Champagne
Champagne is sparkling wine from the Champagne appellation in north-east France, made mostly from Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Meunier and given its bubbles by a second fermentation in the bottle it is sold in. It is about 12% ABV and nearly always sold as brut, with under 12g of sugar a litre. In a drink it brings acidity as well as fizz, the reason our Buck's Fizz, French 75 and Kir Royale name it first.
Quick Facts
Store bottles on their side in a cool, dark place. Chill upright before opening. Once opened, the Comité Champagne advises resealing it at once with an airtight metal stopper with a rubber ring; we keep it in the fridge.
Contains: sulphites.
About Champagne
Flavour Profile
Primary Flavours
Tasting Notes
Bright aromas of citrus and green apple with subtle brioche notes. The palate is crisp and dry with fine bubbles, high acidity, and a clean, mineral-driven finish.
The second fermentation happens in the bottle
Champagne starts as a still, sharp white wine, usually a blend of grapes, villages and years. It is bottled with yeast and sugar under a crown cap, and the second fermentation makes carbon dioxide that has nowhere to go. The spent yeast then sits in the bottle for at least 15 months, three years for a vintage, and many houses leave it far longer.
The bottles are turned and tipped until the sediment gathers in the neck. The neck is frozen, the plug of yeast is shot out under pressure, and the dosage goes in before the cork. The long rest and that handling are most of what the price pays for.
The name belongs to one region
Champagne is an appellation, not a method. It covers about 34,200 hectares across 319 villages in five French departments, and wine from anywhere else may not use the name, however it is made. The same bottle-fermented method elsewhere in France gives crémant, and in Spain cava, and our recipes accept either where they say so.
Champagne and the dry sparkling wines our recipes accept (champagne from the Comité Champagne, cava from the D.O. Cava, crémant from the Vins d’Alsace and Bourgogne wines bodies, prosecco from the Prosecco DOC consortium’s production regulation)
Champagne
- Where it is made
- Champagne, France
- Second fermentation
- In the bottle
- Minimum time on the yeast
- 15 months; three years for a vintage
- Main grapes
- Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Meunier
- In our recipes
- Named in eleven
Crémant
- Where it is made
- France, in appellations such as Alsace and Burgundy
- Second fermentation
- In the bottle
- Minimum time on the yeast
- Set by each appellation: over nine months on the lees in Alsace; nine months on laths plus three before sale in Burgundy
- Main grapes
- Varies by region; Pinot Blanc leads white Alsace
- In our recipes
- Accepted in nine of the eleven
Cava
- Where it is made
- Spain, under DO Cava
- Second fermentation
- In the bottle
- Minimum time on the yeast
- Nine months (cava de Guarda)
- Main grapes
- Macabeo, Xarel·lo, Parellada
- In our recipes
- Accepted in four
Prosecco
- Where it is made
- Nine provinces of north-east Italy
- Second fermentation
- In a sealed tank
- Minimum time on the yeast
- No minimum set for white spumante; at least 60 days for rosé
- Main grapes
- Glera, at least 85%
- In our recipes
- Allowed in the Old Cuban
| Where it is made | Second fermentation | Minimum time on the yeast | Main grapes | In our recipes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Champagne | Champagne, France | In the bottle | 15 months; three years for a vintage | Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Meunier | Named in eleven |
| Crémant | France, in appellations such as Alsace and Burgundy | In the bottle | Set by each appellation: over nine months on the lees in Alsace; nine months on laths plus three before sale in Burgundy | Varies by region; Pinot Blanc leads white Alsace | Accepted in nine of the eleven |
| Cava | Spain, under DO Cava | In the bottle | Nine months (cava de Guarda) | Macabeo, Xarel·lo, Parellada | Accepted in four |
| Prosecco | Nine provinces of north-east Italy | In a sealed tank | No minimum set for white spumante; at least 60 days for rosé | Glera, at least 85% | Allowed in the Old Cuban |
Brut is the grade for mixing
The dosage decides the word on the label, and the Comité Champagne lists the bands: brut is less than 12g per litre; a bottle marked extra dry, despite the name, carries 12 to 17g. Every champagne line in our recipes asks for brut, because the syrup, liqueur or juice already sweetens the drink and a sweeter wine tips it towards cordial.
Cold, last and gently
Sparkling wine goes in at the end, poured against the inside of a tilted glass to keep the gas in the wine. In the French 75 it lifts gin and lemon; in the Kir Royale it lifts a 10ml measure of cassis; in a Buck's Fizz it is 100ml of a 150ml drink and the main flavour. The Old Cuban takes 60ml over a shaken rum drink. Serve it at 8 to 10°C and uncork it only when the drink is ready.
Using Champagne
Usage
Add it last and cold, tilting the glass as you pour. Our recipes count brut at 12%: 60ml tops a French 75 or an Old Cuban, 90ml makes a Kir Royale, and 100ml is two thirds of a Buck's Fizz. Most of those lines also accept crémant or cava, provided it is dry.
Pro Tip
Pour the wine onto the other ingredients, never the other way round, and do not stir hard afterwards. A single gentle lift with a barspoon mixes a French 75 without knocking out the gas.
Top Tips
- Chill the bottle to 8 to 10°C, the serving range the Comité Champagne gives, and chill the glass too if it fits in the fridge.
- Ease the cork out with the bottle tilted and a hand over it. A quiet hiss loses less wine and less gas than a pop.
- Look for the word brut on the label. Extra dry, sec and demi-sec all carry more sugar than our recipes allow for.
- We reseal an open bottle with a clamp stopper that has a rubber seal, as the Comité Champagne advises; a spoon in the neck is no seal at all.
Possible Substitutions
- Prosecco: Softer, fruitier and tank-fermented, at about 11%; the IBA lists it as an option for the Old Cuban
Production Method
Still base wine, mostly Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Meunier, is bottled with yeast and sugar and ferments again in the bottle. By the Comité Champagne's account it rests for at least 15 months (three years for a vintage), is riddled and disgorged, and is topped up with the dosage that sets its sweetness.
More to explore
Common Questions
What is champagne made from?
How strong is champagne?
What does brut mean on a bottle of champagne?
How long does champagne keep once opened?
Can I use prosecco instead of champagne in cocktails?
What is the difference between champagne, crémant and cava?
What cocktails use champagne?
Sources.
Checked between 16 October and 19 October 2026.
- Comité Champagne, “Champagne frequently asked questions”.
- Comité Champagne, “Champagne at a glance”.
- Defra, Protected geographical food and drink names (GOV.UK), “Champagne”.
- D.O. Cava Regulatory Board, “Cava de Guarda”.
- Vins d’Alsace, “Crémant d’Alsace” (the Alsace wine body: bottle fermentation, lees ageing of over nine months, Pinot Blanc the major white variety).
- Consorzio di Tutela della DOC Prosecco, “Prosecco DOC: production regulation” (the consortium’s published specification: nine provinces, Glera with up to 15% of other varieties, natural autoclave fermentation, sixty days for rosé).
- Bourgogne Wines (BIVB), “Making Crémant de Bourgogne wines” (the Burgundy wine board: bottle fermentation; a minimum of 9 months on laths plus 3 before sale).
Made with Champagne
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Updated 19 October 2026