What is the difference between wine and champagne?
Technically champagne is sparkling wine from the Champagne district of France, all other “champagnes” are just sparkling wine. Regular wine is not carbonated. Champagne is very tedious to make in relationship to wine First Fermentation. After the grapes are pressed, they are stored in stainless steel vats – though occasionally this is done in oak barrels – to undergo the first fermentation. This process yields a still wine. Blending. After the first fermentation is complete, the still wine is blended by the cellar master with various other base wines. This produces a blend that will match the house style, and can include as many as 70 different base wines – each adding a distinct quality to the blend. For non-vintage Champagne, a certain amount of reserve wine (wine set aside from previous harvests) is added as well. It is this carefully-managed task that lends a consistent character to each Champagne house. Second Fermentation. Once the blend is complete, it is bottled, and a mixture
