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What is the difference between champagne, sparkling wine and prosecco?
Champagne, sparkling wine and Prosecco are all carbonated wines. They differ significantly in their geographical origin, in the grape varieties used to produce them and, in some cases, in their colour, carbon dioxide content and production method.
Sekt is the German term for quality sparkling wine. A sparkling wine must have at least 3.5 bar carbon dioxide pressure and at least 10 per cent alcohol by volume. It can be produced as a single variety or as a cuvée (from several grape varieties), whereby the grape varieties must always be authorised for the production of quality wine. If a specific growing region is specified (sparkling wine psr), the grapes must come from this region and have been processed there. Depending on the base wine, there are white, rosé or red sparkling wines. Production can take place using the tank fermentation method(Méthode charmat) or traditional bottle fermentation (Méthode classique). (For details, see the question "How is sparkling wine made?")
Champagne is a quality sparkling wine from the protected Champagne region in France. It must be produced using the traditional bottle fermentation method (also known as the méthode champenoise) and may be vinified from a maximum of seven specified grape varieties; the three most common and best known are Pinot Noir (Pinot Noir), Pinot Meunier (Black Riesling) and Chardonnay, but Arbane, Petit Meslier, Pinot Gris (Pinot Gris) and Pinot Blanc (Pinot Blanc) are also permitted. The grapes may only come from vineyards in Champagne and must also be processed in the region. Champagne is available in the Blanc or Rosé varieties, both of which can be made from either white or red grapes; a Blanc de Blancs is made exclusively from white grapes, a Blanc de Noirs exclusively from white-pressed red grapes. Most champagnes are cuvées; the grape variety is not always specified for single-varietal champagnes.
Quality sparkling wine from other regions in France is called Crémantwhich can therefore be regarded as the equivalent of German sparkling wine; the region is then also part of the protected designation of origin, e.g. Crémant de Loire.
Prosecco is a protected designation of origin in northern Italy, which includes parts of the Veneto and Friuli regions and in which still wines(Tranquillo), sparkling wines(Frizzante) and sparkling wines(Spumante) are produced. In Germany, the term usually refers to Prosecco Frizzante (i.e. semi-sparkling wine from this region) or Prosecco Spumante (i.e. sparkling wine from this region). Frizzante has a carbon dioxide pressure of between 1 and 2.5 bar, while spumante has a carbon dioxide pressure of between 3 and 6 bar. At least 85 per cent of white Prosecco must always be made from the Glera grape variety (which was also called Prosecco until 2009, but this caused confusion); up to 15 per cent may be added from eight other specified grape varieties. Prosecco Spumante can be produced using the tank fermentation method or traditional bottle fermentation. Even narrower designations of origin than Prosecco DOC are Prosecco Treviso DOC (from the province of the same name in Veneto) as well as Prosecco di Conegliano Valdobbiadene DOCG and Prosecco Colli Asolani DOCG. In all cases, the grapes must come from the respective region and have been processed there. From 2020, there will also be Proseccco Rosé, which is made from the Pinot Nero grape variety.