Sparkling wines have long been a sign of aristocracy and beautiful life. And although there are a lot of types of sparkling drinks, classic champagne and prosecco have become more popular in recent years. With the external similarity between the drinks, there are huge differences.
Origin
The homeland of sparkling wines is obvious from their name. Only wine made in the province of Champagne, in France, is called champagne, while Prosecco is from a valley of the same name in the Italian regions of Veneto and Friuli-Venezia Giulia.
According to the laws of the European Union, only wines produced in these regions can be called champagne or Prosecco.
Grape varieties
For the production of champagne, a blend of several grape varieties is used - usually this is chardonnay, pinot noir and pinamie. Prosecco, on the other hand, is made from only one grape variety, glaire. This variety received its name only in 2009, and before that it was called, like wine, Prosecco.
Depending on the blend, champagne can be either white, or pink and red. Prosecco is always just a straw yellow drink.
Production method
The traditional method of champagne production is “champenois”, which involves several stages of fermentation and the laborious long-term process of preparing a bottled drink.
First, the wine roams in oak barrels (primary fermentation), after which it continues to ferment in bottles with a new portion of yeast.
Wine bottles are regularly rotated at different angles to evenly precipitate yeast. This process lasts at least 15 months, and for good winemakers - from 2 years. At the end of the fermentation, the winemaker freezes the neck of the bottle and removes the ice plug with excess sediment.
Champenois is the most expensive method of making sparkling wines.
Prosecco is usually produced by the Sharm-Martinotti method, or the "tank" method, which conveys the essence of the process.
As in the case of champagne, after the initial stage of fermentation, yeast and sugar are added to the “still” wine to ripen the bubbles, but it is not bottled, but left in the same wine tanks. Instead of 15 months, secondary fermentation lasts only a few days, after which the steel tank is cooled rapidly, dead yeast is filtered off - and voila, it's ready!
With this method, wine is less in contact with yeast, while maintaining the freshness of taste and aroma, in addition, it is significantly cheaper than classic shampenua.
Thus, champagne wine is more complex and “aging”, while the prosecco taste remains brighter and lighter.
Taste and Aroma
The taste of champagne depends not only on the crop, but also on aging in the manufacturing process, and may change over time.
The characteristic "brioche" aroma, reminiscent of toasted bread, is achieved due to the decay of yeast after two years of aging bottles. This is the minimum period for brutus, and for millesimny wines, the aging period is increased to 36 months.
Classic champagne wine has a multifaceted playing taste with rich notes of almonds, cherries and peaches, combined by the general aroma of bread toast.
In prosecco, a completely different character is felt - a light and bright drink is poured with notes of pear and citrus, fresh flowers and apricots. Instead of playing secondary flavors in prosecco, the original tastes are deliberately emphasized, which makes this sparkling drink easy to drink and understandable not only for experienced tasters.
Bubbles
Due to the difference in production technologies, the pressure in the bottles of classic champagne is almost double that in Italian Prosecco, so French sparkling is more “sparkling”.
The recognizable foam of champagne mousse in prosecco will be lighter and invisible, although the pearl of the bubbles in the glass will be connected in chains in the same way as in champagne.
In addition, prosecco may not contain bubbles at all - the so-called "still wine" is quite rare, outside of Italy it is almost impossible to find.
Price
In recent years, Prosecco has reclaimed a substantial portion of store shelves. In 2018, its cost starts from 600 rubles. A very decent bottle of Prosecco from the Treviso region can be purchased in the range of 1,500 rubles.
Champagne is significantly more expensive - a basic bottle will cost three times more expensive prosecco.
This is due to the cost of production and brand recognition of individual wine houses. The cost of a bottle of real champagne starts from 3000 rubles and above. Classic bruteMoet can be purchased for 4000 rubles.
Sparkling Wine Cocktails
Sparkling wine go well with fruit syrups, so there are a huge number of recipes based on champagne, and with prosecco. It is worth trying classic cocktails designed for specific types of wine.
Bellini - A classic Italian cocktail made from the pulp of white peaches and prosecco. One part of the peach puree must be mixed with three parts of prosecco and ice, shaken until smooth in a shaker and decanted into glasses. This cocktail is a frequent guest of Italian parties.
French 75 - The cocktail, invented at the beginning of the 20th century, used to be called simply “champagne cup”. To make a French cocktail, you need to mix one part of lemon juice with two parts of gin and a few drops of sugar syrup. The resulting mixture must be poured into a narrow glass and add the same amount of champagne.
Prosecco or champagne - what to choose
It is impossible to compare champagne and prosecco objectively, since there are a huge number of flavor profiles in both drinks. To determine which drink to choose for yourself, you should pay attention to the general rules.
Champagne is a deeper drink, revealing from fruity notes to the smells of baked goods, butter and nuts.
While prosecco usually has slight yeast tones, but at the same time remains no less voluminous, shifting from flower-fruit aromas to the smell of fresh hay. Both drinks will become worthy aperitifs, or will accompany dinner with fish, white meat, pasta or cheeses.
