Invariably wine lovers compare the world’s sparkling wines to Champagne, a not unreasonable consideration since Champagne has since its creation been a model for what sparkling wine should taste like.
Indeed, winemakers who produce bubbly wines around the world often use the so-called méthode champenoise by which still wine receives an addition of sugar called liqueur de triage or dosage that starts a secondary fermentation into alcohol and CO2. Lesser, cheaper methods, with names like Charmat, are used to make cheaper sparkling wines in bulk, like Italy’s Prosecco, which has achieved major market share worldwide in its category.