Champagne/Sparkling Wine Facts

California is the largest consumer of Sparkling Wine in the United States ! Traditionally, the three grape varietals used in sparkling wine are: Pinot Meunier, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. One grape vine yields 3 to 4 bottles of sparkling wine. A “Muselet” is the wire cage on top of the sparkling wine cork. The pressure in a bottle of sparkling wine is 90 pounds per square inch,  that’s about three times the pressure in your automobile tire. When opening a cork can escape a bottle of sparkling wine at almost 70 mph. A bottle of sparkling wine, when opened should never pop with a big bang, but with a soft sigh. You should not swirl sparkling wine in your glass like a still wine…it will “bruise the bubbles!”

     Information gained from “Mumm Napa”