CorkonomicsThe economics of wine production, collection, and vineyards
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Vineyard land · Pauillac≈$2,798,250 a hectare▼ down 17% on 20232024Opening price · Château Lafite Rothschild 2025≈$376 a bottle▲ up 17% on the year beforeSold at auction · Romanée-Conti Grand Cru, DRC 2019$22,917 a bottleSotheby's, Sep 2026Cost to make one bottle · Burgundy grand cru (Pinot Noir)$48–283US duty on wine from · Canada+50%since Aug 2026Everyday bottle in a US shop$13.77 a litre▼ down 1.3% in a yearSep 2026Vineyard land · Margaux≈$1,567,020 a hectare▼ down 7% on 20232024Opening price · Château Cheval Blanc 2025≈$376 a bottle▲ up 22% on the year beforeSold at auction · La Tâche Grand Cru, DRC 2018$5,417 a bottleSotheby's, Sep 2026Cost to make one bottle · Champagne prestige cuvée$26–89US duty on wine from · Australia+12.5%since Jul 2026Vineyard land · Côte-Rôtie≈$1,511,055 a hectare▲ up 8% on 20232024Opening price · Château Mouton Rothschild 2025≈$336 a bottle▲ up 19% on the year beforeSold at auction · Richebourg Grand Cru, DRC 2012$3,542 a bottleSotheby's, Sep 2026Cost to make one bottle · Bordeaux classified growth (2nd–5th)$17–61US duty on wine from · New Zealand+12.5%since Jul 2026Vineyard land · Côte de Nuits grand cru≈$7,275,450 a hectare2019Opening price · Château Palmer 2025≈$268 a bottle▼ down 19% on the year beforeVineyard land · Pomerol≈$2,238,600 a hectare2023
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New to wine? Start with the short lessons, then look up any word you do not know.

Learn · Wine words · Your saved pages

Sparkling wine

Wine with bubbles. The fizz comes from a second fermentation that traps gas in the bottle. Champagne is the most famous.

Two glasses of pale golden sparkling wine with fine bubbles rising

Sparkling wine is ordinary wine given a second fermentation, which traps bubbles of carbon dioxide in the liquid.

Tastes of
Green apple, lemon, fresh bread
Serve
Very cold
Good with
Fried and salty food, oysters, crisps, almost any starter

Brut on the label means dry. Extra Dry is, confusingly, a little sweeter than Brut.

Look for the word Brut on the label. It means dry.

Bottles of sparkling wine resting neck-down in wooden racks in a chalk cellar
Bottles resting neck-down in a chalk cellar while the bubbles form inside.

Three names you will see

A bottle of sparkling wine in an ice bucket and two glasses on a white tablecloth

Champagne

From the Champagne region of northern France. The bubbles form slowly inside each bottle, which gives a toasty, bready taste. The most expensive of the three.

Tastes of Apple, lemon, toast

Two glasses of sparkling wine with olives and crisps on a café table in an Italian square

Prosecco

From north-east Italy. The bubbles form in a big sealed tank, which is quicker, so the wine is lighter, fruitier and costs less.

Tastes of Pear, apple, white flowers

Two glasses of sparkling wine with ham, almonds and olives on a tiled bar

Cava

From Spain, mostly near Barcelona. Made in the bottle like Champagne, from local grapes, for far less money.

Tastes of Lemon, apple, a little toast

The three grapes of Champagne

All grapes

Chardonnay

Say it: shar-doh-NAY

The white that can be anything. Lean and crisp without oak, rich and buttery with it.

  • Apple
  • Lemon
  • Peach

Pinot Noir

Say it: PEE-noh NWAHR

The light, silky red. Pale in the glass, full of red fruit, never heavy.

  • Cherry
  • Raspberry
  • Mushroom

Pinot Meunier

Say it: PEE-noh muh-NYAY

The quiet third grape of Champagne. A dark grape you nearly always drink as white bubbles.

  • Red apple
  • Pear
  • Red berries

Where the famous bubbles come from

All regions
France

Champagne

The original sparkling wine.

 United States

California sparkling

Bubbles made the Champagne way, on the cool California coast.

Famous sparkling wines

See all 9
Bollinger, AÿBollinger La Grande AnnéeChampagneOld grand cru Champagne vineyards near the village of Aÿ, Vallée de la Marne, FranceBollinger Vieilles Vignes FrançaisesChampagneInterior of the Saint-Pierre Abbey of Hautvillers with the grave of Dom Pérignon, Champagne, FranceDom Pérignon P2 (Plénitude 2)ChampagneHautvillers, the abbey of Dom PérignonDom Pérignon VintageChampagneKrug, ReimsKrug Clos du MesnilChampagneA Krug Champagne toastKrug Grande Cuvée (by édition)ChampagneA glass of Krug 2004 ChampagneKrug VintageChampagneAerial view of the Phare de Verzenay among the Champagne vineyards of the Montagne de Reims in autumnLouis Roederer CristalChampagne

The other four types

The five types of wine
A glass of red wine on a dark wooden table

Red

Made from dark grapes, with the skins left in the juice. The skins give the colour and that dry, grippy feeling called tannin.

 A glass of white wine on a sunlit stone table

White

Made from the juice alone, without the skins, so it stays pale and fresh. Usually lighter and crisper than red.

 Two glasses of rosé on a picnic blanket

Rosé

Dark grapes, but the skins are left in for only a few hours. Just long enough to turn the wine pink.

 A small glass of golden dessert wine with cheese and dried fruit

Sweet

Wine that keeps some of the grape's natural sugar. Rich, golden and served in small glasses, often at the end of a meal.