The appellation Champagne applies only to the wines produced according to the long established traditions in the champagne region of France and is the key to differentiating Champagne from sparkling wines. These rules cover all stages of the wine's development, from vineyard cultivation to final bottling. Since 1927, when the vineyards of Champagne were legally defined only three grape varieties have been allowed in the production of Champagne: Chardonnay,Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. More recently, measures have been taken to lengthen the minimum ageing time to fifteen months for non-vintage Champagne and to three years for vintage wines.

What is a sparkling wine? All wines which undergo a second fermentation(and are thus carbonated) are sparkling wines. Only sparkling wines made in Champagne, France are properly called Champagne. There is a great variety in the rest of the sparkling wines throuhout the world and in this section we feature some very good cool climate sparkling wines fom Australia and New Zealand. As with Champagne, the majority of the sparkling wines featured are made from the traditional grape varieties of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier.

As with sparkling whites, sparkling reds undergo a second fermentation by either the methode champenoise or the charmat process. Unlike France and the United States, whereby lower quality red wines are generally used in the production of sparkling red wines, in Australia premium red grape varieties are generally used and the products are thereby priced at the premium end of the market. Premium sparkling reds have been produced in Australia for over a century and have a great track record of longevity with correct cellaring. Sparkling Shiraz has emerged as a definitive style of sparkling red in Australia with the full bodied style proving to be very popular to consumers of all ages. The Australian image and style of Sparkling Shiraz can rightly take its place on the world market.