Sparkling wine has an interesting reputation.
It is either seen as celebration-only wine or squeezed into one of three mental boxes: Champagne, Prosecco, or “bubbles”.
In reality, sparkling wine is one of the most diverse and misunderstood wine categories out there. It can be bone dry, fruity or sweet. Sharp and precise or soft and rounded. Some bottles are made slowly, with patience and intent. Others are made to be fresh, easy, and opened without overthinking. And it’s a style of wine that can play a role in more moments that we think.
One category. Very different wines.
So let’s explore the diversity of Sparkling wine. We’ll focus on the types and methods here (not grapes).
What Is Sparkling Wine?
At its simplest, sparkling wine is wine with bubbles.
Those bubbles come from carbon dioxide that is captured during fermentation. What matters is how that happens. Some sparkling wines go through a slow second fermentation and long ageing. Others are made quickly to preserve freshness and fruit.
The bubbles may look similar in the glass, but the wines behind them are not.
Is Champagne the Same as Sparkling Wine?
No.
Champagne is a type of sparkling wine, but only wine made in the Champagne region of France, following strict rules, can be called Champagne.
All Champagne is sparkling wine. Not all sparkling wine is Champagne.
The name tells you where it comes from and how it is made, not just that it has bubbles.
Is Prosecco a Sparkling Wine?
Yes. Prosecco is a sparkling wine from Italy.
Most Prosecco is made using the tank method, which focuses on preserving fruit and floral aromas rather than developing aged, savoury flavours. That is why Prosecco often seems fresh, fruity and approachable.
It is worth remembering that quality varies. Prosecco is a style, not a guarantee.
Cava and Sekt: Two Other Sparkling Wines Worth Knowing
Cava is Spain’s traditional-method sparkling wine. Like Champagne, it undergoes its second fermentation in bottle. The differences come from grape varieties, climate, and regional character rather than method.
Sekt is the German-language term for sparkling wine, mainly used in Germany and Austria. It covers a wide range of styles, from simple everyday bottles to carefully made wines.
The word tells you the origin, not the level of quality, nor the making method.
Both Cava and Sekt sit outside the Champagne spotlight, but it’s worth noting both of these can be made at high quality for half the price of Champagne.
What Wines Are Considered Sparkling Wines?
Sparkling wine is a broad category. It includes wines made in many regions, from many grapes, using different approaches.
This includes:
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Champagne
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Prosecco
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Crémant
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Cava
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Sekt
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Cap Classique
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Pet-Nat
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And plenty of smaller regional styles
What links all of these wines is effervescence but how that effervescence is created differs widely.
The Six Main Methods of Making Sparkling Wine
If you want to understand sparkling wine, method matters.
There are six main methods used to make sparkling wine. Some involve two fermentations while others rely on just one. We’ll explain them in those two groups.
Methods with Two Fermentations
These methods all start the same way: a still base wine is made first. The bubbles come from a second fermentation, which traps carbon dioxide.
Traditional Method
Fermentation 1: Still base wine
Fermentation 2: Takes place in the bottle
This is the most labour-intensive method. The second fermentation happens inside each bottle, followed by ageing on the lees (dead yeast cells). This often leads to finer bubbles and more layered flavours, with notes like bread, toast, or brioche.
You’ll often see méthode traditionnelle on the label.
Used for wines such as Champagne, Cava, Crémant, Franciacorta, and Cap Classique.
Transfer Method
Fermentation 1: Still base wine
Fermentation 2: Takes place in the bottle
The start is the same as the traditional method: the second fermentation happens in bottle.
The difference comes after that. Instead of being finished bottle by bottle, the wine is emptied into a pressurised tank, filtered, and then rebottled.
This avoids riddling and disgorgement in individual bottles (per the labour intensive Traditional Method). It makes it cheaper and more efficient for larger-scale production, while keeping some of the character of bottle fermentation.
Labels often say bottle fermented.
Tank Method
Fermentation 1: Still base wine
Fermentation 2: Takes place in a sealed tank
Here, the second fermentation happens in large stainless-steel tanks rather than bottles. It’s faster and cheaper, and it preserves fresh, primary fruit aromas.
These wines are typically fruit-forward, with little to no bread or toast character.
Commonly used for Prosecco, Lambrusco, and most Sekt.
Asti Method
Fermentation 1: Begins in tank
Fermentation 2: Restarted in tank (not in bottle)
This method skips the idea of a finished still base wine. Fermentation begins in tank and is stopped early by chilling and filtration, leaving natural sweetness and low alcohol. It may then be restarted briefly to create bubbles.
It’s a highly controlled, technical process, mostly used for aromatic, lightly sparkling wines and often on a large commercial scale.
Methods with One Fermentation
These methods don’t rely on a separate second fermentation to create bubbles.
Ancestral Method
Fermenting grape juice is bottled before fermentation is finished, trapping carbon dioxide in the bottle. There is no second fermentation.
These wines are often not disgorged or filtered, which is why they can appear cloudy. They’re commonly called pét-nat.
Carbonation
Carbon dioxide is added directly to the wine, much like soft drinks.
There is no secondary fermentation involved in creating bubbles.
This method is rarely used for quality-focused wines and generally produces larger, less persistent bubbles.
Why this matters
Each method creates a very different style of sparkling wine. Creamy and complex to fresh and fruit-driven. Precise to deliberately wild.
Once you understand the method, the label and taste experience starts to make a lot more sense. And choosing a sparkling wine becomes far less of a gamble.
Coming soon. Part 2 - Grapes and Sweetness levels.
To explore our Sparkling wine range, click here.
