Out of all types of wine, more than 40% of people in the United States prefer French wine the most. 

Sparkling wine made in France has become a favorite amongst wine lovers since it’s refreshing and bubbly. You can enjoy sparkling wine and champagne on any occasion without feeling sluggish. 

If you love sparkling wine, but don’t know much about it, there are some things to understand. Read below to discover some of the most unknown facts about sparkling wine, so you can enjoy each fizzy sip even more! 

1. You Don’t Need Special Glasses

One of the best parts about drinking sparkling wine is that you don’t need to buy more glasses! 

You can use standard wine glasses to drink sparkling options from. It’s often thought that flutes are appropriate for sparkling wine, but they can impact the oxygenation process. Wine glasses have a large enough opening to let your wine aerate. 

Champagne flutes make it challenging to smell the wine’s unique aromas. You can appreciate any kind of sparkling wine from a wider glass. You’ll save a lot of money and space in your bar cabinets using the same glasses. 

2. Waiting Isn’t Necessary

There’s a reason you won’t see people filling their wine cellars with sparkling wine brands.

Sparkling wine keeps convenience and cares in mind. When you open the bottle, you can trust that it’s already aged to perfection. You don’t have to wait years down the road or for a special occasion since it aged long enough before getting bottled. 

You should, however, invest in a good champagne stopper to preserve the flavors once the bottle gets opened. 

Most people don’t realize it, but champagne is technically sparkling wine.

Although champagne is a type of sparkling wine, it doesn’t encompass all of them. To be champagne, the wine must get made in France. French champagne gets developed in the northeastern region, which abides by strict regulations. 

There are many guidelines and rules when it comes to creating champagne. Sparkling wine is typically more affordable since it can be made in more locations. 

4. Keep Your Bubbly Out of the Fridge 

If you have a habit of putting your sparkling wine in the fridge or freezer, you’re impacting its quality. 

Sparkling wines typically go flat in colder temperatures because the cork starts to dry out. Once the cork starts drying, it will shrink and let in oxygen, impacting the quality of carbonation. Another reason you want to keep it out of the fridge is to prevent other aromas from nearby foods from entering the bottle. 

Store your sparkling wine and champagne bottles in the back of a cabinet or a wine cellar. You should also lay each bottle on its side so the cork always has access to moisture to stay sealed. 

5. Beware of Fermentation

If you’ve ever had an allergic reaction to wines, you may want to proceed with drinking with caution.

Champagnes and sparkling wine use fermented grapes to create their unique profile flavors in the barrel. After it’s removed from the barrel for bottling, it undergoes another phase of fermentation. Yeast is added at the end, which contributes to the bubbly popping in each bottle. 

People with mold allergies may have a hard time drinking this. Fortunately, many don’t have an allergy to sparkling wine. Get in the habit of taking small sips at the beginning to ensure you won’t have any issues. 

While being prepared, wine experts turn the bottles every 2 days during the fermentation process. Moving the bottles helps remove sediment, in large facilities, machines help with the movements. 

6. Prevent Light Exposure

Putting your sparkling wine in the cabinet or cellar is best since you want to limit its exposure to light.

To get the best sips from your bottles, you want to keep them away from sunlight and lamps since they can impact acidity levels. Amino acids will become unstable in the light and could create a bitter or unpleasant flavor. 

Do your best to keep your sparkling wines in a dry, cool place. If the temperatures fluctuate, you may want to find another storage option. 

7. Sparkling Wine Has Many Names 

Depending on where you are around the globe, sparkling wine might go by a different name.

For example, if you want to enjoy sparkling wine in Italy, you’d call it ‘Prosecco,” but in Germany, it’s ‘Sekt.’ Champagne and French sparkling wine are common terms when you are visiting France. American sparkling wine, however, is created much differently. 

Most people from Spain refer to sparkling wine as ‘Cava.’ No matter where you end up though, there is no shortage of bubbly wine. 

8. You Could Be Drinking a Blend of Grapes

Red grapes are often included in sparkling wine and champagne bottles. 

If you enjoy drinking Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, or Pinot Meunier, you’re getting red grapes. They are grown in the same region the bottles were created. Bottles that are labeled sparkling white wine only use white grapes in the recipes. 

As you try different bottles, you’ll discover which grapes are the most suitable for your palette. 

Pop the Cork with These Fun Facts

If you love wine but want to drink something bright and refreshing, sparkling wine can save the day. 

With an extra fermentation phase, sparkling wine develops aromatic bubbles that will keep the party popping. Learning more about your favorite drink can help you save money and time. You don’t have to let these wines age, but they do need proper storage. 

Make sure you check out our site for the latest content about sparkling wine and how to celebrate with champagne!