Champagne Flashcards
What is the style of most Champagne?
White, fully sparkling, non vintage Brut made from a blend of the 3 main varieties
Medium intensity, green apple, lemon and biscuit (autolysis), high acidity, medium alcohol, dry finish
How is rosé Champagne usually made?
Blending red wine with white (rosé d’assemblage)
Maceration is also permitted (rosé de saignée)
What contributions did Dom Perignon make to the development of Champagne?
Invented the Coquard press
Produced the first white wine from black grapes
Pioneered assemblage (blending)
Pioneered use of strong English glass
Reintroduced cork stoppers
In which year was the current AOC boundary of Champagne defined?
1927
What benefits has the practise of keeping reserve wines had on modern Champagne production?
Contributed to higher overall quality by increasing depth and complexity
Raised the average quality of NV champagne
Insures producers against bad vintages
Reduces vintage variation
Name the five sub regions of Champagne
Montaigne de Reims
Vallee des Marnes
Cotes des Blancs
Cote de Sezanne
Cote des Bar
What is the climate and average rainfall in Champagne?
Cool continental climate with oceanic influences
700mm rain spread throughout year due to oceanic influence
What effects has the warming climate had on Champagne?
Harvest has moved forward by 18 days
Acidity has dropped
Potential alcohol risen by 0.7%
Can now produce more consistently ripe grapes with fewer poor vintages
What is the most valuable soil type?
Chalky hillsides in the northern part of the region. Believed to be good for high quality Chardonnay in particular
What is the benefit of chalk soil?
Highly porous so provides a steady water story even in dry periods
Name the Grand Cru villages of the Montaigne de Reims
Ay, Mailly, Verzenay, Verzy, Ambonnay, Bouzy
What is the Montaigne de Reims best known for?
Black grapes - wines with high acidity and austere in youth
North facing villages create excellent cool climate growing (but frost prone)
Grand Cru villages on chalky soil
What are the features of the Vallee de Marne?
Meunier on clay and marl soil
Fruity Meunier and rich Chardonnay for early drinking
Frost prone (so good for late budding, early ripening Meunier)
Name the Grand Cru villages of the Cote des Blancs
Cramant, Avize, Oger, Mesnil sur Oger
What are the main features of the Cotes des Blancs?
Almost exclusively dedicated to white grapes
Purest form of chalk (water retention vs drainage)
95% Chardonnay
Intense wines with longevity - austere in youth
Describe the features of the Cote de Sezanne
Continuation of Cotes de Blancs
Clay / clay&silt soils with pockets of chalk
Chardonnay on warm south facing slopes - riper grapes
Lesser quality than big 3
Describe the features of the Cote de Bar
Nearly 25% of total Champagne vineyard
Kimmeridgean calcareous marl - like Sancerre and Chablis
Stony limestone soil and steep slopes = excellent drainage good for a Pinot noir
Important source of ripe, full flavoured Pinot Noir for the whole region (NV blends)
How many hectares of vines are there?
35,000
What is the most planted grape?
Pinot Noir - 38%
Why is Chardonnay increasingly being planted?
Demand from big houses
Larger yields
Commands slightly higher price/kilo for the growers
Can you name all 7 approved Champagne varieties?
Pinot Noir Chardonnay Meunier Pinot Blanc Arbanne Petit Meslier Fromenteau
Champagne Laherte - Les 7
What are the benefits of Meunier?
Early budding - but later than PN so less prone to spring frost & coulure
Grows well in cooler Valle de la Marne
Does well on heavier clay soil
Early ripening
Reliable producer of fruity wine
Adds softness to the blend
What is the average planting density?
8000 vines per hectare
Why can grapes for sparkling wines be grown at high yields?
Not necessary to have ripe tannin or concentration of flavour and colour
Competition between vines thought to optimise fruit quality
What are the 4 approved training systems?
Taille Chablis
Cordon du Royat
Guyot
Vallee de la Marne
Describe the Taille Chablis training system
3-5 old wood Córdons
Spurs with up to 5 buds - spur pruning
Large proportion of old wood protects against spring frost
Max 0.6 m above the ground so ripening fruit can benefit from solar energy
Describe the Guyot system
Replacement cane with vertical shoot positioning
What are the main hazards, pests and diseases?
Frost - spring and winter
Cold and rainy June weather disrupts flowering and fruit set
Downy mildew
Violent summer hail and storms
Hot and humid summer weather spreading botrytis
Dagger nematodes
How are pest populations controlled in sustainable viticulture?
Sexual confusion
Why does the Comite Champagne set yields each year?
Protect quality by avoiding over cropping
Protects price
Regulates supply and demand
How does the Comite Champagne set harvest dates and yield?
Takes samples from approx 450 control plots after veraison
Measures rate of colour change, weight, acidity, sugar, botrytis
Why might a producer seek a derogation from the official picking start date?
If botrytis is threatening the crop
How many labourers does the harvest require each year?
100,000
What is the benefit of picking whole bunches by hand?
Avoids crushing, oxidation and microbial spoilage therefore preserving fruit quality
Why are whole bunches pressed slowly?
To ensure high quality, low phenolic juice
What is the Cuvée?
The first 2050 litres of juice (per 4000)
Rich in acid
Finesse and aging potential
What is the taille?
Next 500 litres after the Cuvée
Lower acidity, rich in pigment and phenolics. Expressive but lacks aging potential
When is chaptalisation permitted?
If natural levels of sugar are not enough to produce a wine of minimum 11% alcohol
Why would first fermentation take place in large oak foudres instead of stainless steel?
For more textual richness and mouthfeel
Why would malolactic conversion be used?
To reduce and soften acidity in the final wine
What is the aim of blending (assemblage)?
To create a wine that is greater than the sum of its parts
Why is blending particularly critical for non vintage champagne?
A consistent ‘house style’ year on year is required which reduces the influence of the vintage but still retains a house style
What is the minimum lees aging for non vintage Champagne?
12 months (must spend 15 months in the cellar)
What is the minimum lees aging for vintage Champagne?
Minimum 12 months and must be kept in the cellar for a min 3 years before release
In practise vast majority spend much longer on lees
What effect is a long, slow, cool second fermentation thought to have on Champagne?
Finer wine with smaller bubbles
What determines the final sweetness of Champagne?
Amount of sugar in the liqueur d’expedition
What is the controversy surrounding Grand Cru and Premier Cru villages?
Classification applies to whole village not specific sites
What percentage of the Champagne vineyard is owned by the region’s 16,000 growers?
90%
How does the region influence supply of Champagne?
By setting maximum yields
What is a prestige Cuvée?
The top wine in a Champagne producer’s range.
The product of strict selection of best grapes and meticulous winemaking techniques.
