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D4 Sparkling Wine > Champagne > Flashcards

Champagne Flashcards

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1
Q

What is the style of most Champagne?

A

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

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2
Q

How is rosé Champagne usually made?

A

Blending red wine with white (rosé d’assemblage)

Maceration is also permitted (rosé de saignée)

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3
Q

What contributions did Dom Perignon make to the development of Champagne?

A

Invented the Coquard press

Produced the first white wine from black grapes

Pioneered assemblage (blending)

Pioneered use of strong English glass

Reintroduced cork stoppers

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4
Q

In which year was the current AOC boundary of Champagne defined?

A

1927

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5
Q

What benefits has the practise of keeping reserve wines had on modern Champagne production?

A

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

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6
Q

Name the five sub regions of Champagne

A

Montaigne de Reims

Vallee des Marnes

Cotes des Blancs

Cote de Sezanne

Cote des Bar

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7
Q

What is the climate and average rainfall in Champagne?

A

Cool continental climate with oceanic influences

700mm rain spread throughout year due to oceanic influence

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8
Q

What effects has the warming climate had on Champagne?

A

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

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9
Q

What is the most valuable soil type?

A

Chalky hillsides in the northern part of the region. Believed to be good for high quality Chardonnay in particular

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10
Q

What is the benefit of chalk soil?

A

Highly porous so provides a steady water story even in dry periods

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11
Q

Name the Grand Cru villages of the Montaigne de Reims

A

Ay, Mailly, Verzenay, Verzy, Ambonnay, Bouzy

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12
Q

What is the Montaigne de Reims best known for?

A

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

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13
Q

What are the features of the Vallee de Marne?

A

Meunier on clay and marl soil

Fruity Meunier and rich Chardonnay for early drinking

Frost prone (so good for late budding, early ripening Meunier)

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14
Q

Name the Grand Cru villages of the Cote des Blancs

A

Cramant, Avize, Oger, Mesnil sur Oger

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15
Q

What are the main features of the Cotes des Blancs?

A

Almost exclusively dedicated to white grapes

Purest form of chalk (water retention vs drainage)

95% Chardonnay

Intense wines with longevity - austere in youth

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16
Q

Describe the features of the Cote de Sezanne

A

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

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17
Q

Describe the features of the Cote de Bar

A

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)

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18
Q

How many hectares of vines are there?

A

35,000

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19
Q

What is the most planted grape?

A

Pinot Noir - 38%

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20
Q

Why is Chardonnay increasingly being planted?

A

Demand from big houses

Larger yields

Commands slightly higher price/kilo for the growers

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21
Q

Can you name all 7 approved Champagne varieties?

A 
Pinot Noir 
Chardonnay 
Meunier 
Pinot Blanc 
Arbanne 
Petit Meslier
Fromenteau

Champagne Laherte - Les 7

22
Q

What are the benefits of Meunier?

A

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

23
Q

What is the average planting density?

A

8000 vines per hectare

24
Q

Why can grapes for sparkling wines be grown at high yields?

A

Not necessary to have ripe tannin or concentration of flavour and colour

Competition between vines thought to optimise fruit quality

25
Q

What are the 4 approved training systems?

A

Taille Chablis

Cordon du Royat

Guyot

Vallee de la Marne

26
Q

Describe the Taille Chablis training system

A

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

27
Q

Describe the Guyot system

A

Replacement cane with vertical shoot positioning

28
Q

What are the main hazards, pests and diseases?

A

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

29
Q

How are pest populations controlled in sustainable viticulture?

A

Sexual confusion

30
Q

Why does the Comite Champagne set yields each year?

A

Protect quality by avoiding over cropping

Protects price

Regulates supply and demand

31
Q

How does the Comite Champagne set harvest dates and yield?

A

Takes samples from approx 450 control plots after veraison

Measures rate of colour change, weight, acidity, sugar, botrytis

32
Q

Why might a producer seek a derogation from the official picking start date?

A

If botrytis is threatening the crop

33
Q

How many labourers does the harvest require each year?

A

100,000

34
Q

What is the benefit of picking whole bunches by hand?

A

Avoids crushing, oxidation and microbial spoilage therefore preserving fruit quality

35
Q

Why are whole bunches pressed slowly?

A

To ensure high quality, low phenolic juice

36
Q

What is the Cuvée?

A

The first 2050 litres of juice (per 4000)

Rich in acid

Finesse and aging potential

37
Q

What is the taille?

A

Next 500 litres after the Cuvée

Lower acidity, rich in pigment and phenolics. Expressive but lacks aging potential

38
Q

When is chaptalisation permitted?

A

If natural levels of sugar are not enough to produce a wine of minimum 11% alcohol

39
Q

Why would first fermentation take place in large oak foudres instead of stainless steel?

A

For more textual richness and mouthfeel

40
Q

Why would malolactic conversion be used?

A

To reduce and soften acidity in the final wine

41
Q

What is the aim of blending (assemblage)?

A

To create a wine that is greater than the sum of its parts

42
Q

Why is blending particularly critical for non vintage champagne?

A

A consistent ‘house style’ year on year is required which reduces the influence of the vintage but still retains a house style

43
Q

What is the minimum lees aging for non vintage Champagne?

A

12 months (must spend 15 months in the cellar)

44
Q

What is the minimum lees aging for vintage Champagne?

A

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

45
Q

What effect is a long, slow, cool second fermentation thought to have on Champagne?

A

Finer wine with smaller bubbles

46
Q

What determines the final sweetness of Champagne?

A

Amount of sugar in the liqueur d’expedition

47
Q

What is the controversy surrounding Grand Cru and Premier Cru villages?

A

Classification applies to whole village not specific sites

48
Q

What percentage of the Champagne vineyard is owned by the region’s 16,000 growers?

A

90%

49
Q

How does the region influence supply of Champagne?

A

By setting maximum yields

50
Q

What is a prestige Cuvée?

A

The top wine in a Champagne producer’s range.

The product of strict selection of best grapes and meticulous winemaking techniques.

D4 Sparkling Wine (11 decks)

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