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Sparkling Wines
Champagne
The benchmark for sparkling wine: a second fermentation in bottle followed by extended ageing on the lees.
In detail
- Origin
- Champagne, France.
- Major regions
- Montagne de Reims · Côte des Blancs · Vallée de la Marne
- Grapes
- Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier
- Flavour profile
- Green apple, lemon, brioche, toasted almond and chalky minerality.
- Body
- Light to medium
- Acidity
- High
- Sweetness
- Brut (dry) to Demi-Sec
Recommended Glass
Sparkling Wine Tulip
A slender bowl that widens in the middle and gently narrows at the top — the sommelier's preferred sparkling glass.
About this glass →Serving Temperature
6–9°C (43–48°F)
A little cooler than room temperature for reds; properly cold but not frozen for whites and sparkling.
Food Pairings
- Oysters
- Fried chicken
- Caviar
- Parmesan
- Smoked salmon
Notable examples & brands
- Krug Grande Cuvée
- Bollinger Special Cuvée
- Dom Pérignon
- Jacques Selosse