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There is no better feeling than to unwind with a good glass of wine after a day full of stress and responsibilities. It’s a nice way to relax, do your self-care routine, or cherish a night well spent in your favourite company with a bottle of champagne. Also, the fact that fizzy wine can greatly improve your overall health is just another reason to cheer with a glass of wine bubbles.
This drink has a wide span of tastes and flavours, and every nation prides itself on its best product. Some of the most popular bubbling choices in the world are of course our very own quality Australian sparkling wine varieties from some of the best wine regions like Adelaide Hills, and international classics like French, Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian fizzy drinks. If you enjoy the sparkling sensation of bubbles in a bottle, sit comfortably, and buckle up for a deep dive into the world of bubbly.
Bubbles in a Bottle: What is Sparkling Wine?
It’s a fizzy alcoholic beverage made with carbon dioxide. Most of them are meant to be consumed as an aperitif, meaning, you drink them before dinner or you can drink them throughout the course of a meal.
These wines can range in taste, from sweet to dry, which is based on their sugar levels. Dry wines have little to no sugar residue such as brut zero or brut, to 17-32 grams of sugar per litre for sec dry wine. Sweet wines labelled as demi-sec and doux can have about 32-50 grams of sugar per litre for semi-sec, and up to 50 grams of residual sugar per litre for doux wine.
The bubbly can be just about any wine, from white and rose to red wine. When it comes to Australian sparkling wine you can choose from, Australia has some of the best options such as Pinot Noir Chardonnay, Blanc de Blancs, Prosecco and other vintage and non-vintage wines.
White sparkling wines can be made from three kinds of grapes such as Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay. If the wine is labelled as “blanc de Blancs” it means that it is made with Chardonnay and a wine labelled “blank de noir” is made with Pinot Meunier or Pinot Noir.
The fabulous rose sparkling wine spans from pink Champagne to rose Cava and other dry or fruity sparkling roses. If you love tasting red wines, Shiraz is the most popular Australian red bubbly, and Lambrusco and Brachetto d’Acqui are the best Italian counterparts.
Health Benefits of Drinking Sparkling Wine
Much is being discussed about the health benefits of red still wine. But you would be surprised to find out that the sparkling alternative actually has many health benefits too.
Improves memory
Fizzy wine is actually very beneficial for your cognitive functions. Some research shows that it may significantly improve your short-term memory thanks to the specific types of proteins. The bubbles can also slow down the memory loss that comes with ageing and can prevent the onset of dementia. Three glasses of sparkling sensation per week is enough to keep your mind sharp.
Lowers Blood Pressure
The presence of nitric dioxide in the blood can contribute to increased blood pressure. Thanks to the polyphenols present in this specific type of wine, it can aid blood circulation by removing nitric dioxide from the blood which results in decreasing blood pressure.
Improves Heart Health
Because bubbly has the ability to lower blood pressure, it can significantly contribute to better heart health, preventing the risk of heart attack and reducing the risk of other cardiovascular diseases such as coronary heart disease. This is due to the fact it contains antioxidants which can prevent the formation of too many blood clots and reduce bad cholesterol. So a moderate consumption of one glass per day is sufficient to keep the heart healthy.
Fewer Calories
A glass of champagne is way lower in calories than a glass of standard red and white wine. This fact automatically makes sparkling wine all around a better choice when it comes to healthy drinks. As with any other still wines, sparkling can be considered healthy depending on the sugar levels. Dry or semi-dry wines will generally have less to no sugar in comparison to sweet sparkling wines. This is another factor to determine whether a glass of sparkling wine will have fewer calories.
Good for the Skin
Due to the presence of antioxidants, your skin will look radiant and fresh. Antioxidants are well-known anti-aging components that greatly contribute to preserving skin health and prevent the formation of wrinkles. They detoxify the skin and help preserve the collagen and elastic fibres.
Are Sparkling Wine and Champagne The Same?
Well, they’re both sparkling, right? So, it’s natural to ask yourself “Is champagne just sparkling wine?“. Although both are indeed sparkling, champagne must come from the French region called Champagne to be considered as such. There are some strict guidelines and rules that must be followed during the production of champagne.
It must be made using a traditional method which is a long ageing process that happens in the bottle, and certain steps must be taken to identify the process as traditional. Other parts of the world use the method for producing wine but the names are different. For instance, in Spain, they call it Cava, Franciacorta in Italy, and Sekt in Germany, just to name a few.
Another defining step when it comes to champagne is that the carbonation is created in the bottle, which isn’t the case with sparkling wines. The carbonation in champagne is a natural byproduct of fermentation and there are different ways to create the carbonation in sparkling wines. Some are created by fermenting in wine tanks, while others may add carbonation at bottling.
Another main distinction between sparkling wine and champagne is the price. Champagne has a higher price tag because of the method of production. Did you know that it can take from months to several years to produce a single bottle? That’s because the second fermentation is done in a bottle. At bottling, producers add a mixture of sugar and yeast to aid the fermentation process. The longer the fermentation in the bottle, the better the champagne.
The Differences Between Sparkling and Still Wine
The identifying wine difference between sparkling and still is that the first is made with carbon dioxide, and the latter is non-carbonated. The carbon dioxide is what gives the wine a bubbly effect and sensation. The sparkling tastes lighter and refreshing, while still has more depth and complexity.
