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Effervescence has been a quality that can occur during the fermentation process since the beginning of wine in ancient times. At times throughout history, carbonation in wine was considered a “wine fault” instead of a benefit, and was unattractive to many wine producers, particularly for the reason that they would lose a large percentage of their bottles to bursting. Throughout history the mysterious magic of bubbly wine has become much more of science, controlling the ratio of yeast to sugar, the timing of techniques of fermentation, stronger glass bottles and corking methods. Now we find many types of sparkling wines, and they can create a really fun experience. In this post we will list the main types of bubbly wines and some information about each.

Semi-Sparkling:
As you may assume, semi-sparkling wines have less bubbles than fully sparkling wine. This comes from a lower amount of sugar and yeast at the time of bottling, therefor less in bottle fermentation occurs, still providing some carbonation but less gas and less pressure in the bottle, leading to less bubbles. These can be a fantastic option if you are looking for some interesting effervescence without the mouth full of bubbles that a classic fully sparkling wine provides. Some varieties of semi-sparkling wine includes, Italian Frizzante, French Pétillant, and German Spritzig.

Champagne:
The most well-known type of sparkling wine is Champagne. These are bubbly wines from the Champagne region of France. Generally a blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier grapes produced in a certain classic style that is particular to the region. This region has limestone-chalk soils and a long growing season, cooler climate, where the grapes are slower to ripen. Class Champagne production includes the process of disgorgement which is the removal of leftover yeast and sugar particles after the in bottle fermentation is complete.

Crémant:
Also hailing from France, this sparkling wine got it’s name Crémant, meaning creamy, do to its lower carbon dioxide pressure given it a smoother, less sharp and fizzy feel in the mouth. Many Crémants today have higher carbonation than in the past but are still made using traditional champagne style methods. In France there are eight appellations for sparkling wine that have Crémant in their name, Crémant d’Alsace, Crémant de Bordeaux, Crémant de Bourgogne, Crémant de Die, Crémant du Jura, Crémant de Limoux, Crémant de Loire and Crémant de Savoie. Other Crémant designations outside France include Crémant de Luxembourg and Crémant de Wallonie (Belgium). All of those ten appellations follow specific guidelines to be official Crémant wine. Other than Champagne and Crémant you can find other types of bubbly wine from France, you’ll see the word “mousseux” which is French for “sparkling.”

Pet Nat:
Short for Pétillant Naturel, Pet Nat wines tend to be less bubbly than the classic champagne style. You'll often find Pet Nat wines to be topped with a crown cap like a beer bottle, rather than the traditional cork. Many of these wines, especially here at The Natural Wine Company will be less filtered, cloudy, and have some interesting more funky notes than other classic sparkling wines. The process to make a Pet Nat predates the champagne method, instead of adding more yeast and sugar when bottling for a second fermentation, these wines are bottled before fermentation is finished, so the wine is completed in the bottle, sealing in the carbon dioxide. Pet nat wine can be found being made from many different grape varietals, you'll see white, rosé, orange wines and reds as well.

Cava:
The traditional sparkling wine from Spain is called Cava. Cava comes from the latin word for “cave” as the original Cava wine was bottled and went through its second fermentation in caves. Along with using champaign style methods, there are only six grape varietals that may be used; Macabeu, Parellada, Xarel-lo, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Subirat. Cava is produced and labeled with a scale identifying dryness and sweetness; Brut Nature, Brut (extra dry), Seco/Seco (Dry), Semisec/Semiseco (medium), and Dolc/Dulce (Sweet).

Italian Sparkling Wine:
The five most common sparkling wines hailing from Italy are Prosecco, Franciacorta, Asti, Lambrusco and Trento DOC. Look for the Italian term for sparkling “Spumante” for full bubbles and for semi-sparkling, look for the word “frizzante.” Particularly in Prosecco, you can find both styles. Asti sparkling wine, from the Asti region is most commonly produced with the Moscato grape and typically is made slightly sweeter than most, with lower alcohol content. The Franciacorta region is home to the largest segment of Italian sparkling wine production, made mostly using Chardonnay and Pinot Bianco grapes.

Sekt:
A German term for some sparkling wine, Sekt, is produced using the Italian Charmat method which includes the rule that carbonation must be produced through fermentation and gas cannot just be added separately. Sparkling wines from Germany with bubbles added, will often be labeled as Schaumwein, which translates to “foam wine.” In Austria, Sekt is often produced from the grapes Welschriesling or Grüner Veltliner, and sparkling Rosé often from the grape Blaufränkisch.

From the Soviet Union you’ll find a sparkling wine called Sovetskoye Shampanskoye, translating to Soviet Champagne, which was mostly found sweet but now can be dry or semi-dry. Countries that still use this term include Georgia, Armenia, Belarus, Moldova, Russia and Ukraine.

In the United States and Canada, you can find many types of sparkling wines that are made using the European methods. First being developed in California, but now in many states and provinces. The success of the Riesling grape in the finger lakes of upstate New York has been the source of some nice local sparkling wines just hours away from New York City. Other New World sparkling wines come from Australia, Chile and South Africa.

Red Sparkling:
Most sparkling wines are made from white or rosé wine but there are several regions and grape varietals where it is common to see a carbonated red wine. Italy has the longest tradition of red sparkling wines, most notably Lambrusco and Brachetto. In Italy, other bubbly reds include Gutturnio, Bonarda and sparkling Barbera. In Australia, the shiraz grape is very commonly found as a flat red wine, but many wine makers are choosing to facilitate a second fermentation in the bottle producing a bold red sparkling wine. Sparking Rosé wines are very popular and most often are produced with red grapes that are pressed and separated quickly from the skins and seeds.

Sweetness:
The main way used around the world to identify the sweetness of a sparkling wine is by European Union Guidelines. The least sweet being Brut Natural or Brut Zéro which demands fewer than 3 grams of sugar per liter, Extra Brut has less than 6 grams of sugar per liter and Brut has fewer than 12 grams of sugar per liter.

At the Natural Wine Company we are always finding and stocking a variety of natural sparkling wines from all over the world.

Click here to view our current collection of sparkling wine.