Sparkling Wines and Champagnes

These are made in styles ranging from crisp and bone-dry to sweet. There are many sparkling wines from all over the world—prosecco, cava, cremant, for example— that are not technically Champagne, a term that can only legally be used to describe wines made in France’s Champagne region according to a traditional method.

It’s unfortunate that sparkling wines are perceived as a cocktail or apéritif beverage or only appropriate for special occasion toasts, because I think they offer great opportunities for matching to food.