Champagne

Champagne is a type of sparkling wine which is produced in a specific region in the northeast of France, called the Champagne wine region. A wine can only be labelled as Champagne if its production meets specific vineyard practices, detailed below, and the grapes that make the wine are sourced from designated places in the Champagne wine region.

That’s the short answer. But there are many more interesting facts to learn about Champagne wine, including how it’s made, the grape varieties used, and how other sparkling wines made in the traditional method can be very similar

Champagne is a sparkling wine which means that it contains noticeable levels of carbon dioxide that cause the wine to be fizzy and to give that distinctive “pop” when it’s opened. The sparkling element can be seen in the characteristic bubbles of the wine, which is why Champagne and other sparkling wines are often called bottles of “bubbly”

What Grape Is Used For Champagne?

So what is Champagne made of? Like all wine, it is made from grapes. But, these must be a specific variety from one of the specific wine-producing districts of the Champagne wine region.

The most common grape variety used for Champagne is the white Chardonnay. Darker-skinned grapes like Pinot Noir or Pinot Meunier can also be used. These are generally considered “red wine grapes” but actually produce a white base in Champagne production because of the absence of skin contact in fermentation.

Champagne Types

The majority of Champagne manufactured currently is a blended variety of grapes from different harvest years. These harvest years are referred to as a “vintage”. So, a Champagne made of grapes from multiple vintages is called “Non-vintage”.

If one year has a particularly bountiful harvest, the wine may just be made of 100% of this vintage, thus creating “vintage Champagne”. Vintage Champagne does not mean it’s very old!