Everything You Need To Know About White Wines and Champagnes
In the world of wine, there are many choices to choose from. Depending on your palette and preferences, it may take some time to find the best wine to fit your tastes. There are multiple factors to consider, but the decision will lead you to a new field of knowledge and a great-tasting drink.
The Difference Between White Wine and Champagne
When learning everything you need to know about white wines and champagnes, you need to understand that both are of the same family, but not of the same vine. Any form of wine originated from fermenting grapes into alcohol and mixed to become the product that we eventually pour, so white wine and champagne classify as wine. However, the grapes they come from and the vineyard they grow in differ.
White wine in its many forms comes from the pulp of grapes from different vineyards across the world. But champagne comes from vineyards only local to the Champagne region of France. Both drinks have unique production methods, with champagne using only specific grapes and white wine using a large variety.
White wine comes from fermented grape juice mixed with other foods or liquids to make different white wines. Vineyards make champagne by using a unique process called méthode champenoise. The grapes ferment in alcohol and seal the liquid inside a bottle, giving champagne the bubbled feeling on your tongue. These two white wines may differ, but both have a list of qualities, types, and top brands that make them so popular.
Quality
The quality of wine should always be high because it affects the taste, smell, alcohol strength, and ingredients. Whether you plan on collecting or consuming, it’s essential to know why a bottle of wine is reputable.
Smell
The scent is the first thing you will sense before taking a sip of wine. The smell of wine can tell you many things before you even pour it into the glass. We make white wines with other ingredients, such as sugar, fruit, or other alcohol. By breathing in the smell, you can determine these ingredients and tell how well they blend if it’s difficult to distinguish between the scents. The amount of alcohol used will also carry through the air, which can help you prepare for how strong the drink will taste if you choose to drink it.
Taste
One of the more enjoyable parts of wine is the taste, which can vary from sour to sweet. As mentioned before, white wine is not just grapes but also other ingredients to add to the flavor. There are wines that will have slight hints of different fruits, smooth honey, and even mint. A fine wine will have a balanced flavor and not taste strong in more than one element.
Champagne will have a white grape taste mixed with alcohol, given those are the only ingredients used to make it. The bubbles can give an aftertaste that allows the flavor to linger. However, these bubbles will start to dissipate over time, which is wise to keep in mind when looking for rare champagne for sale.
Alcohol Content
The alcohol content in any alcoholic beverage is essential to understand the strength that the alcohol will have. However, the amount of alcohol shouldn’t take away from the flavors in wine. Depending on the type of white wine, you may have a more substantial alcohol content. For example, fortified wine has an average of 18-19 percent, while other unfortified wines have around 11-12 percent. Champagne will have an alcohol content of about 12.2 percent, which is a median level for most white wines.
Composition
Whatever goes into the wine will determine its overall quality. Every fruit adds a taste, and every drop of alcohol will give it more strength. Before indulging, you want to look into everything that went into making that wine, even the type of grapes from a specific vineyard.
Types
If you wish to understand everything you need to know about white wines and champagnes, you’ll need to know the various types of both. White wine and champagne have different types determined by the grapes used and the added ingredients.
Dry
A dry white wine has a shallow sugar content, and dry wine has two main components of acidity and alcohol, making it difficult to achieve a balanced flavor. Unlike most wines, it doesn’t require aging and has a crisp taste, which is excellent for people who aren’t looking for many unique flavors.
Sweet
Conversely, sweet white wine has a distinctly sweet flavor from the grape’s sugars before fermentation can finish. The sweetest wines will feel thicker as you drink too much sugar, changing the consistency.
Sparkling
Sparkling wine and champagne are similar to each other regarding their sparkling appearance in a glass. The only real difference is their production and the grapes’ region.
Rosé Champagne
A prominent type of champagne enjoyed in elite circles is rosé, made from a mixture of champagne and red wine. The blush color comes from a method called saignée, which involves leaving the clear juices of a grape in darker colored grape skins and letting the liquid become diluted.
Blanc de Blanc
This champagne comes from chardonnay grapes. The term is French for “white from white” since it makes white wine from white grapes.
Blanc de Noir
Opposite of blanc de blanc, blanc de noir comes from black grapes. You create it by mixing pinot noir and pinot Meunier to add a white grape flavor.
Vintage
The term “vintage” in white wine means that a wine comes from grapes harvested that year. The highest quality wines are vintage and have the word on the bottle.
Non-Vintage
If champagne is non-vintage, the grapes used come from different harvest years. These grapes produce unbalanced flavors, lacking quality.
Prestige Cuvée
Every vineyard in Champagne has a prestige cuvée, a term used to describe the best wine produced from that vineyard. This type could be any of the champagnes listed above.
Notable Brands
Every vineyard has its brand of wine that they produce and distribute, and these vineyards specialize in specific types of wines or champagne. If you plan on collecting wine or consuming it, you’ll want to keep in mind the aging process, the flavor balance, and what makes the brand so prominent.
White wine and champagne have details that make them so enjoyable. Both drinks come in many types, tastes, and styles. With this knowledge of the wine world, a person can find the finest tasting white wine by traveling the world and visiting a vineyard.
