Champagne

Champagne only comes from the Champagne region in northeastern France, and it has to be made by the traditional method: a still base wine goes through a second fermentation inside the bottle, which traps carbon dioxide and creates the bubbles. Sparkling wine made the same way elsewhere is not Champagne. It is called Crémant in other parts of France, Cava in Spain, Franciacorta or Trentodoc in Italy, and traditional-method or metodo classico further afield.

A grower Champagne is made by the same estate that farms the grapes, known in France as a récoltant-manipulant (you will see the letters RM on the label). A négociant house (NM) buys fruit from many growers and blends at scale. Grower Champagnes tend to reflect a specific village or plot and one farmer's choices in the vineyard, which is why they appeal to people who drink natural and small-production wine. This collection is built around them.

All three are sparkling, but they are made differently and in different places. Champagne and Cava (Spain) get their bubbles from a second fermentation in the bottle, which gives finer bubbles and a bready, brioche character from time on the lees. Most Prosecco (Italy) is made by the tank method, which is faster and keeps the wine fresher and more floral. Champagne comes only from its region in France; Prosecco and Cava each have their own.

These terms describe dosage, the small amount of sugar added after the wine is disgorged, measured in grams of sugar per liter. From driest to sweetest the official categories are: Brut Nature, also called Pas Dosé or Dosage Zéro (no sugar added, up to 3 grams per liter); Extra Brut (0 to 6); Brut (under 12); Extra Dry, also written Extra Sec (12 to 17); Dry or Sec (17 to 32); Demi-Sec (32 to 50); and Doux (over 50). Brut is by far the most common. One quirk worth knowing: Extra Dry is actually sweeter than Brut, despite the name. Lower-dosage bottles like Extra Brut and Pas Dosé show the wine and the site more directly, which is why many grower houses favor them.

Three grapes do most of the work: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Meunier. A Champagne made only from Chardonnay is a Blanc de Blancs; one made only from black grapes is a Blanc de Noirs. Rosé Champagne gets its color from a little red wine or brief skin contact. Four older varieties are also permitted: Arbane, Petit Meslier, Pinot Blanc, and Pinot Gris, and a few growers still work with them.

Serve it cold, around 46 to 50 Fahrenheit (8 to 10 Celsius), in a regular white-wine glass rather than a narrow flute, which traps the aromatics. Store bottles on their side in a cool, dark place. Non-vintage Champagne is ready to drink but will hold for a few years, and vintage and grower cuvées can age longer. Once opened, a stopper keeps it lively in the fridge for two to three days.