There are three things tequila and a bottle of bubbly have in common. They lead to untold, normally blacked-out mischief: and there is no such thing as just one. They also both, unlike other alcohol, act as uppers and have you dancing on tables and collecting unexplainable bruises the next day.
Champagne (from the region of Champagne in France) is the only bubbly we are allowed to call Champagne. Sparkling wine is not champagne and neither is any other bubbly, even if t is made with the same loving care and with the same method. Just like Rum can only be called rum if it is produced in the Caribbean (otherwise it's just sugar cane spirit).
However, South Africa has an incredible selection of what we call Methodé Cap Classique which follows exactly the same process as the production of champagne and the quality is absolutely beautiful. I may be a bit biased here but never mind the whole of south africa, Cape Town itself has such varied environments, soil and even weather - depending on what side of the mountain you are on, that we can produce just about every varietal of grape and some of the finest wine in the word (if not THE finest).
The Italians don;t do such a terrible job themselves, and make their own bubbles which they name Prosecco, and good heavens is it lovely. It also follows similar production process to Method Cap Classique and Champagne and yeilds beautiful and quality bubbly wine.
They say the finer the bubbles, the finer the wine...
And then there is bubbly "plonk," AKA sparkling wine - usually served at weddings or large family gatherings where mass consumption is expected. Once you're one or two glasses in, you don't care anymore, but boy, your head will tomorrow morning!!
Method Cap Classique, Champagne and Prosecco are all made to produce bubbles naturally in the fermentation process. All three are also produced using mostly the same varietals: chardonnay and pinot noir in different percentages depending on the desired outcome.
Legend has it that Dom Pérignon invented this "sparkling wine," but it would seem to date back centuries before that to monks of medievil Europe who accidentally messed up their wine fermentation process. To achieve the same result, they tried to recreate their mistake and thus Champagne was born. The oldest recorded sparkling wine is Blanquette de Limoux, which was invented by Benedictine monks in the Abbey of Saint-Hilaire, near Carcassonne, in 1531.[7] They achieved this by bottling the wine before the initial fermentation had ended. Over a century later, the English scientist and physician Christopher Merret documented the addition of sugar to a finished wine to create a second fermentation six years before Dom Pérignon set foot in the Abbey of Hautvillers. Merret presented a paper at the Royal Society, in which he detailed what is now called méthode traditionnelle i.e. Traditional method, in 1662. Merret's discoveries coincided also with English glass-makers' technical developments that allowed bottles to be produced that could withstand the required internal pressures during secondary fermentation. French glass-makers at this time could not produce bottles of the required quality or strength. As early as 1663, the poet Samuel Butler referred to "brisk champagne."
Methode Cap Classiq and Prosseco (originally from the region of Verenzia in Italy) are roduced in much the same fashion
Sparkling wine, however, is a forced process meant for reduced cost and mass production. The bubbles are created by injecting bubbles into the bottle, rather than letting them occur naturally in the fermentation process. The bubbles are usually bigger. Although there are some pretty good ones wondering around and masquerading as the real thing, your hangover the next day will tell you what you've been drinking. Let's not kid ourselves here... they'll both give you a hangover, but there' nothing like a cheap bubbly hangover. TRUST ME.
I personally prefer "bubblies" that lean further toward the pinot noir, leading to a pink hue, but is not to be confused with cheap, or sweet rose.
So. without further ado, here are a few of my favourite (bubbly) things:
Methodé Cap Classique:
Prosecco
Sparkling Wine
Whatever you decide, heed my warning and keep that paracetamol or aspirin close by for when you wake up. You'll thank me!
As for images of ACTUAL champagne, I personally boycott it because it's overpriced and our very own Methodé Cap Classique is just as good, perhaps even better!