| p>For Dom Pérignon and his | | | | champagne Cava, or Cellar. South Africa uses the |
| contemporaries, sparkling wine was not an | | | | term Cap Classique or Cape Classic and Germany |
| intended and desired end product. Instead it was a | | | | calls them Sekt, and then there is the Asti |
| sign of poor wine making, a sign that showed | | | | Spumanti from Italy. |
| there was something done during the process of | | | | The best and most expensive champagne is the |
| wine making that went wrong and made the wine | | | | prestige champagne also known as "tetes de |
| go bubbly. They christened this unstable wine the | | | | cuvee." These are produced from the finest |
| "mad wine." | | | | vineyards, usually grand cru vineyards that a wine |
| Champagne is a region in France that has been | | | | house has at its disposal. The prestige cuvees |
| important in history through the ages for various | | | | undergo a closely monitored and long fermenting |
| reasons, with wine being the one that comes | | | | process before being readied for the market. A |
| immediately to mind. The bubbles in champagne | | | | tetes de cuvee is an expensive wine to produce |
| are a natural process arising from the region's cold | | | | as it is left to age for a very long time. The 1995 |
| climate and short growing season. In the natural | | | | Charles Heidsieck Blanc des Millenaires, which retails |
| process, cold winter temperatures stop the | | | | for $90 is excellent champagne that was released |
| fermentation process and as spring steps in the | | | | 10 years after it was made. |
| fermentation restarts. This leads to the formation | | | | Vintage champagne get labeled as vintage |
| of carbon dioxide inside the bottle. It is this | | | | because they are from a single year's worth of |
| trapped carbon dioxide that gives champagne its | | | | grapes. Unlabeled or non-vintage bottles are from |
| sparkle. | | | | a blend of several different years and have their |
| Champagne is made from Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, | | | | own charm. Pol Roger, Veuve Clicquot, |
| Muscat and other grapes. Several different types | | | | Perrier-Jouet, Piper-Heidsieck, Pommery, Taittinger |
| of champagne are available in the market. Brut is | | | | and Mumm Cordon Rouge are names of large, |
| the driest, and considered the "standard" for | | | | well established houses, and their wines are fairly |
| champagne. Other varieties are extra-dry, Sec | | | | easy to find. |
| (which is sweet), and Demi-Sec, which is even | | | | Experts advise chilling the champagne for a few |
| sweeter. | | | | hours in the fridge before serving. Champagne |
| Any wine resembling champagne is called | | | | should ideally be served in tall, narrow-necked |
| "sparkling wine" when it is sourced from outside | | | | glasses, called flutes. Wide brimmed glasses |
| France. Sparkling wines are sourced from several | | | | damage both the bubbles and the flavor of |
| other places all over the world. Spain calls its | | | | champagne. |