If it's not from Champagne, France, you can't call your drink "champagne". It's against international law.

If it's not from Champagne, France, you can't call your drink "champagne". It's against international law.

Champagne is produced exclusively in the Champagne region of France. The French are really picky about their wine and their champagne, so much so that they made it illegal in 1891 for any vineyard not in Champagne to make a drink called "champagne". What we normally refer to as "champagne" is technically "sparkling wine".

The ban on calling sparkling wine "champagne" even appeared in the Treaty of Versailles that marked the end of World War I, making it the law in every country that signed it. The United States never signed the Treaty of Versailles, so American vineyards were never forced to follow this law until recently. The U.S. has amended its tax codes to restrict the use of the name "champagne" for all new wines made after 2006. Wines made prior to 2006 can use the name "champagne" on their labels only when accompanied by a notification of their actual origin (e.g. California) so there's no confusion.