7 Astonishing Things You’ve Never Heard About Sparkling Wine

Did you know that your favorite sparkling wine or ‘bubbly’ is also known as prosecco (Italy), Cava (Spain), Champagne (France), and American sparkling wine (the USA)?

If not, chances are that you haven’t heard about the other facts related to this bubbly and dazzling drink too. But you can remedy that by reading the seven astonishing things we’re going to share.

So let us illuminate you with some chilling information about sparkling wine. You’ll thank us later after reading these interesting facts.

Let’s read on.

7 Amazing and Unheard Things about Sparkling Wine

Unless you’ve worked in a vineyard or winery before or toured one, there are things you’ll never know about sparkling wine. But you might say, Who cares?

If it’s all about pouring that drink down your thirsty throat, you’ll never know what you don’t know. But if you like knowing all you can, read on.

You can always do your own research to satisfy your queries. You can refer to one of the most viable resources, https://wineobjectives.com/en/ for learning about vineyards and wines.

But hey, let’s continue with our article now. Let’s find out those astonishing facts about sparkling wine below:

1. You Don’t Need to Age Sparkling Wine

Did you fall for the ‘aged sparkling wine is better’ trap from the books and movies? Nah! That’s not the actual way to do it.

You simply don’t need to store your sparkling wine for it to groom and light up. Why?

It’s because the winemaker has already aged it for you. Not just for the sake of ageing. In fact, sparkling wine is aged by the makers to perfect its chemistry for your gourmet drinking experience.

Yes, that’s the green signal. You can open up the bottle immediately after buying it. It will taste just the way it’s supposed to for your special occasion.

2. Drinking Sparkling Wine in Flutes Isn’t a Ritual

Have you made it a ritual of sipping your sparkling wine from the traditional flute? But, what if we tell you that the flute, which is a specific sparkling wine glass, isn’t the only way to go with the flashy drink.

Then what else should you drink it from?

Got wine glasses? If yes, try one to taste the sparkling wine.

Does it smell better? It should.

Since the wine glass or coupe is wider and more open, it lets more oxygen flow through the space. That helps emit a more pleasant smell, making your twinkling beverage more enjoyable.

3. Sparkling Wine aka Champagne?

Answer this quickly. Are sparkling wine and Champagne the same? Do you know?

Well, the answer is yes and no.

You can categorize all sparkling wine as Champagne, but not all champagne is sparkling wine. Why is that so?

Well, Champagne is only made in France, following a distinct and traditional formula in a specific region of the country. In contrast, wine and sparkling wine are made in many parts of the world (as stated before).

So, technically, sparkling wine doesn’t carry the distinct credibility of the unique makers as Champagne.
However, the main raw material of wine, sparkling wine, and Champagne is the same: grapes.

Yes, it may vary among red, black, and white grapes while making these amazing drinks. And the bottled final liquid will end up white, golden, red, etc.

4. The Bubbles in Bubbly are Secondarily-Fermented

Did you know that the wonderful bubbles in your bubbly are actually the result of yeast?
When the barrel or tank fermentation of wine is done, it goes through the secondary fermentation process. Here, yeast is added to the liquid content.

Yeast absorbs the sugar in the wine. This releases bubbles into the wine which you can see in the bottles and of course, after pouring it into your flute or coupe.

So the next time you are admiring the sparkling wine in your wine glass, you’ll know where those fizzes came from and how.

5. Light Exposure Changes Sparkling Wine’s Taste

It might sound incredible, but light does change the sparkline wine’s taste. Why do you think they make it inside a cave or dim room?

It’s observed that when you expose a sparkling wine bottle directly to the light, the taste softens a bit. And this is not the texture and taste you want to have for your first sip. It can ruin the mood and the occasion.

So, next time, remember to keep the sparkling wine bottle away from direct light exposure. And request the shopkeeper to get you a bottle from the dark backroom.

6. Refrigerating Sparkling Wine Can Kill the Sparkles

You must’ve experienced this so many times with your sparkling wine. Every time you whisk a bottle out of the fridge, you pour it into a glass, take your first sip, and wait—where are the sparkles?

Maybe you’re unaware that refrigerating sparkling wine can make the bubbles die out. Then why don’t the other fizzy cocktails or drinks face the same problem?

It’s the cork.

When you refrigerate a sparkling wine, the cork dries out, flattening the bubbles. This happens because the cork releases carbonation. And since carbonation, which is responsible for the bubbles, escapes, no sparkles remain in the bottle anymore.

What you can do is store the bottle in the wine cellar or inside a cupboard. If the ‘best served as chilled’ works for you, let it chill out in some ice before popping the cork open.

7. It Goes through Riddling (Turning & Shaking) during Fermentation

Here’s another piece of basic knowledge you might’ve missed. Riddling.

Sparkling wine goes through a riddling process during fermentation. But what is it actually?

Riddling is turning and shaking the sparkling wine bottle to properly mix the sediment at the bottom. It’s done every two days with specific angling measurements.

Most companies nowadays are handling this process through machines. However, a few brands still trust the typical manual (by hand) process.

Takeaways
So what do you think of these startling facts we’ve shared about sparkling wine?

We hope you’ve enjoyed these seven less-known things about your favorite fizzy drink. Sparkling wine is one of the most popular drinks worldwide. It has different tastes in different locations.

However, you may be fascinated to explore and learn about this drink. We might’ve been able to satisfy a bit of your curiosity. And this might enhance your sparkling wine experience even more from now on.