So I was having this discussion with my brother on the wine aisle a few weeks back, near Thanksgiving, where he was asking me questions about bubbly, and as I waxed on, he said, “Dude, you need to write a blog about this.”

So here you go!

Bubbly is primarily made from three grapes: Pinot Meunier, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

If a bubbly says it is Blanc de Blancs, it is made only from Chardonnay. Literally, white wine from white grapes.

Blanc de Noirs? White wine from black grapes (the Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier.) The dark grape gives Blanc de Noirs a pinky-rosy color.

Although these two terms will give you a hint of a sparkling wine’s flavor (Blanc de Noirs tend to be a little fuller-flavored with more berry flavors), the most important piece of information on the label is the wine’s sweetness.

From least sweet to most sweet: Brut Natural, Brut, Extra Dry, Sec, Demi-Sec and Doux. (I know it seems crazy for Extra Dry to be sweeter than Brut, but there you go.)

Brut and Extra Dry are the two most common varieties. The sweetest varieties are less common (off the top of my head, there’s Moët and Chandon Nectar Imperial - not at all stores, but a lovely example of a demi-sec bubbly. For easier-to-find and less expensive options, try a spumante.)

Champagne versus sparkling wine? Technically speaking, only sparkling wines made in Champagne, France, can be called Champagne. (Although some winemakers still calls theirs champagne.) Cava and prosecco are simply Spanish and Italian sparkling wines, respectively. (Prosecco also tends to be a little lighter and more delicate than other kinds of bubbly…)