France 
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5 min read
The Main Difference Between Prosecco and Champagne
At Champagne Lallier, we understand that discerning palates appreciate the distinction between Champagne and Prosecco. Each sparkling wine brings a different experience, shaped by its unique origins and production methods.
Champagne, with its rich history spanning three hundred years, stands as a symbol of luxury and craftsmanship. Vineyards in the heart of Champagne in France nurture seven noble grape varieties, although we elect to use three, each contributing to the intricate complexity of our wines. The distinct characteristics of these varieties helps to build the identity of each of our cuvées. For example, our Réflexion R.019 is a harmonious blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Champagne Lallier’s newest cuvée, Réflexion R.021, meanwhile, blends Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Meunier.
Flavor Profiles
Prosecco, hailing from Italy, predominantly relies on the Glera grape variety. Many Proseccos are 100% Glera, but producers can supplement their wines with up to 15% of other grapes including Pinot Grigio, Pinot Noir, Pinto Bianco, or Chardonnay. Prosecco offers a delightful freshness and fruit-forward character but could lack the complexity and depth that comes from Champagne’s diversity of crus, years and grape varieties, not to mention the region’s time-honored production techniques. A significant factor, too, is the use of long aging on lees in Champagne, which adds a lot to the flavor and complexity of the wine.
While both Prosecco and Champagne are sparkling wines, their production methods differ significantly. Prosecco undergoes a single fermentation in large stainless-steel tanks, known as the Charmat method. This results in a fruitier wine with larger bubbles. Champagne, on the other hand, undergoes a secondary fermentation in the bottle itself, known as the traditional method. This process creates smaller, more persistent bubbles and contributes to Champagne’s signature complex flavors and yeasty notes.
During this second fermentation, Champagne ages in the bottle for a minimum of 15 months for non-vintage cuvées, and 36 months for vintage cuvées. This prolonged slumber allows the wine time to rest on its lees (the spent yeast cells), creating enhanced complexity and depth. At Lallier, we age our non-vintage Champagnes a minimum of 36 months—twice the industry standard. This extended aging process is where our true alchemy happens.
The lees impart a unique character to our Champagne, developing a symphony of complex flavors. Notes of toasted brioche, dried fruit, honey, and subtle spice emerge, creating a multi-layered, nuanced taste experience. It’s this extended aging on the lees that gives Champagne Lallier its remarkable depth, richness, and long-lasting finish.
While both sparkling wines offer their own unique enjoyment, we believe the patient art of Champagne-making creates something completely unique and rarified.
Regions and Grape Varieties
Prosecco’s roots trace back to northeastern Italy, specifically the Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia regions. The nine provinces in these regions bask in a warmer climate than Champagne, France, resulting in Glera grapes with higher sugar levels and lower acidity.
In contrast, Champagne boasts four diverse growing regions, each possessing a unique terroir—a combination of climate, soil, and topography—that imparts distinct qualities to the grapes cultivated there. These four regions—Côte des Bar, Côte des Blancs, Montagne de Reims, and Vallée de la Marne—are made up of 319 villages, consisting of 280,000 plots. This is the heart of Champagne’s intricate tapestry of flavors.
We meticulously source grapes from each of these four regions, ensuring that we capture the diversity and unique expression of each cru.
Aÿ, the only Grand Cru village of the Vallée de la Marne region, is home to the majority of our Pinot Noir vines, which lend a subtle spice and refined maturity to our cuvées. Lallier also has some uncommon plots of Chardonnay vines in Aÿ. In the Côte des Blancs, Oger’s Chardonnay grapes flourish under the perfect balance of sunlight and soil, contributing elegance and finesse to our wines. Our other Chardonnay plots in the Côte des Blancs are found in Avize, Bergères-lès-Vertus, Cuis, and Grauves.
Verzenay and Verzy, in the Montagne de Reims, yield intense, earthy Pinot Noir grapes that add depth and structure to our blends. The Côte des Bar, meanwhile, is home to additional Champagne Lallier Pinot Noir plots, in Fontette and Gyé-sur-Seine.
Discover the Champagne Lallier collection here.
