Wine Word of the Week: Sparkling



By Kori ~ September 25th, 2008.

This week’s Wine Word of the Week is sparkling.

Official definition from Jancis Robinson’s The Oxford Companion to Wine:
Sparkling wine is wine which bubbles when poured into a glass, an important and growing category of wine. The bubbles form because a certain amount of carbon dioxide has been held under pressure dissolved in the wine until the bottle is unstoppered. Sparkling wine may vary is as many respects as still wine: it can be any wine colour…; it can be any degree of sweetness…; it can vary in alcoholic strength…; and it can come from anywhere in the world where wine is produced.

Layman’s terms from Kori:
Sparkling wine is the generic name for “bubbly.” The most well-known sparkling wine in the world is Champagne but it can only be called Champagne if it is produced in the Champagne region of France.


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