What's the difference between Champagne and sparkling wine?
By law, producers of sparkling wine can only label their product Champagne if it is produced in the Champagne region of France and adheres to strict production criteria, including a second fermentation in the bottle. A sparkling wine could be produced the exact same way elsewhere, but will be bottled under a label that doesn't say Champagne. Other names for sparkling wine from around the world include cava (Spain), cap classique (South Africa) and spumante (Italy).