Types of Sparkling Wines:
Blanc de Noirs -A French term (literally “white from black” or “white of blacks”) for a white wine produced entirely from black grapes. The flesh of grapes described as black or red is white; grape juice obtained after minimal possible contact with the skins produces essentially white wine, with a slightly yellower colour than wine from white grapes.
Blanc de Blanc -A French term that means “white from whites”, and is used to designate Champagnes made exclusively from Chardonnay grapes. The term is occasionally used in other sparkling wine-producing regions, usually to denote Chardonnay-only wines rather than any sparkling wine made from other white grape varieties
Rose’Champaign-Brut Rose Champagnes came along in the 1990s, a version as dry as regular Brut Champagne. They are produced either by leaving the clear juice of black grapes to macerate on its skins for a brief time (known as the saignée method) or, more commonly, by adding a small amount of still Pinot Noir red wine to the sparkling wine cuvée.
Brut is a term applied to the driest Champagne and sparkling wines. Brut wines are drier which meansthey contain less residual sugar.
These wines can be finished into subtypes based on sugar content.
Sweetness
The ripeness of the grapes and the amount of sugar added after the second fermentation—dosage—varies and will affect the amount of sugar remaining in the Champagne. Wines labeled Brut Zero, more common among smaller producers, have no added sugar and will usually be very dry, with less than 3 grams of residual sugar per litre in the finished wine.
The following terms are used to describe the sweetness of the bottled wine:
- Extra Brut (less than 6 grams of residual sugar per litre)
- Brut (less than 12 grams)
- Extra Dry (between 12 and 17 grams)
- Sec (between 17 and 32 grams)
- Demi-sec (between 32 and 50 grams)
- Doux (50 grams)
Winetrivia -Fun with Food and Wine 