Champagne, Prosecco, And Sparkling Wine: What's The Difference?

When it's time to celebrate a milestone, special occasion, or just because it's a day that ends in Y, nothing is more festive than an effervescent glass of sparkling wine. But when faced with the endless shelves of hefty-looking bottles or numerous inscrutable options on a wine menu, choosing one is a process that can be confusing and intimidating. It's hard to know what's dry or sweet, crisp or creamy, and whether a wine is worth the price tag.

Arming yourself with a basic understanding of sparkling wine — what it is, where it comes from, and its different styles — is crucial to navigating the vast world of this bubbly beverage. As a longtime sommelier and certified wine specialist, even I get overwhelmed sometimes, and that's when I know it's time to review the fundamentals. Starting with two of the world's famed and most popular styles, Champagne and Prosecco, I've compiled some facts about these two types, and sparkling wine in general, that are sure to help you purchase and order like a pro. That way you can focus on what's important: Drinking, sharing, and enjoying them.

Champagne is a small region in northern France that is best known for the sparkling wines made within its borders. If you see a bottle labeled Champagne, it is from this area and has been crafted through a meticulous and well-regulated process (although there are a few California producers who are somewhat controversially allowed to use the name, thanks to a legal agreement with the EU). Champagne is a heavily protected product with a reputation for exceptional quality, considered by many to be the gold standard when it comes to sparkling wine.

While wines have been produced in the region of Champagne for millennia, the bubbly version we know today didn't come around until the 1700s. Technological advances such as thicker, stronger glass and better quality corks allowed the pressurized liquid to be transported safely and without losing its fizz. These innovations, along with Champagne's location as a trading hub and its proximity to Paris, allowed the wine's popularity to spread and its reputation to grow. Champagne can be made in white and rosé styles, and can range from bone dry to sweet.

Both Champagne and Prosecco come from delineated regions within France and Italy, respectively. To understand why this is important, you should get to know a somewhat esoteric winemaking concept: Terroir. The exact definition of this word when it comes to wine is debated, but generally, it refers to all of the elements of a physical place that influence the wine that is made in that area. This can include the soils, altitude, and slope of the vineyards, the climate, and even the strains of yeast that populate the winery. These pieces fit together to create wines that are unique to these places and express a sense of their origin in their aromas, flavors, and structure.

The region of Champagne is known for its famous chalky limestone soils, which store water to keep the vines hydrated during dry seasons while still allowing for drainage. In the Prosecco winemaking region, soils are more varied. Champagne experiences a cooler climate than Prosecco, which hinders the development of ripeness in grapes. While this sounds like a drawback, less ripe grapes have higher acidity, which makes them perfect for serious sparkling wine production. Prosecco's warmer temperatures create grapes with riper, richer, fruitier flavors. There are many subtle differences between these two parts of the world that influence the way each wine tastes.

While there are many ways to create a sparkling wine, Champagne and Prosecco must each only be made using a specific method. For Champagne, the method is known as la méthode champenoise, or the Champagne method. It's a complicated and laborious multi-stage process in which the wine's second fermentation, the one that creates bubbles, occurs within each individual bottle. Crafting wines in this way is not just time-consuming, but also very expensive, which is one of the reasons for Champagne's hefty price tag — but it results in wines that have layers of complexity, richness, and texture along with fine, elegant bubbles.

Prosecco is made using what's called the Charmat method, or the tank method. Instead of the second fermentation occurring inside each bottle, the wine is fermented in bulk in large stainless steel tanks. These wines may not have the depth or refinement of Champagne, but they tend to have brighter, fresher flavors and a sunny disposition. This is a less costly method, which contributes to Prosecco's affordability.

For heavily regulated wines like Champagne, there are a lot of rules that govern its production. One of these dictates which grapes can be used to make it. While there are eight grape varieties allowed in Champagne, only three are widely used: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier. If you know grapes, you'll notice that Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier are typically used to make red wines, yet the majority of Champagne wines are white. That's because wines from these grapes only get their dark color if the juice is left in contact with the skins. If the grapes are gently pressed and the skins are removed, the clear juice can be used to make white wine. And of course, some Champagnes are rosé, in which case the red grapes come in handy for their color.

Many Champagnes are blends of these three grapes, as each one brings its own unique aromas, flavors, and structure to the finished wines. If you see one labeled "Blanc de Blancs," that means it's only made from white grapes — typically, just Chardonnay. Some, labeled "Blanc de Noirs," are only made from red grapes, although the wine itself is white.

Sparkling wines around the world can be made from any grape variety or blend of grapes. Outside of the confines of specific controlled sparkling wine regions, winemakers are free to experiment with all kinds of styles, using various methods and grapes to create their own unique bubbly concoctions. While some are made to mimic styles like Prosecco and Champagne, others are in categories all their own. 

It's not always easy to know what grape variety or blend of grapes has been used to make a sparkling wine, as it's often not listed on the label. So if you're looking to try something off the beaten path, don't hesitate to ask for guidance, whether you're at a wine shop or a restaurant. Say you typically drink still Riesling, or Cabernet Franc, or any other grape you can think of — guaranteed, there's a sparkling version out there that you'll probably love. Or you may be introduced to a grape you've never heard of that's made into your new favorite sparkling wine. A little guidance can make exploring these unusual wines easy and fun.

Prosecco is all about fruit and freshness. Glera grapes give an abundance of pleasing fruity flavors like melon, peach, pear, and a zing of lemony citrus, along with floral notes like honeysuckle. Because of its intense fruitiness, even a brut Prosecco can come across on the palate as sweet, particularly when compared to a brut Champagne. Sweeter styles will be labeled dry or extra dry, somewhat confusingly.

Prosecco's tank method of production focuses more on preserving the bright flavors of the grape, rather than transforming the wine into a rich, toasty tipple. The bubbles are softer and less intense than those of Champagne, as well. This gives Prosecco a more casual vibe than its French cousin, although it doesn't mean there aren't Proseccos with plenty of complexity and depth of flavor. There are several subregions of Prosecco that produce very high-quality wines. They tend to have incredibly long tongue-twisting names — just look for the letters DOCG on the label, which denotes the places from which you're likely to find the best Prosecco bottles. They cost a little more than your basic Prosecco, but they're still a bargain compared to Champagne.

Wine enjoyment can be highly subjective, so there's no such thing as the "best" wine, whether it's still or sparkling or any other style. Everyone's palate and preferences are different. Also, it's important to remember that a wine's price tag doesn't necessarily denote how "good" or "bad" it is — it's a reflection of so many things, from the price of the land the vines are grown on, the cost of the barrels it may be aged in, to the marketing budget of the winery. It has nothing to do with how the wine tastes, or how much you'll likely enjoy it.

You may prefer Prosecco to Champagne, or vice versa. Or there may be another type of sparkling wine out there that fills you with giddiness whenever you crack open a bottle. The bottom line is, sparkling wine of all kinds is meant for jubilation and pure enjoyment, so don't limit yourself to just one. Every day there's a reason to celebrate with a glass of bubbly.