All About Bubbles

QUESTION: We had two bottles of Champagne recently - a Blanc de Blancs and a Rose, both from the same vintage and the same Champagne house. The Blanc de Blancs had noticeably more bubbles. Why would that be?

ANSWER: The quantity of bubbles in a bottle of Champagne is directly tied to the amount of protein in the grape variety or varieties used to make the wine.

A Blanc de Blancs is made entirely of Chardonnay, while a Rose is made from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Since Chardonnay is higher in proteins than Pinot Noir, a Blanc de Blancs should have more bubbles than a Rose.