So you’re not a wine connoisseur but you do enjoy it on occasion, especially the “bubbly.” But as you’re walking down the isle, searching for a good bottle, you notice different words on the label for what appears to look like two similar products (minus the price, of course). One says “champagne” while the other says “sparkling wine.”

Hm. I’m not a rocket scientist but isn’t champagne just wine that’s carbonated?

Pretty much. Champagne is sparkling wine made in a region called, Champagne, France. Dating back from the 1700s, creating sparkling wine (wine that has been allowed to ferment and produce its own carbon dioxide, the “bubbly” part of champagne) has been a specialty of this region, therefore that is how the wine was named.

However, any sparkling wines made outside of the French region, Champagne, can only legally be sold as, “sparkling wine,” due to  European Union regulations, giving certain product protective rights in order to uphold the integrity and origin of the famous beverage.

So there you have it. They’re both the generally same although you may expect different flavors between the two due to variety of reasons, namely, the origin of the grapes used in production and even the process itself. Not to mention real, “champagne” will definitely cost you more.

Photo Credit bgvjpe. CC BY-SA 2.0

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