Champagne Flashcards
What do the terms Vins de la Rivière, and Vins de la Montagne refer to?
Wines from the river “Valle de la Marne”
Wines from the Mountain “ Montagne de Reims”
How is Cru status awarded in Champagne?
Awarded to entire Villages, rather than individual properties (Bordeaux) or Vineyards (Burgundy).
What grape dominates the regions of Cote de Sezanne and Cote des Blancs?
Chardonnay
What region in Champagne is heavy planted with Meunièr. Why?
The Valle de la Marne, Meunier’s tendency to bud late and ripen early is perfect for the areas frost prone vineyards.
What is the wire cage on a Champagne cork called?
A Muselet
The first 2,050 Liters of juice extracted from 4,000 kg of grapes is called what in Champagne?
The Vin de Cuvee
What is the term for releasing older vintages of base wines for use in asseblage?
Deblocage
How many bottles does a Gyropallete hold?
504
What is the term used for holding bottles in the horizontal position during secondary fermentation?
Sur latte
What are the preferred methods of degorgement in Champagne?
Degorgement a la glace
Degorgement a la volee
What percentage of the years harvest is able to be sold as vintage champagne?
80%
What does Pinot Noir stylistically add to Champange?
Fruit, Body, and Structure
How many months must Cremant wines spend on the lees before release?
9 Months
What does NM stand for in Champagne?
Negociant Manipulant: A producer that purchases grapes to make wine. They can own vines as well.
What does RM stand for in Champagne?
Recoltant Manipulant: A producer that makes champagne exclusively from its own vineyards.
What does RC stand for in Champagne?
Recoltant-cooperateur: A grower that sells grapes to a cooperative and then receives Champagne to market under its own label.
What does CM mean in Champagne?
Cooperative de Manipulation: A cooperative that sells wine made from its members grapes.
What does SR mean in Champagne?
Societe de Recoltants: A group of growers, usually family members, who make Champagne from their own Vineyards.
What does ND stand for in Champagne?
Negociant distributeur: Merchant that buys bottles of finished Champagne and markets them under their own label.
What does MA stand for in Champagne?
Marque Auxiliaire or Marque d’acheteur: Buyers own brand. For example a supermarket buys bottles of Champagne and sells them under its own label.
What are the 7 Codes of labeling in Champagne?
NM- Negociant Manipulant
RM- Recoltant Manopulant
RC- Recoltant-cooperateur
CM- Cooperative de Manipulation
SR- Societe de récoltants
ND- Negociant distributeur
MA- Marque Auxiliaire or Marque d’Acheteur
What are the different bottle sizes in Champagne from least to greatest?
Quarter bottle (Piccolo) 187ml
Half Bottle (Demi) 375ml
Bottle 750ml
Magnum 1.5L (2 bottles)
Jeroboam 3L (4 bottles)
Rehoboam (discontinued in 1983) 4.5L (6 bottles)
Methuselah 6L (8bottles)
Salmanazar 9L (12 bottles)
Balthazar 12L (16 bottles)
Nubuchadnezzar 15L (20 bottles)
Solomon 18L (24 bottles)
What are the sweetness levels in Champagne from driest to sweetest?
Brut Nature/None Dose - 0-3g per liter
Extra Brut - 0-6g per liter
Brut - 0-12g per liter
Extra Dry - 12-17g per liter
Sec - 17-32g per liter
Demi-Sec - 32-50g per liter
Doux - 50+g per liter
Oldest Champagne House?
Gosset 1584
Oldest sparkling Champagne House?
Ruinart 1729
Who invented the method of Chapatilization?
Jean-Antoine Chaptal
What is remuage? Where was it invented.
Riddling, the process of moving yeast to the neck of bottle for easy removal. Invented at Veuve Cliquot by Madame Barbe-Nicole Ponsardin.
What chemist helped to discover the relationship between sugar and fermentation?
Andre Francois
What is the Commission de Chalons?
A consortium of growers, and merchants formed to develop quality standards and pricing. formed in 1935.
When was Champagne added to the AOC/AOP?
1936
What is the Comité Interprofessional du Vin de Champagne (CIVC)
A broader consortium of growers producers and shippers built to represent the Champagne industry and its interests, 1941
What geographical feature influences the champagne region?
The Atlantic Ocean.
What is Bouvreux?
Second crop, rarely ripens and is usually left on the vine.
What are the main soil types in Champagne?
Porus Belemnite Chalk and limestone on the slopes.
Micraster Chalk an the valleys, named after and extinct sea urchin.
What is the dominant soil type in the Aube?
Clay
What does Chardonnay Contribute to Champange?
Elegance and Longevity.
What does Meunier contribute to Champange?
Youthful fruitiness and approachability.
In certain areas of Champange what are the other allowable grape varietals?
Vrai (True Pinot Blanc)
Arbane
Pinot Gris
Petit Meslier
What are the 4 methods of pruning in Champange?
Cordon du Royat
Chablis
Vallee de la Marne
Guyot (double and simple)
What are the 5 districs (regions) of Champange from North to South?
Montagne de Reims
Vallee de la Marne
Cote des Blancs
Cote de Sezanne
Cote de Bar
What grape dominates the regions of Montagne de Reims and Aube?
Pinot Noir
What does the Comité Interprofessional du Vin de Champagne (CIVC) oversee?
Relations between growers and producers. Production Methods and Promotion of Champagne. (Harvest yields, blocage & deblocage.
Oversee the AOC of Champagne.
What is the Echelle de Crus?
Percentile system which rated the villages of Champagne from Cru, Premier Cru and Grand Cru also determined prices of grapes based on the village rating. was abolished in the early 2000s.
How much of an RM producers fruit must come from their own Vineyards?
95%
What is the following 500L of Juice after the first 2,050L of juice called in Champagne?
The Vin de taille (usually richer in pigment and tannin)
What is Rebeche?
A third extraction of juice, it is required by law and must makeup 1-10% of the total. it is used for distillate not wine.
What is debourbage?
The settling of the juice to rack off the solids prior to fermentation.
What is vins clairs?
The high acid base wine of Champagne, usually around11% ABV
Is Chaptalization legal in Champagne?
Yes
What are Bourbes?
The remaining solids in the must after pressing.
What is Liqueur de tirage?
Mixture of still wine, yeast, sugar and sometimes fining agents used to ignite the secondary fermentation in bottle.
What is Prise de mousse?
The secondary fermentation in bottle.
What is a Bidule?
A plastic capsule that captures the sediment during remuage.
How high is the pressure in a Champagne bottle?
5-6 atmospheres,
1= 14.69psi
6= 88.17psi
What is Pointage?
A method of Briskly shaking the Champagne bottle to prevent the yeast from sticking to the sides of the bottle. (Method abandoned)
What is a pupitre?
An A shaped devise made from wooden planks with 60 angled cut holes used for remuage.
How much faster is a gyropalette than a remuer?
Cuts the time from 8 weeks to 1 week.
What is it called when the bottle is stored in the upside down vertical position?
Sur-pointe
What is Dosage or Liqueur d’expedition?
Liquid mixture of sugar syrup and wine added after disgorgment, this determines the style of wine. Brut, extra Brut etc.
What is the difference between dégorgement à la glace and degorgement a la volee?
A la glace uses a freezing brine to freeze the neck of the bottle in order to freeze the sediment into a puck that is then expelled from the pressure when opened, this method loses a small portion of wine in the process.
A la vollee uses the same principals but without the freezing of the neck so a significant amount more of wine is lost in the process.
How long must a NV wine be aged before degorgement?
12 months
How long must a NV, and Vintage or Prestige cuvee be aged?
NV - 15 months
Vintage - 36 months
What are the requirements for Special Club?
The Club Tresors must declare a vintage of being worthy of special club Champagne. Then each member decides individually if they will produce a special club that year.
Base wines must pass tasting analysis.
All special club wines must go in special club designed bottles.
Viticulture must occur on the estate (RM producers only)
Vinification and bottling must happen on estate.
Members must follow clubs Charter.
What is the Club Tresors?
A group of RM producers who created a sector of Champagne for their Tete de Cuvee bottling’s since they did not have the funds like larger houses to promote their top bottling.
What are the two still wine appellations of Champagne?
Coteaux de Champenois & Rose de Riceys?
What style of wine does Rose de Riceys produce?
100% Pinot Noir Rose
