is on today's Quick Sips. Champagne is a sparkling wine, but not all sparkling wine is champagne. Are you confused? Well, here's the deal. Sparkling wine can be made anywhere in the world, Champagne can only come from one place, and that's the Champagne region of France. And it's got to be made according to some very strict laws, including what kind of grapes go in here and how long these bottles age before they're sold. Making true French champagne is a very time- and labor-intensive process. Everything is done by hand, and it takes years to produce a single bottle. That's often why they're so pricey. Back in the day, winemakers from around the world used to call their sparkling wine champagne. These days, it's a matter of respect. You don't call your wine champagne unless it's champagne. Other parts of the world have their own sparkling wines. They call them something different. For example, in Germany, they call it Zette. In Spain, they call it Cava, which means cave. It's one of my favorite wines. And this one right here, this is from my home state of Pennsylvania. The bubbles in a sparkling wine can say a lot about the quality of the wine itself. Typically, in a nicer bottle, you're going to find more bubbles, they're going to be smaller, and they're going to be smoother. In France, they refer to this as the mousse. And the finer the wine, the finer the mousse will be. Good thing I got my mousse glass here. Here's a little piece of trivia for you. In certain champagne houses, they actually count the number of bubbles in the bottle to make sure that they're upholding a certain quality standard. If you can't afford a nice bottle of champagne, don't worry, because they're making awesome sparkling wine all over the world. In fact, oftentimes, they're using the same methods and the same traditions as they do in champagne. In order to get the best sparkling wines, look for these terms on the bottle. Method champenoise or method traditionnelle. Okay, that's enough talking. It's time to start drinking. But before I go, I have one more thing to say. Let's throw out that old antiquated notion that you have to put your sparkling wines in a champagne flute. Just put them in a regular-sized wine glass because, well, it fits more wine. This Pennsylvania sparkling wine sure has a fine mousse. Now you know the difference between sparkling wine and champagne, right? So if you want regular wine, spirits, and food tips like this, subscribe to my YouTube channel, and I'll top you off with another quick sip every Tipsy Tuesday. Until then, grab yourself a bottle of bubbly and get your old fizz on, people.