What's the difference?
Sparkling wine and Champagne
What’s the difference between Champagne and sparkling wine? Here’s the lowdown to help you choose the perfect bottle for your next special moment or celebration.
The Origins of Sparkling and Champagne
The term sparkling wine broadly encompasses any style of bubbly produced around the world. If you’re popping a cork at a celebration, chances are it’s a sparkling wine. It includes Australian sparkling, French Champagne, Italian Prosecco, Spanish Cava, and many more sparkling wine styles. This diversity of regions and varieties brings a wealth of unique styles and flavours to explore.
The term Champagne specifically refers to sparkling wine from the Champagne region of France. With a long history dating back to the 17th century, the production of sparkling wine in Champagne is steeped in tradition and stringent regulation of grape varieties and winemaking methods. The term Champagne can only appear on the label if the wine is both from the region and produced following all regulations.
Where Traditional Craftsmanship Meets Sparkling Innovation
Champagne is crafted using the Traditional Method, or ‘Méthode Traditionnelle.’ This process involves two fermentations, the second of which takes place in-bottle, to create fine, persistent bubbles and complex flavours. The Traditional Method was awarded UNESCO heritage status in 2015, highlighting its cultural significance.
Sparkling wine producers outside of Champagne have also embraced this method with remarkable success, but freedom from Champagne’s strict regulations allows for greater experimentation and innovation. This results in unique and exciting local gems for wine lovers to discover.
At CHANDON Australia, we have an extensive range of méthode traditionnelle sparkling wines, but our winemakers have the freedom to explore the best methods available to achieve the aromas and flavours they envision. While we use méthode traditionelle for our elegant CHANDON Vintage Brut, we craft our vibrant CHANDON Ancestrale Rosé in the ancient méthode ancestrale to achieve a truly unique sparkling wine. We have a global family of winemakers across six countries, exploring unique winemaking methods in Argentina, Brazil, California, Australia, China, and India.
The Grapes that Make a Difference
Premium sparkling wines can use any grape variety desired, allowing winemakers to enhance diversity and creativity in the sparkling winemaking community. Sparkling wines from Australia's Yarra Valley showcase flavours that reflect our unique region, as do other regions around the world. Our CHANDON Pinot Shiraz is a uniquely Australian style of sparkling red wine and always a hit with guests.
Champagne is restricted to just seven grape varieties. Traditionally crafted from three well known varieties: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier and less commonly with Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Petit Meslier and Arbane. At CHANDON Australia, we predominantly use the first three varieties, have small plantings of Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, and Petit Meslier, and expect our first Arbane grapes in the coming years.
Elevate Any Moment
While Champagne is a safe bet for a special occasion, sparkling wine's innovative spirit invites you to venture beyond the traditional into a world of possibilities. Enjoy them at celebrations, milestones, or any time you want to make the moment sparkle.
What's the difference?
Sparkling wine and Champagne
What’s the difference between Champagne and sparkling wine? Here’s the lowdown to help you choose the perfect bottle for your next special moment or celebration.
The Origins of Sparkling and Champagne
The term sparkling wine broadly encompasses any style of bubbly produced around the world. If you’re popping a cork at a celebration, chances are it’s a sparkling wine. It includes Australian sparkling, French Champagne, Italian Prosecco, Spanish Cava, and many more sparkling wine styles. This diversity of regions and varieties brings a wealth of unique styles and flavours to explore.
The term Champagne specifically refers to sparkling wine from the Champagne region of France. With a long history dating back to the 17th century, the production of sparkling wine in Champagne is steeped in tradition and stringent regulation of grape varieties and winemaking methods. The term Champagne can only appear on the label if the wine is both from the region and produced following all regulations.
Where Traditional Craftsmanship Meets Sparkling Innovation
Champagne is crafted using the Traditional Method, or ‘Méthode Traditionnelle.’ This process involves two fermentations, the second of which takes place in-bottle, to create fine, persistent bubbles and complex flavours. The Traditional Method was awarded UNESCO heritage status in 2015, highlighting its cultural significance.
Sparkling wine producers outside of Champagne have also embraced this method with remarkable success, but freedom from Champagne’s strict regulations allows for greater experimentation and innovation. This results in unique and exciting local gems for wine lovers to discover.
At CHANDON Australia, we have an extensive range of méthode traditionnelle sparkling wines, but our winemakers have the freedom to explore the best methods available to achieve the aromas and flavours they envision. While we use méthode traditionelle for our elegant CHANDON Vintage Brut, we craft our vibrant CHANDON Ancestrale Rosé in the ancient méthode ancestrale to achieve a truly unique sparkling wine. We have a global family of winemakers across six countries, exploring unique winemaking methods in Argentina, Brazil, California, Australia, China, and India.
The Grapes that Make a Difference
Premium sparkling wines can use any grape variety desired, allowing winemakers to enhance diversity and creativity in the sparkling winemaking community. Sparkling wines from Australia's Yarra Valley showcase flavours that reflect our unique region, as do other regions around the world. Our CHANDON Pinot Shiraz is a uniquely Australian style of sparkling red wine and always a hit with guests.
Champagne is restricted to just seven grape varieties. Traditionally crafted from three well known varieties: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier and less commonly with Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Petit Meslier and Arbane. At CHANDON Australia, we predominantly use the first three varieties, have small plantings of Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, and Petit Meslier, and expect our first Arbane grapes in the coming years.
Elevate Any Moment
While Champagne is a safe bet for a special occasion, sparkling wine's innovative spirit invites you to venture beyond the traditional into a world of possibilities. Enjoy them at celebrations, milestones, or any time you want to make the moment sparkle.
