Break out the bubbly: Sparkling Wine 101 Get to know varieties, how Texas’ sparkling wine market continues to grow

The holidays are a time for celebrating, and Texas A&M Agrilife Extension Service experts say Texas sparkling wines are a buoyant option for toasting during gatherings or ringing in the New Year with friends and family.

Champagne vs. sparkling wine

All champagne is sparkling wine but not all sparkling wine is champagne.

Sparkling wine can only be called champagne if it comes from the Champagne region of France, located outside of Paris, and is made using chardonnay, pinot noir or pinot meunier grape varieties, explained Jim Kamas, Agrilife Extension fruit specialist based in Fredericksburg.

As the juice from crushed grapes ferments to become wine, carbon dioxide gas is formed as a byproduct of fermentation. If the gas is allowed to escape, the result will be a “still” or non-sparkling wine. But if at some point the process of fermentation is halted and the carbon dioxide gas is prevented from escaping, this will produce sparkling wine.

“In more recent years, winemakers in Texas have expanded into making sparkling wines,” Kamas said. “While the traditional grape varieties used in the production of champagne are the chardonnay and pinot noir, neither of those varieties are very widely planted in Texas.”

Sparkling wines come in both white and rosé styles with a wide array of flavors and aromas depending on the grapes used and winemaking practices employed, said Michael Cook, Agrilife Extension viticulturist, Denton. Grapes commonly being used to produce sparkling wines in Texas include roussanne, Marsanne, chenin blanc, viognier, chardonnay, pinot noir, trebbiano tuscano, blanc du bois