Champagne
Champagne
The ultimate guide to everything about the world’s greatest sparkling wine: superb value bottles, exceptional cocktail recipes and top tasting destinations the region.
Champagne Basics
This essential cheat sheet explains the region’s grapes, winemaking style and best bottles.
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Champagne Lexicon
Blanc de Blancs
- White Champagne made exclusively from Chardonnay grapes.
Dosage
- A blend of wine and sugar that is added to most Champagne at the final bottling to offset the acidity of the wine.
Blanc De Noirs
- White Champagne made from red Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier.
Mousse
- The foam that appears at the top of a glass of Champagne when it’s poured.
Brut
Dry, meaning that the wine has a minimaldosage—less than 12 grams of sugar per liter.
Editors’ Picks
NV Pol Roger Brut Réserve
This regal nonvintage wine is creamy and rich, with layers of dried apple, toast and mango.
More Champagne PairingsChampagne Destinations
Laura Maniec of New York City’s Corkbuzz wine bar is such a Champagne fiend that she spent three weeks during harvest, working in the vineyards and getting to know the region—its wineries, shops, restaurants and even the local bowling alley all the pickers frequent.
World’s Best Champagne Bars
Festive and versatile, impressive Champagne selections are now everywhere, from a tree house in France to Chicago’s O’Hare airport.