Chef & Sommelier Open Up Champagne Glass / Flute 20 Cl - 6 Pieces
Chef & Sommelier Exaltation Champagne Glass / Flute 30 Cl - 6 Pieces
Bormioli Rocco Tre Sensi Champagne Glass / Flute 15 Cl - 6 Pieces
Champagne
A sparkling wine can only be called champagne if it comes from the Champagne region. Here you'll learn what's in the bottle, what brut and demi-sec mean, and which glass best captures its aroma.
The best-known Champagne houses
Five houses you'll see on shelves almost everywhere. From the region's oldest house to the world's best-selling bottle.
Moët & Chandon
Based in Épernay since 1743 and sells more champagne than any other house in the world. Its flagship is Brut Impérial.
About Moët & Chandon →Veuve Clicquot
The house of the yellow label, founded in 1772 and made famous under the widow Barbe Clicquot Ponsardin.
About Veuve Clicquot →Dom Pérignon
Makes only vintage champagne, and only in exceptional years. Named after the monk who developed the method.
About Dom Pérignon →
Ruinart
The world's oldest Champagne house, founded on September 1, 1729. Chardonnay runs like a thread through everything they make.
About Ruinart →
Taittinger
Has 288 hectares of its own vineyards, making it one of the largest landowners in the region. Its style is light and elegant.
About Taittinger →Our drinks page lists all the brands we cover, from liqueur to whisky.
Every champagne listed by brand
5 brands and 19 varieties, each with its own page about flavor, cocktails and the right glass.
A protected name, and a second fermentation in the bottle
A wine can only be called champagne if it is made in the Champagne region. It lies about 150 kilometers east of Paris, around Reims, Épernay and Aÿ. There are about 34,000 hectares of vineyards, divided among five official regions: Montagne de Reims, Vallée de la Marne, Côte des Blancs, Côte de Sézanne and Aube. Thanks to the cool climate and chalky soil, the grapes retain their fresh acidity, which is what champagne is all about.
Almost always, three grape varieties are used: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. First, a still base wine is made from the juice. The cellar blends it to create a consistent flavor. Then yeast and sugar are added to the wine in the bottle for a second fermentation, which creates the bubbles. The bottles age in the cellar for at least fifteen months. The yeast is then removed through the frozen neck, and the missing volume is topped up with liqueur de dosage. This is champagne with a little cane sugar. The amount of sugar added determines whether the label says brut or demi-sec.
In brief
Brut or sec champagne, from bone-dry to dessert-sweet
The word on the label tells you how much sugar was added at bottling. Brut is the most common, but there's a whole range above and below it.
Brut
By far the best-selling style, and the standard at almost every house. Dry, with just enough sugar to soften the acidity.
Blanc de blancs
White from white, meaning only from the white Chardonnay grape. More structured, fresher and more mineral than a regular brut.
Rosé
Its color comes from a little still red wine added to the blend. Fuller-bodied, with a distinct aroma of red fruit.
Millésime
Champagne from a single vintage, made only with grapes from that year. So it tastes different every year. It ages longer and is always brut.
Demi-sec
The sweeter end of the scale, with plenty of sugar in the dosage. Serve it with dessert, not as an aperitif.
Extra brut has 3 to 6 grams of sugar, extra dry 12 to 17, and dry 17 to 32. Brut nature has no dosage at all.
Fresh, fine bubbles, with bread on the nose
Citrus & brioche
Yellow and white fruit, citrus and white flowers. Beneath that, you can smell bread and brioche, which come from ageing on the lees. The longer the bottle has rested, the stronger those aromas.
Dry and lively
Fresh acidity and fine bubbles. With a brut, you can barely taste the sugar. An older or more expensive bottle is fuller and creamier, but never heavy.
Mineral and long
The finish is dry and slightly salty, with notes of almond or hazelnut. That mineral edge comes from the region's chalky soil.
This is what an average brut tastes like. Demi-sec is considerably sweeter, while blanc de blancs is a little fresher.
How to serve champagne
Serve champagne chilled, but not ice-cold. And handle it more gently than they do in the movies.
Chill to 8 to 10 degrees
Put it in the fridge for at least four hours, or for half an hour in a cooler with ice and water. In a hurry? Add a few tablespoons of salt to the ice water, and it'll be ready in ten minutes. Pouring it too cold masks the aroma.
Glass: flute or tulip →Opening and pouring
Tilt the bottle and turn the bottle, not the cork. Let it come loose with a sigh rather than a pop. Pour slowly down the side of a tilted glass and fill it about two-thirds full. A 75 cl bottle gives you about five glasses.
More about serving →In a cocktail
Kir Royal, Mimosa and French 75 all need a dry sparkling wine. Using an expensive bottle would be a waste. Regular brut works just as well in a cocktail, because the liqueur or juice determines the flavor.
Go to cocktails →Champagne cocktails
Almost every champagne cocktail is made the same way. Add something sweet or sour to the glass, then slowly top it up with a dry sparkling wine.
Kir Royal
Pour crème de cassis into the glass and top up with champagne. Two ingredients and you're done.
Mimosa
Half orange juice, half bubbles, with a splash of Cointreau on top.
French 75
Shake gin, lemon juice and syrup, then top up with champagne.
Champagne Cocktail
A sugar cube with bitters at the bottom of the glass, then slowly top it up.The right glass for champagne
In a flute, you can watch the bubbles rise beautifully; a tulip glass gives the aromas more room, and a coupe is simply fun to look at. These are the glasses we recommend.
Everything you still wanted to know about champagne
Can’t find your question here? Check out our cocktail recipes or get in touch.
To the cocktail recipes →What percentage of alcohol is in champagne?
What does brut mean in champagne?
What’s the difference between champagne, prosecco, and cava?
Which glass is best to use?
At what temperature should you serve champagne?
How many glasses are in a bottle of champagne?
How long does an opened bottle keep?
Buy champagne
Want the bottle at home right away? Order champagne online from Gall & Gall. Gall & Gall has 132.
De Saint-Gall Le Tradition Premier Cru
Prices as of November 10, 2026, as provided by Gall & Gall. You can find the current price and stock at Gall & Gall. Glazen.nl receives a small commission if you buy something through these links; it won’t cost you anything extra. No 18, no alcohol.
