Sparkling Wines
Sparkling wine is often synonymous with celebrations and, specifically, Champagne, though the category includes much more than the iconic bubbly beverage from this single region in France. While many think sparkling wine was invented in Champagne, the roots of sparkling wine in France date back to the early 1500s, with the first recorded mention in Blanquette de Limoux in the Languedoc.
Champagne itself started out as a still wine region and it wasn't until the 18th century that Champagne wines were deliberately made sparkling through a second fermentation, today referred to as the Champagne or traditional method (thought to have been discovered by Dom Perignon, though depending on your source it's said that the English discovered it first!). The history of Italy's Prosecco also dates back to the 18th century, as well. Today, high quality sparkling wine is made throughout the world, including Cava in Spain, Sekt in Germany, Cap Classique in South Africa and, increasingly, English sparkling in the UK.
