Champagne Flashcards
What are the areas of Champagne
- Montagne de Reims
- Vallée de la Marne
- Cote de Blancs
- Cote de Sezanne
- The Aube (Cote des Bars)
How many Grand Cru villages are there, and where are the located?
17
- Montagne de Reims
- Vallée de la Marne
- Cote de Blancs
What are the 7 permitted Champagne varietals?
- Chardonnay
- Pinot Noir
- Meunier
- Pinot Blanc
- Petit Meslier
- Fromenteau
- Arbane
Describe ‘most’ Champagne
Most Champagne is:
- White
- Fully Sparkling
- Non Vintage
- Brut
- Blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Meunier
- Medium Intensity - Apple, Lemon, Biscuit
- Good to Outstanding Quality
- Mid to Premium (Vintage/Cuvee Premium-Super Premium) priced
When was the current AOC boundary set in Champagne
1927
What is the climate in Champagne
Cool, continental
What is the average annual temperature in Champagne
11C
Why is Champagne ideal for production of traditional method sparkling wines?
The low average annual temp (11C) results in low-alcohol, acidic base wines.
What is considered beneficial to the production of high quality Chardonnay in Champange?
The thick layer of chalk in the wider Paris basin.
Why is chalk beneficial?
It is highly porous and stores water, providing a steady supply even in dry periods.
Planting on slopes means rainfall provides sufficient water to survive without risking water logging.
What is Montagne de Reims known for?
Black grapes. Also some Chardonnay. The Grand Crus are on chalky soils.
What is Vallèe de la Marne known for?
Meunier. (fruity)
What is Cote des Blancs known for?
White Grapes (95% Chardonnay)
Where does the ‘Meunier’ name come from?
Meunier is French for ‘miller’. Meunier is a pinot noir mutation with white hairs on the leaves, giving it a floury appearance.
Describe Meunier
- Early budding (but later than Chardonnay/PN)
- Ripens earlier than PN (helpful when harvest is interupted by rain)
- Sensitive to botyritis
- Reliable producer of fruity wine
- Contributes softness to blend. (important for NV)
Why can grapes for sparkling wines be grown at higher yields?
Ripeness of tannins and concentration of fruit/colour uis not as important
What is the planting density restrictions in Champagne
1.5m inter-row, 0.9-1.5m intra-row. 2.5m total maximum
= ~8000 vines per hectare.
Who sets harvest dates and yields in Champagne? And how?
Comité Champagne.
By taking samples at veraison.
What is the system of reserve wines known as?
Blocage
What is a marc?
A unit of 4000kg of grapes, the amount loaded into a basket press.
What are the limits on juice extraction?
2050 litres of cuvee followed by 500 litres of taille per 4000kg (‘marc‘)of grapes
How is the taille fraction typically used?
It is higher in colour and phenolics and lower in acidity, with less aging potential, so often is important in non-vintage wines
When is chapitalisation permitted?
When the natural sugars cannot produce a wine up to 11% ABV
What are the maturation requirements for Champagnes?
NV: 15 months (12 months on lees)
Vintage: 12 months on less minimum but release 3 years after tirage (in practice much longer than 12months)
What determines the sweetness of Champagne?
The amount of sugar in liqueur d’expedition
What are the types of producers?
- NM - Negociant manipulant - the houses - buy grapes to make wine under own label
- RM - Recoltant manipulant - the growers - own grapes, own label
- CM - Cooperative de manipulant - own label from members grapes
What is Taille Chablis?
- Form of vine training system used in Champagne region that is considered best for Chardonnay
- 3-4 cordons with max of 5;
- at end of each cordon is a spur with up to 5 buds
- form of spur pruning which retains a lot of permanent wood to help protect against frost
- train spurs at makx of 0.6 metres above the ground so can benefit from heat/light reflected from chalk
What are the 4 approved vine training systems in Champagne?
- Taille Chablis (best for Chardonnay)
- Cordon du Royat (best for PN & Meunier)
- Guyot (single or double permitted)
- Vallée de la Marne (similar to Guyot but more buds)
What are the main hazards, pests and diseases in Champagne?
- occasional severe winter frost that kills parts of or whole vine
- spring frost that kills new buds and decreases yield
- cold/rainy weather in June leads to poor flowering and fruit set which can reduce yields
- violent summer storms and hail damages vines/grapes
- hot/humid summer increases botrytis
- downy and powdery mildew
- Fanleaf virus spread by dagger nematode
