In an area where residents argue on Facebook about which Red Lobster offers a better dining experience, itâs kinda surprising that Tampa, St. Petersburg, Clearwater, Bradenton, Sarasota and, yes, Lakeland(!) are actually carving out a collective culinary identity worthy of attention.
Cava is not âChampagneâ and neither is California sparkling wine, even if it is called âChampagne.â We donât need to go into great detail about the history of Champagne here, but it is probably helpful to know the basics of Champagne to then understand Cava. There are 3 traditional grapes used in Champagne. They can be used individually, or they can be used 2 or 3 together. The basic, traditional blend of Champagne is of Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, and Chardonnay. They are grapes that are indigenous to the Champagne region of France.
A question that we are often asked is, âWhat is the difference between âSparkling Wineâ and âChampagneâ? The easy and short answer is that sparkling wine can only be called Champagne if it comes from the region of Champagne, France, which is just outside of Paris. Further, champagne can only be made using Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier. To clarify, all champagne is sparkling wine, but not all sparkling wine is champagne. We really should think of Champagne in terms of a geographical place as opposed to a winemaking style.