Sparkling wine made in the Champagne method can be make anywhere in the world. The name Champagne can only be used when the wines are made in Champagne France.

CHAMPAGNE METHOD, A.K.A. TRADITIONAL METHOD

The Champagne method, which must legally be called the traditional method outside the Champagne region, is the classic sparkling vinification process. It is generally believed to make the highest-quality, longest-lived, most complex sparkling wines in the world. It is also generally the most expensive, labor-intensive, and time-consuming.

The traditional method requires a secondary fermentation to take place inside the bottle in which the wine will be sold, which is temporarily capped after the liqueur de tirage is added to the base wine. When the yeasts have finished working, they die and become lees. The lees remain in contact with the sparkling wine until removed by the winemaker, creating texture, richness, and complexity in a wine. This is why certain regions have a minimum lees-aging requirement for their wines.

Before corking the final bottling, winemakers will remove the lees sediment by a process called riddling. They invert the bottle until the sediment sits in its upside-down neck and can be frozen. When the temporary cap is removed, the bottle’s pressure forces the sediment out, at which point a mixture of sugar and wine called dosage is added, along with a final cork.

Even though there are cheaper and easier ways to make bubbly, winemakers invest in the traditional method because it produces such high-quality sparkling wines.

From Champagne France we import Veuve Doussot. Veuve Doussot cellars are located at Noe’ les mallets, a charming village in the heart of the Cotes – des bar district. Always highly Rated

Cremant in the name for Champagne method Sparkling wines produced in France other than in Champagne France

In Italy, the Franciacorta area in renowned for its Champagne method wines. We have the best producer, Bella Vista.

Franciacorte is a small wine -producing area in Lombardy, northern Italy. It is famous for its High-Quality Champagne method sparkling wines. The Franciacorta wine region is in the Province of Brescia, in the hills immediately south-east Lake Iseo. Roughly square in shape, it stretches eastward for 15 miles. Franciacorta is midway between Milano and Venice. It is a beautiful area and Bella Vista offers tours and tastings that are world class.

From Mt Etna in Sicily we have two Champagne method wines, Gaudensius Blanc de Noir and Gaudensius Blanc de Blanc . We believe that they are world Class wines that you should try. They will be in stock Mid November