For red wines, there are 6 grapes that may legally be used in the wines. Of these, only 5 really are much used today. They are Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot , Cabernet Franc , Malbec and Petit Verdot . The sixth grape, Carmenere , is nearly impossible to find in the region today. The soil is mostly of the same white, chalky clay that forms the white cliffs of Dover on the English Channel.
Champagnes go through an initial fermentation in tanks that form a very acidic still wine.
Next the wine is put through a second fermentation in an individual bottle. The CO2 that is formed during this second fermentation is trapped in the bottle and over a period of time is forced into solution with the wine. The longer that Champagne ages in the cellars, the tinier the bubbles. Champagne comes in a variety of sweetness levels. By far the most popular is a style know as 'Brut' which is fermented to dryness.