Champagne: What Makes It Different
Champagne is one region, one method, three grapes, and thousands of styles. Here's how to read the bottle — and buy with confidence rather than by label recognition.
· 6 min read
Key takeaways
- Three grapes build Champagne: Pinot Noir (body, red-fruit), Chardonnay (elegance, citrus), Pinot Meunier (freshness, early-drinking). Blanc de Blancs is 100% Chardonnay; Blanc de Noirs is made entirely from black grapes.
- Non-vintage (NV) is blended across years for consistency and designed to be drunk now. Vintage Champagne comes from a single declared year and rewards 5–15 years of patience.
- Brut nature and extra brut are bone-dry. Brut (the most common style) is very dry with just a whisper of sweetness. Demi-sec is noticeably sweet — a dessert wine in disguise.
- Grower Champagne (look for 'RM' on the label — Récoltant-Manipulant) means the estate grew all its own grapes. More individual character, often better value than the grandes maisons.
Frequently asked questions
- Is Champagne just for celebrations?
- No. The idea that Champagne is a celebration wine is largely a marketing success story from the grandes maisons. A good Champagne is a serious food wine — it pairs with oysters, sushi, fried food, cheese, and charcuterie as well as almost anything else. Treat it like any other white wine you enjoy and open it for dinner on a Tuesday.
- How long does an open bottle of Champagne last?
- With a good Champagne stopper, 2–3 days in the fridge. Without a stopper, the bubbles are mostly gone by the next morning, though the wine itself is still drinkable. The old trick of leaving a silver spoon in the neck doesn't work; a proper stopper does.
- What's the difference between Champagne and Prosecco?
- Champagne is made by the traditional method — the bubbles develop inside each individual bottle during a second fermentation. Prosecco uses the tank method (Charmat) — the second fermentation happens in a pressurised tank. The results taste different: Champagne is more complex, yeasty, and mineral; Prosecco is fruitier and simpler.
- How cold should I serve Champagne?
- 6–8 °C for non-vintage; 8–10 °C for a serious vintage or prestige cuvée. That's 2–3 hours in the fridge, or 20–30 minutes in an ice bucket. Too cold and the wine tastes closed and muted; too warm and it loses its freshness.
Not sure which wine to pick? Tell our sommelier what you are eating or the occasion and we will find the right bottle — or browse the full sommelia.ch collection.