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WSET Dip Mod 4 > Champagne > Flashcards

Champagne Flashcards

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1
Q

Name the main regions in champagne

A 
Vallée de Marne
Côte des Blancs
Montagne de Reims
Côte des Bars
Côte de sézanne
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2
Q

Name the major trellising systems

A

Taille Chablis (Chardonnay)
Cordon du Royat (meunier & Pinot noir)
Guyot
Vallee de Marne

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3
Q

Describe the taille Chablis trellising system

A

Spur pruning with lots of old wood. Spurs are a max of 0.6m above the ground to maximise solar radiation (especially important on chalk). 4-5 cordons with spurs at the end

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4
Q

What is the difference between taille Chablis and cordon du royat?

A

Taille Chablis has 4-5 cordon while cordon du royat has 1. The former is for Chardonnay while the latter is for PN and meunier
C du R is VPS

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5
Q

What are the maximum inter-row and intra-row spacing for champagne vines

A
  1. 5m inter-row

0. 9-1.5m intra-row

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6
Q

What is the average density of vines per hectare

A

8000

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7
Q

What are the authorised grape varieties in champagne (7)

A 
Chardonnay 
Meunier
Pinot n
Arbanne
Fromenteau
Petit meslier
Pinot Blanc
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8
Q

What is grown predominantly and on what soils in V de M?

A

Meunier & chard

Clay marl and sand

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9
Q

What is grown and on what soil in C des Blancs

A

Chard on chalk

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10
Q

What is grown and on what soil on the M de Reims

A 
Black grapes (often Pinot n) on north facing slopes. 
Soils vary but grands crus are on chalk
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11
Q

What is planted and on what soil in côte de sezanne

A

Chardonnay (cont. of the côte des Blancs further south)

From on clay / clay silt.

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12
Q

What is grown and on what soil in côte des bars

A

Pinot noir - fruitier and riper than in the north
On kimmeridgien calcerous marl
same as Sancerre and Chablis

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13
Q

What did the civc do in 2010 (green initiative)

A

Introduced a lighter weight Ng bottle - 60g lighter than previously.

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14
Q

The civc sets the harvest dates. How rigid are these?

A

The start date is the earliest date picking can start. But if there is a legitimate need (threat of botrytis) a producer can write to the body and ask for an exception. These are usually allowed

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15
Q

How many control plots are used when ascertaining the harvest dates and when is it done

A

450

From veraison onwards

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16
Q

EU law sets the upper limit for yields in the region measured in kg/hectare
What is the limit and when was it reached?

A

15,500kg/ha

2006&2007

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17
Q

Who regulates the limit of reserve wine allowed to be made?

A

Civc

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18
Q

How long does the harvest last on average and how many people are involved

A

3 weeks

100,000 people

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19
Q

What is the max capacity of the collection bins in harvest

A

50 Kg

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20
Q

How many pressing centres are there and why

A

1900 approx

Reduces transportation distances

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21
Q

What are he climatic threats in champagne? (5)

A

Winter frosts: kills the vine
Spring frosts: kills / damages the buds
Rain during fruit set: uneven ripening / berry sizes / disease
Summer storms with hail: damages the fruit
Autumn / harvest mist: risk of botrytis and mould

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22
Q

What is a Marc

A

4000kg of grapes - a traditional press volume

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23
Q

What is a standard yield in terms of hL/ha?

A

79 although can go up to 98 if the CIVC is in agreement with surplus going to reserve wines

24
Q

What type of presses are used

A

traditionally the basket press (always whole bunches) but also the pneumatic or the hydrolic horizontal press

25
Q

What is the cuvee and what is the taille?

A

Cuvee is the first of two fractions of the pressing. It’s the first 2050 L made of free run juice. The taille is the second 500L.

26
Q

What are the differences in terms of the resulting wine between the cuvee and the taille

A

The cuvee is high in acid and is good for ageing wines. The taille has a higher le el of pigment and phenolics from longer contact with the skins. This is used more for NV wines as they show better young, and aren’t great for ageing.

27
Q

Is chaptalisation allowed?

A

yes, for wines with a min of 11% ABV. Maximal resulting levels are 13%.

28
Q

Where do the wines undergo their first fermentation?

A

Usually in stainless steel tanks, although more and more producers of quality wines are turning to foudres.

29
Q

What is the view taken towards MLC?

A

Very mixed. Some encourage it habitually in the first fermentation to stabilise the wines and reduce acidity. Others feel it masks the character of the wine, and some use it as and when they think the vintage needs it.

30
Q

What is a standard level of reserve wine addition during blending for NV wines?

A

10-15%. Premium houses can go up to 30-40%. The barriers to using higher proportions of reserve wines are storage facilities and cost; it’s expensive to keep large amounts of reserve wines which aren’t saleable, so smaller houses have the minimum allowed.

31
Q

What is the minimum amount of time NV wines need to age, and what amount of that is on lees?

A

15 months min, with 12 on lees.

32
Q

What are the rules about ageing for vintage wines?

A

3 years minimum post tirage ageing, and 12 months on lees (same as NV wines)

33
Q

What is the risk of late disgorged wines?

A

They tend to be unstable after so long on the lees, so need to be drunk relatively quickly

34
Q

What amount of sugar is added for a full pressure bottle in the tirage stage?

A

24g/L

35
Q

When is the sweetness of the wine addressed?

A

The liqueur d’expedition affects the final sweetness

36
Q

Other than sweetness, what stylistic differences can be controlled with the liqueur d’expedition

A
  • if fresh wine is used, it can bring fruity notes
  • if a reserve wine is used it will add complexity and dried fruit notes
  • the colour can also be adjusted at this stage for a rose
37
Q

What information has to be on the cork?

A

the word CHAMPAGNE and the vintage if applicable

38
Q

Traditionally, how were villages rated, and what are the different bands?

A

as a percentage
Grand crus villages are 100%
Premier Crus are 90-99%
Other villages are 80-89%

39
Q

What did this rating historically dictate, and how has this changed?

A

The grand crus villages got 100% of the price, while the Premier crus got 90-99% etc. This was rejected but he EU and now the market dictates the price, although large players like MC control this indirectly.

40
Q

How many growers are there in the region and how much of the vineyards do they own (%)

A

16,000, owning 90% of the total vineyards

41
Q

How many Maisons are there

A

340

42
Q

What are NM, RM, and CM?

A

Negociant manipulant
Recoltant manipulant
Cooperative de manipulation

43
Q

What are NMs?

A

The Houses. They buy must grapes or wine to make champagne in their own houses and sell under their own brand.

44
Q

What are RMs?

A

These are growers and make wines exclusively from their own grapes

45
Q

What are CMs

A

These are Coops. Market wines under their own labels, using the groups’ grapes.

46
Q

What % of sales are to the domestic market?

A

50%

Houses export more than they sell internally

47
Q

which group sells the most internally?

A

Growers - they have less cash for international sales and marketing, as well as smaller volumes.
Coops are about 50% split, while houses are 78% export.

48
Q

What has happened to the price of champagne domestically?

A

There used to be an abundance of cheap champagne sold through supermarkets (under 12Euro) but recently that proportion has been dropping as the number of wines over 20Euors has increased.

49
Q

put these markets in order of export volume (2018 figures) Japan, Germany, UK, USA, Belgium

A

UK, USA, Japan, Germany, Belgium,

50
Q

Why has Champagne been moving away from the cheaper end of the market?

A
  • Lots of other cheap sparkling wines competing at the lower end of the category (such as Prosecco)
  • less pesticides and more environmentally sound practices being used so lower yields
  • better marketing stance
51
Q

Has this approach for moving up the ladder worked? Illustrate with figures

A

Yes - volumes down 10%. but value up 25%.

52
Q

How many grapes (kg) do you need for a 75cl bottle of champagne?

A

approx 1.2kg

53
Q

What is the price of a kg of champagne grapes (av)

A

6.10Euro a kg. Higher for GC or PC.

54
Q

What winemaking factors influence the price of the wine

A
  • where the grapes are from (GC village vs non rated village)
  • vintage vs nv
  • rose vs white - red wines are a little pricier to make
  • oak ageing
55
Q

What is the breakdown of the cost of wine in the following terms:

  • grapes
  • production
  • commercialisation
A
  • grapes : 50%
  • production: 30%
  • commercialisation: 20%

WSET Dip Mod 4 (9 decks)

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