The Best Types of Champagne

Champagne is a sparkling wine produced by inducing the in-bottle secondary fermentation of wine to produce carbonation. It's made solely within the Champagne region of France, which is also where its name comes from. While the word champagne is used by some creators of sparkling wine in other parts of the world, many countries control the use of the term to only those wines that come from the Champagne appellation.

There are different types of Champagne. Brut is the driest and is considered the standard champagne. It's suggested that if you want great Champagne, you should go for a Brut. Brut is more dry than extra-dry, while Demi sec is sweeter than sec. Vintage bottles are, like most wines, from a single year's worth of grapes. Unlabeled or non-vintage bottles are from a mixture of years. For related wines, note that Spain calls its wines of this type Cava, or Cellar. South Africa uses these terms Cap Classique or Cape Classic. Germany has Sekt, and of course there's always Asti Spumanti from Italy.

Wines

Roederer Estate Anderson Valley Non-Vintage Brut has been considered one of the best value, sparkling wine. Reviews say it's easy to mistake the California-made Roederer Estate NV Brut for fine French Champagne. It's made using techniques developed by top French producer Louis Roederer. Experts say this wine's bouquet of yeast and fresh-baked bread gives way to flavors of citrus, pear, apple and herbs. Adding to its appeal are wide availability, low price and consistency from bottle to bottle.

Gloria Ferrer Non-Vintage Sonoma Brut is one of the best inexpensive bubbly. If you're looking for a chic Champagne-style wine for less than , reviews for Gloria Ferrer NV Brut surpasses others in this price range. Commentators say Ferrer Brut tastes velvety, with hints of black cherry, ginger and vanilla. Although it's not as compound as the more expensive Roederer Estate Brut, critics agree that "it's tough to find a better Champagne-style bubbly for the price."

Louis Roederer Brut Premier NV is also a known best value, French Champagne. The best wine critics say that when it comes to non-vintage Champagne, Louis Roederer is the "standard-bearer". With a typical time period of 3.5 years of aging, this Champagne is strong and rigorous, with flavors of berries, apple, pear and almonds. You can easily spend more on Champagne, but specialists say this Champagne is a wise treat.

The Best Types of Champagne

Lindsay Aston is a contributing editor for Classic Wines, specializing in Champagne