Whats the difference between Champagne and other sparkling wines?
At the legal level, the crucial difference is that in most countries, the only sparkling wines calling themselves Champagne must have been produced in that French region. At the technical level, the differences are less obvious. Many types of non-Champagne fizz are made using the méthode champenoise (or méthode traditionelle): by a seconday fermentation of still (flat) wine in the bottle, producing carbon dioxide gas as a by-product. This is a very simple explanation of the method. The more complicated difference between Champagne and the competition is quality. Champagne still is, at its best, the finest sparkling wine on earth. But wines from New Zealand, California, Australia and even England can compete with their French model. The final difference relates to image and – sometimes – to quality. Champagne is more expensive than any other sparkling wine. Whether it is worth that premium is a question you have to decide for yourself.
