Where there is a wedding, there is bound to be champagne. Whether during the reception or on the honeymoon, newlyweds use the flowing bubbles to celebrate their festive mood.

But just because the bottle goes "Pop!" when opened does not mean it's really champagne. What's more, savoring good champagne requires some extra knowledge that will make choosing and drinking the bubbly an experience to remember.

Look no further - here is the lowdown on the highbrow drink the whole world uses to say, "Cheers!" Not all champagnes are created equal. Ask the French and they will tell you that a sparkling wine called "champagne" must be made in the Champagne region of France according to the traditional champagne method.

The term "champagne" in the United States is often used as a generically to describe all sparkling wines and does not relate to the specific region of origin, as it does in France.

Not surprisingly, the French have something to say about this. "It's like taking a Ford and calling it a Ferrari," says Daniel Lorson, spokesman for the Comite Interprofessional du Vin de Champagne France, the organization that represents the vintners who produce France's Champagne output. "Yes, the car will run, but it's not the same driving experience."

American makers, particularly in California's Napa Valley, vehemently counter that they have mastered the "methode Champenoise." This is the sparkling wine's crucial second fermentation, which creates natural carbonation that occurs in the bottle in which it is later sold.

Most American "champagne" is the result of the "charmat" or "bulk" process, a method that produces low-cost bubbly. Charmat sparkling wines are fermented in tanks, like beer, and often produce "champagnes" with large, lazy bubbles that disappear quickly.

The result is a vintage "as similar to authentic champagne as chicken cordon bleu is to KFC take-out," says Lorson.

If you want a really great bottle of champagne, the makers are French. Brands such as Moet & Chandon, Mumm, Perrier-Jouet, Champagne Veuve Clicquot and Piper (to name just a few of the more 12,000 Champagne makers in France) have a reputation for excellence unmatched by any other vintners in the world.