The traditional method is the process used in the Champagne region of France to produce Champagne. It is also the method used in various French regions to produce sparkling wines, in Spain to produce cava, in Portugal to produce Espumante and in Italy to produce Franciacorta. The method is known as the méthode champenoise, but the Champagne producers have successfully lobbied the European Union to restrict the use of that term within the EU only to wines produced in Champagne. Thus, wines from elsewhere cannot use the term "méthode champenoise" on products sold in the EU, and instead the term "traditional method" or the local language equivalent. South African wines from the Western Cape are labelled with the term Methode Cap Classique. Some wine producers in countries outside the EU may disregard EU labeling laws and use méthode champenoise or even "Champagne" on labels for products not exported to the EU, but this usage is decreasing.
A bottle of undisgorged Champagne resting on the lees. The yeast used in the second fermentation is still in the bottle, which is closed with a crown cap.
Bottles of Champagne aging in the cellars of Veuve Clicquot
Le Remueur: 1889 engraving of a man engaged in the laborious daily task of turning each bottle a fraction
Equipment for effecting dosage through the addition of 'liqueur d'expédition
Champagne is a sparkling wine originated and produced in the Champagne wine region of France under the rules of the appellation, which demand specific vineyard practices, sourcing of grapes exclusively from designated places within it, specific grape-pressing methods and secondary fermentation of the wine in the bottle to cause carbonation.
A glass of Champagne exhibiting the characteristic bubbles associated with the wine
Vineyards in the Champagne region of France
1915 English magazine illustration of a lady riding a Champagne cork (Lordprice Collection)
Le Remueur: 1889 engraving of the man engaged in the daily task of turning each bottle a fraction