Sparkling vs carbonated wine: what's the difference
Both have bubbles, but the carbon dioxide comes from different places. In sparkling wine it forms during fermentation; in carbonated wine it is added.
| 🍷 Sparkling wine | 🍷 Aerated sparkling wine | |
|---|---|---|
| Source of CO₂ | Fermentation only | Added wholly or partly |
| Pressure at 20 °C | 3 bar or more; quality sparkling 3.5 bar or more | 3 bar or more |
| Base | Fresh grapes, unfermented grape juice or wine | Only wine without a protected name (PDO/PGI) |
| Label | «Traditional method» allowed if the second fermentation took place in the bottle | «Obtained by adding carbon dioxide» is compulsory |
| Lighter version | Semi-sparkling: 1–2.5 bar | Carbonated semi-sparkling: 1–2.5 bar |
Which to choose
It all comes down to where the bubbles come from. Sparkling wine can carry a protected name and the «traditional method» mention, while carbonated wine is a still wine charged with carbon dioxide and cannot have a designation of origin. To know what is in the bottle, look for «obtained by adding carbon dioxide» on the label.
Sources
Themes
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