If you are a wine lover, you probably have had a glass or two of Sparkling Wine in your life. But the labels on Sparkling Wine can be very confusing. With so many terms on their to unpack, how do you know the difference between a Champagne and a Prosecco by looking at the label? To help you understand what all the terms mean, here is an easy to follow guide on how to read a Sparkling Wine label and actually understand it. With simple step by steps, you’ll be a pro at popping bubbles in no time!
Step one: What type of sparkling is it?
This is probably the easiest thing to identify, as it will be prominent on the label in most cases. I find this is the thing I seek out first, and the other stuff I worry about later or ignore because I don’t understand it. Let’s be honest.
You can read more about the different types here, but in summary, the main types of Sparkling Wine you’ll find are:
- Champagne – the most well known Sparkling Wine, but not all Sparkling Wine is Champagne. Champagne is only Champagne if it is from the Champagne region in France. Generally, the price tags are higher, and you’ll see familiar brands
- Sparkling Wine – A catch-all for all of the wines that have bubbles. Even Champagne is Sparkling Wine, however, you’ll also find any wines that aren’t a particular type of Sparkling Wine will be called this as well. A lot of Australian wines with bubbles are Sparkling Wines, and as a result, you can get these for a decent price
- Prosecco – Originated in Italy but can be produced anywhere using the Clera grape. This means you can get some great Australian wines that are prosecco as well as great Italian ones too! The price range for proseccos is generally more affordable than Champagne.
- Cava – Comes from the Catalonia region in Spain and is made using the traditional method, like Champagne. However, it isn’t well known in Australia so often carries a very reasonable price tag
- Sparkling Rose – Like Sparkling Wine, this is a catch-all phrase for any wine with bubbles that has a pink tone, to put it in lamens terms
There are also a number of other types of Sparkling but there are too many to list here! You have the main ones you’ll encounter above.
Step Two: What region is it from?
The next thing I like to check is which region it is from, and I find this is also an easy task. This will always be listed on the bottle somewhere and will tell you whether that wine is from Italy or the Yarra Valley.
A couple of tips to help you out:
- If it’s a Champagne, it will be from Champagne, and this may be inferred (or in French). French wines won’t all be Champagne and could be from another region of France
- Prosecco doesn’t have to be from Italy to be labelled Prosecco, so make sure you check where it’s from. Wines from Italy can be cheaper than those of Australian producers, but it depends on what you prefer
- Look out for DOC or DOCG labels on wines from Italy to determine the cream of the crop (read more about this here)
- Similarly, with French wine that isn’t from Champagne, look out for the AOP classification
The region may not matter to you, and as long as the wine is great it doesn’t! But if you are looking for an authentic Sparkling Wine, be sure to check where it is from to match the type to the region.
Step Three: What method was used?
This is the part where it gets a little tricky, and some of the words may not make a whole lot of sense! Don’t worry though, your handy guide is right here.
Method refers to the way the Sparkling Wine was made, which can really impact its flavour. It may seem like something little, and can also seem a little stuffy, but it is worth knowing!
Traditional method
Might be written on the bottle as: Méthode Champenoise, méthode traditionnelle, Methode Cap Classique, Metodo Classico, klassische flaschengärung
Classic examples: Champagne, Cava, Crémant and Franciacorta
What it means
In 2015, the traditional method was awarded a UNESCO heritage in Champagne. This is one of the most well-known methods of developing Sparkling Wine and is the only method you’ll find used in Champagne. The biggest thing to remember with this method is that a still wine becoming sparkling occurs entirely in one bottle.
The grapes are picked and fermented into wine. They are then blended perfectly for the base of the Sparkling Wine and placed in bottles, along with some yeast and sugar. The second fermentation occurs after this as the yeast creates CO2 that causes bubbles. It then dies (yep, RIP the yeast that makes our sparkling wine…we love you). They then age the wine for as long as required for that type of wine. Whilst they age it, they do a process of riddling where bottles are aged upside down and turned to let the yeast settle. Once the wine is finished aging, they freeze the top, pop the yeast out, add wine and sugar to top it up, and bottle it to serve to us.
You know it is someone’s job in Champagne to manually turn the bottles? What a job! In Australia, I’ve seen a lot of wineries using machines to turn the bottles for them, which does seem more efficient but nowhere near as romantic.
Tank method
Might be written on the bottle as: Charmat Method, Metodo Italiano, Cuvée Close, autoclave
Classic examples: Prosecco
What it means
Unlike the traditional method of developing Sparkling Wine, the tank method uses tanks instead of individual bottles to ferment the wine. They go through the same fermentation processes, but put all the wine in a big tank. This makes it a lot more affordable as a method of winemaking.
The other characteristic of this method is that the wine is not aged, like in the traditional method. This means that the sparkling wines produced using this method often have fresher characteristics.
It is the perception that this method is used for cheap wines. However, increasingly wines are being made using the Tank method as it is far more affordable.
Transfer method
Might be written on the bottle as: Transversage
Classic examples: Sparkling Wine
What it means
The transfer method brings a bit of the Traditional and Tank method together. It requires the second fermentation and aging to be in bottles, however, when it comes to removing the yeast, the wine is placed into a tank and filtered. This is where the sugar and wine are added, or the dosage. It takes out the rather expensive and time-consuming steps of the Traditional method but also means that the wine can develop complex flavours. This is mainly used for small or large sized bottles of Sparkling Wine other than the standard.
How to tell this apart from the Traditional method on the bottle? It will say ‘Fermented in the bottle’ for this type of wine.
There are a couple more such as the Ancestral Method, the Carbonation Method and Continuous Method, but these aren’t as popular and to be honest I’ve never seen anywhere!
Step Four: How dry is it?
This is where I normally get really lost. I knew a little bit about the different types of names you could get on a Sparkling Wine bottle, but I didn’t know what all of them meant. It can be a bit confusing at the best of times, but especially because a lot of the terms are in French. I don’t know about you, but personally, I used to always laugh about wines being called ‘Brut’.
Each sparkling wine has a different sugar level, and this is denoted on the label. It’s measured by the grams of residual sugar per litre of wine.
Your guide to dry
There are four main types of dryness levels you might encounter on a label:
- Extra Brut (0-6 grams/litre) – This is the driest form of Sparkling Wine as not much additional sugar is added in the dosage, and the fermentation of the yeast has eaten most, if not all of the sugar. This is the dryest Sparkling Wine you’ll get. A good example of the type is Cava, and it pairs best with seafood like Oysters and Sashimi.
- Brut (0-12 grams/litre) – This tends to be the most popular which is why you’ll see it listed a lot. It is dry with a hint of sweetness so is quite pleasant to drink. Champagne often comes as a Brut, and it is best paired with cheese (well I guess we know what I’ll be drinking)
- Extra Dry (12-17 grams/litre) – You’d be forgiven for thinking that this one is drier than the two above, but it isn’t. It has a slight sweetness over that of the Extra Brut and Brut, but not enough to overpower the dryness. Prosecco is the best example of this, so antipasti is the way to go
- Demi-Sec (32-50 grams/litre) – Finally we have the dessert wine. This Sparkling Wine has a lot of sugar so you can really taste the sweetness. As such, it’s paired best with chocolate or cake
It really depends on your preference as to what you decide to buy, or what you’re eating. But if you know what the labels mean you’ll be more likely to be able to pick something you’ll love!
Step five: Which grapes have been used?
There are many different varieties that go into Sparkling Wine. Champagne will generally have a mix of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. Just because it has Pinot Noir doesn’t mean it will be red wine! However, there are plenty of other grapes being used to make Sparkling Wine, too many to list here!
When trying to understand the type of wine that is used in your Sparkling Wine, look for the following terms on the label:
- Cuvée – this refers to a blend of wines that makes up the base for the Sparkling Wine. It’s typically used when referring to Champagne
- Blanc de Blanc – This is French for white from white. This is a French term meaning the Sparkling Wine is made entirely from Chardonnay
- Blanc de Noir – Again, this is French for white from black. This is for Sparkling Wine made from Pinot Noir or Pinot Meunier or a blend of the two
- NV – stands for non-vintage. This means that the bottle of wine is made from a blend of wines from more than one year (vintage)
- Vintage – made from a specific year, so the year it is from should be specified on the label
The final word on how to read a sparkling wine label
I hope this article has helped you understand wine labels a little bit more. It can be confusing to understand everything on a Sparkling Wine label. To be honest, I didn’t realise when I started writing just how much is on one label! But if you understand all the elements, it’s much easier to make an informed decision. Hopefully, this post will help you pick out the bottle of sparkling wine of your dreams!
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