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Advanced Sommelier Exam > Champagne > Flashcards

Champagne Flashcards

1
Q

Three zones of Champagne Appellation

A

Zone de l’elaboration
Zone de production
Zone parcellaire de production de raisins

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2
Q

What is the Champagne zone de l’elaboration

A

Outer limits of Champagne, where it is legal to vinify Champagne and transport uncommercialized grapes, most of the area cannot be planted

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3
Q

What is the Champagne zone de production

A

The area that consists of villages where vines may be cultivated, comprised of 319 communes

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4
Q

What is the zone parcellaire de production de raisins in Champagne

A

Lacework of delimited parcels surrounding the zone of production in Champagne

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5
Q

What is the main soil type found in Champagne

A

Chalk

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6
Q

Define Micraster Chalk

A

Soil composed of fossilized material from an extinct genus of Sea Urchin

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7
Q

What is the dominant soil type in the Aube department of Champagne

A

Clay

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8
Q

What two parallels is Champagne located between

A

48th & 49th

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9
Q

What is the general climate of Champagne

A

Continental with some Atlantic influence

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10
Q

What are the three main grape varietals of Champagne

A

Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Meunier

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11
Q

What four varietals are found in Champagne that make up under 0.3% of plantings

A

Arbanne
Pinot Gris (Fromenteau)
Petit Meslier
Pinot Blanc

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12
Q

What is the synonym for Pinot Gris in Champagne

A

Fromenteau

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13
Q

What are the 8 subregions of Champagne

A

Montagne de Reims
Valle de la Marne
Côte des Blancs
Coteaux du Morin
Vitryat
Côte de Sézanne
Montgueux
Côte des Bar

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14
Q

What is the famous subdistrict of the Montagne de Reims

A

Grande Montagne

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15
Q

What is the grape variety famous in Grande Montagne

A

Pinot Noir

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16
Q

What is the main grape varietal planted in Valle de la Marne

A

Meunier

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17
Q

What is notable about the soil in Valle de la Marne

A

Thick and heavy mix of marl, loam & clay suited to Meunier

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18
Q

What is the main grape varietal of the Côte de Blancs

A

Chardonnay

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19
Q

What is the main grape varietal cultivated in the Côte de Sézanne

A

Chardonnay

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20
Q

Where is Vitryat located geographically in Champagne

A

The eastern periphery of the Champagne region

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21
Q

What is the main grape varietal cultivated in Vitryat

A

Chardonnay

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22
Q

What is the primary grape varietal cultivated in Montgeux (Troyes)

A

Chardonnay

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23
Q

What is the primary area of viticulture in the Aube

A

Côte des Bar

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24
Q

Where is the Aube located in relation to the rest of Champagne’s zone of production

A

South (still farther north than Chablis)

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25
Q

What grape varietal is the primary planting in the Aube, and what grape varietal is actually better suited to the area

A

Pinot Noir, though area is better for Chardonnay

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26
Q

What organization (now abolished) established the system of Grand & Premier Crus in Champagne

A

Échelle des Crus

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27
Q

Can Champagne producers label their wines as Premier or Grand Cru

A

Yes, historical classifications are still legal despite abolishment of the Échelle des Crus

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28
Q

How many Grand Cru villages are in Champagne

A

17

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29
Q

How many Premier Cru villages are in Champagne

30
Q

What are the aging requirements for Nonvintage Champagne

A

15 months, with 12 on the lees

31
Q

What are the aging requirements for Vintage Champagne

A

36 months - many producers age even longer

32
Q

Define Prestige Cuvée

A

The finest bottling of a Champagne House, created by British journalist Laurence Venn to help market luxury Champagne in the UK

33
Q

How many members of the Club Tresors de Champagne are there currently

A

25 estates

34
Q

Define Blanc de Blancs Champagne

A

Champagne produced exclusively from white grapes (mainly Chardonnay but can include Arbane, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, & Petit Meslier)

35
Q

Define Blanc de Noirs Champagne

A

Champagne produced exclusively from Pinot Noir and/or Meunier as white wine

36
Q

What method is typically used to produce Rosé Champagne

A

Blending white and red base wines

37
Q

What method in addition to blending white and red wine can be used to make Rosé Champagne

38
Q

Define Saignée

A

Rosé Champagne produced from the colored free run juice that naturally bleeds from black grapes before they are pressed

39
Q

What method is used to vinify Louis Roederer’s Cristal Rosé

A

Pinot noir grapes are cold-soaked in Chardonnay juice for one week without fermentation. Colored Chardonnay juice is drained off, and the two grapes are pressed separately before blending. More Chardonnay will be added to balance acidity and fermentation begins. The second fermentation in bottle lightens the color

40
Q

Name the 7 styles of Champagne by sweetness from dry to sweet

A

Brut Nature
Extra Brut
Brut
Extra Dry
Sec
Demi-Sec
Doux

41
Q

What is the residual sugar in grams per liter of Brut Nature Champagne

42
Q

What is the residual sugar in grams per liter of Extra Brut Champagne

A

0-6 grams per liter

43
Q

What is the residual sugar in grams per liter of Brut Champagne

A

6-12 grams per liter

44
Q

What is the residual sugar in grams per liter of Extra Dry Champagne

A

12-17 grams per liter

45
Q

What is the residual sugar in grams per liter of Sec Champagne

A

17-32 grams per liter

46
Q

What is the residual sugar in grams per liter of Demi Sec Champagne

A

32-50 grams per liter

47
Q

What is the residual sugar in grams per liter of Doux Champagne

A

Upwards of 50 grams per liter

48
Q

What is the term Riche used to distinguish on a Champagne bottle

A

Used for wines between Sec and Doux, with no legal definition

49
Q

What is the allowed margin of error in residual sugar in grams per liter for Champagne labeling

A

3 grams per liter

50
Q

What is the classification of a Champagne producer who purchases grapes or base wines from growers or smaller houses to blend or bottle as their own

51
Q

What is the classification of a producer in Champagne who makes wine from at least 95% estate-owned fruit

A

Recoltant Manipulant

52
Q

Define Assemblage (Traditional Method)

A

Winemakers taste and blend individual base wines to conform to house style of create a unique expression

53
Q

Define Secondary Fermentation (Traditional Method)

A

Base wines are bottled after Assemblage with yeast and sugar to begin fermentation in bottle, causing the resulting carbon dioxide to be trapped in bottle

54
Q

Define Sur Lie Aging (Traditional Method)

A

Wine is rested on decaying yeast cells following secondary fermentation to add richness and complexity to the wine

55
Q

Define Remuage (Traditional Method)

A

Bottles are gradually twisted by hand or Gyropalette to slowly move dead yeast cells to the neck of the bottle

56
Q

Define Disgorgment (Traditional Method)

A

The neck of the bottle is dipped in an ice-salt bath which freezes dead yeast cells, after which the cap is removed and pressure shoots the frozen yeast out of the bottle

57
Q

Define Autolysis

A

A process in which dead yeast cells decompose, releasing protein and flavor compounds reminiscent of bread

58
Q

What AOC in Champagne covers still wines produced within the zone of production of Champagne

A

Coteaux Champenois AOC

59
Q

What are the names of large format bottlings for Champagne from 3L to 15L

A

3L - Jeroboam
6L - Methalusem/Imperial)
9L - Salamanzar
12L - Balthazar
15L - Nebuchadnezzar

60
Q

What is ‘jetting’

A

After desgorgment, jetting is the process of squirting some Champagne into the bottle, the moment before the cork is inserted in the bottle, allowing the wine to fizz up, pushing out the air in the neck of the bottle to minimize premox in the bottling

61
Q

What is the name of the second crop leftover on the vines following the first harvest in Champagne

62
Q

What is the name of the cage used to stop the cork on a bottle of Champagne

63
Q

What is a ‘Pupitre’ in Champagne

A

A wooden A-frame traiditonally used in the Remuage step of the traditional method

64
Q

How many bottles does a standard Pupitre hold

65
Q

How much pressure is in a typical bottle of Champagne

66
Q

What does ‘NM’ mean on a Champagne label

A

(Négociant Manipulant): A house that purchases grapes and or base wines from growers and other smaller houses

67
Q

What does ‘RM’ mean on a Champagne label

A

(Récoltant Manipulant): A grower-producer who makes Champagne from estate-grown fruit. 95% of the grapes must originate in the producer’s own vineyards

68
Q

What does ‘MA’ mean on a Chamapagne label

A

(Marque d’Acheteur): A buyer’s own brand, often a large supermarket chain or restaurant, that purchases Champagne and sells it under its own label

69
Q

What does ‘SR’ mean on a Champagne label

A

(Société de Récoltants): A firm, not a co-operative, set up by a union of often related growers, who share resources to make their wines and collectively market several brands

70
Q

What does ‘CM’ mean on a Champagne label

A

(Coopérative Manipulant): A growers’ co-operative that produces the wine under a single brand

71
Q

What is the CVIC

A

Comité Interprofessionnel du Vin de Champagne
Tasked with protecting the name ‘Champagne’, regulates pricing and harvests, and promotes the Champagne brand internationally

Advanced Sommelier Exam (56 decks)

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