Everything You Need to Know About Sparkling Wine
(Champagne’s Younger, Cooler Cousin!) Here’s your cheat-sheet to becoming a bubbly pro!
Myth: sparkling wine and champagne are interchangeable terms. Reality: not really! Here’s the deal: while all champagnes are sparkling wines produced from the Champagne region of France, a sparkling wine is basically aerated white wine, which may or may not be the former, depending on its area of origin. For instance, Spain’s sparkler is called Cava, Italy’s bubbles come in Prosecco and Moscato d’Asti, and French sparkling wines from everywhere outside of Champagne are called Cremant. They’re distinguished from other wines based on the CO2 bubbles present, a result of fermentation. Now let’s move on to some nextlevel stuff, ladies...
Classification
As a rule, sparkling wine is categorised as extra brut, brut, extra dry, sec or demi-sec, depending on their sugar levels. While brut is the most popular variant and pairs well with food, extra dry works well as an aperitif, while demi-sec is usually had with fruit and dessert, as it complements the wine’s peculiar sweet taste.
The Money Stuff
Owing to its heritage, a bottle of champagne starts at ` 5,000, while a sparkling may be less pricey. Case in point: the delicious Chandon Brut stands at ` 1,200 (reason enough to pop open a bottle...or three!).
Serving Temperature
Sparkling tastes best when served chilled at a temperature between 7-10 degree Celsius. Store for two hours in the refrigerator or 20 minutes in an ice bucket before serving.