Abstract
Sparkling wines are wines obtained through the second fermentation of still wines, and they contain an overpressure of carbon dioxide formed during this process. Champagne is the most famous sparkling wine in the world, produced exclusively in the Champagne region of France using the bottle fermentation method, also known as the traditional or champenoise method. Another widely known sparkling wine is Prosecco, which is produced in the Treviso region of Italy using the Charmat-Martinotti method of fermentation in pressurized tanks. This article aims to provide an overview of the physico-chemical characteristics of sparkling wines made using the traditional method (such as Cava, Crémant, and Champagne) and some sparkling wines made using the tank method (such as Prosecco and Spumante), and to correlate these characteristics with the tasting notes specific to each type of sparkling wine.