In Case You Didn't Know: An Insider's Guide to Champagne

Champagne: With so many sparkling options, it can be tough to choose.

Champagne "technically is a sparkling wine that has to come from the region of Champagne, France," explained Tim Clune, co-owner of Le Tastevin Fine Wines in Alexandria.

Most people use the term for sparkling wine in general, he adds, much to the chagrin of the hyper-controlled "Champagne" designation in the European Union.

Different regions, particularly in Europe, have their own versions of the bubbly stuff. In Italy, it's called Prosecco; Cava comes from Spain.

Generally, Cava and Prosecco are lighter and fruitier than true Champagne, said Clune, who holds wine tastings at his shop on Tuesday evenings and Saturdays in the late afternoon.

He describes Cava as somewhat citrusy, kind of like a tart apple, but it's usually drier and creamier than many other sparkling wines. The Prosecco grape produces a drink that's often "more fruity" with a higher acidity.

For those looking to "buy local," Clune suggests Kluge sparkling wine, from Virginia's Albemarle County. It usually retails for about $24.99 a bottle.

Champagne from France can only be made with three types of grapes – chardonnay (a white grape) or pinot noir and pinot meunier (black grapes).

"What a wine-maker puts into his or her wine is a personal choice and it has to do with where [the] vineyards are located," he said.

Clune's suggestions for ringing in the New Year:

Champagne

• Laurent Dauphin, which comes from the "house," aka the wine maker, of Louis De Sacy. "Laurent is an outstanding bottle of champagne that you don't often find at this price point," said Clune. It's a blend of all three grapes and sells for $30 a bottle at Clune's shop.
• Veuve Cliquot Ponsardin is a "well-known" classic among champagnes and retails for $56 at Clune's shop.
• Pierre Peters, which Clune called a "grower's champagne," meaning it's made in small batches and the wine maker usually owns the land and cultivates the grapes. "A grower's champagne implies a level of control of the vintage. It's not made from huge tanks of grapes somewhere." This bottle retails for $60.

Prosecco

• Villa Jolanda, which Clune described as an "excellent everyday Prosecco from Northern Italy, retails for just $13.

Cava

• One Plus One Equals Three from the Catalan region of Spain, sells for $16.

Get School'd: A Patch Glossary

blanc de blanc - Literally, "white from white" so the champagne is made from only white grapes, i.e. 100 percent chardonnay

blanc de noir – Champagne made from only pinots noir and meunier

rose champagne - Champagne made at least in part from black grapes that have been left in contact with the grape skin to add depth of flavor and tinting

cuvee - A blend, and all champagne is a blend

non-vintage - Contains wine from multiple years

vintage - Wine from a single year, usually more expensive

There are varying sweetness levels, from sweetest to driest:

doux - Medium sweet

demi-sec - Medium dry

sec - Dry

extra dry - Dry, but slightly sweeter than brut

These terms are found, in small print, next to the producer's name:

NM - negociant-manipulant, a champagne maker who buys his grapes. Veuve Clicquot and other large champagne houses are usually an NM

RM - Recoltant-manipulant, a grower who makes his own wine, i.e. "grower's champagne." Pierre Peters is an RM Champagne

CM - Cooperative de manipulation, champagne made by a cooperative, which has the growers as members, with all the grapes pooled together

RC - Grower selling a wine made by a co-operative

MA - Marque d'acheteur, a buyer's own brand, or brand-name champagne

Terms used in making champagne

Dosage - Adding sugar to a champagne to make it sweeter in the bottle. This is common.

Riddling - A method of collecting the yeast in the bottle to be frozen and removed (disgorging - you can sometimes find the date of disgorging on a bottle of sparkling). It is then corked, labeled and shipped.

Racking - Moving champagne from one container to another without the yeasts. It is a method of filtering the wine.