Champagne

Question 1

What are the major varieties in Champagne (3)

Answer 1

Pinot Noir
Pinot Meunier
Chardonnay

Question 2

Where is Champagne located

Answer 2

Between the 48th and 49th parallels
90 miles east of Paris

Question 3

What are the 5 districts of Champagne

Answer 3

Montagne de Reims - PN dominant
Valee de la Marne - PM dominant
Cote de Blancs - Chard dominant
Cote Sezanne
Cote de Bars (Aube) - PN dominant

Question 4

What are the major bodies of water that influence Champagne (2)

Answer 4

Atlantic Ocean
Marne River

Question 5

What are the soils in Champagne

Answer 5

Chalk with high limestone content
Top layers of clay and sand with more clay in the south (PN)

Question 6

What is the climate in Champagne

Answer 6

Cool continental

Question 7

Who is credited with assemblage and viticulture in Champagne

Answer 7

Dom Perignon

Question 8

When was Ruinart founded as the first sparkling wine house

Answer 8

1729

Question 9

Who pioneered riddling and disgorgement to create a clear sparkling wine in the early 1800s

Answer 9

Madame Ponsardin of Veuve Cliquot

Question 10

When was the first tete de cuvee released (Moet & Chandon’s Dom Perignon)

Answer 10

1921

Question 11

When was the CIVC formed

Answer 11

1941

Question 12

What is the CIVC

Answer 12

Comite Interprofessional du Vin de Champagne

Question 13

What is the Vin de Cuvee

Answer 13

First press juice

Question 14

What is Vin de Taille

Answer 14

Second press juice, more tannic

Question 15

What is Rebeche

Answer 15

Last press, used for distillate

Question 16

What is liquer de tirage

Answer 16

A mixture of yeast, sugar, and fining agents (kicks off secondary fermentation)

Question 17

What is riddling

Answer 17

The process of shaking and turning bottles to loosen the lees

Question 18

What is disgorgement

Answer 18

The neck of the bottle is frozen in a salt brine and the yeast plug is popped out

Question 19

List Champagne Styles from driest to sweetest (7)

Answer 19

Brut Nature (0-3g)
Extra Brut (0-6g)
Brut (0-12g)
Extra Dry (12-17g)
Sec (17-32g)
Demi-Sec (32-50g)
Doux (50+g)

Question 20

What is Couteaux Champenoise

Answer 20

Appellation for still wines

Question 21

Top 10 Champagne Houses

Answer 21

Krug
Perriet Joet
Moet & Chandon
Louis Roederer
Bollinger
Taittinger
Pol Roger
Veuve Clicquot
G.H. Mumm
Laurent Perrier
Duval-Leroy
Phillipponat
Ruinart
Pommery
Vilmart

Question 22

Non-Vintage (NV)

Answer 22

Generally Brut
The NV cuvee represents the house’s style

Question 23

Vintage Champagne

Answer 23

100% must come from the same vintage
The best houses only produce in exceptional years

Question 24

Prestige Cuvee (Tete de Cuvee)

Answer 24

The finest the house has to offer
Usually vintage dated
Aged for many years
Released in superior vintages

Question 25

NM (Négociant Manipulant)

Answer 25

A house that purchases grapes and or base wines from growers and other smaller houses. Large Champagne houses with the most international presence are invariably in this category.

Question 26

RM (Récoltant Manipulant):

Answer 26

A grower-producer who makes Champagne from estate-grown fruit. 95% of the grapes must originate in the producer’s own vineyard

Question 27

CM (Coopérative Manipulant)

Answer 27

A growers’ co-operative that produces the wine under a single brand

Question 28

RC (Récoltant Coopérateur)

Answer 28

A grower whose grapes are vinified at a co-operative, but whose wines are sold under the grower's own label

Question 29

SR (Société de Récoltants)

Answer 29

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

Question 30

ND (Négociant Distributeur)

Answer 30

A middleman company that distributes Champagne it did not make

Question 31

MA (Marque d’Acheteur)

Answer 31

A buyer’s own brand, often a large supermarket chain or restaurant, that purchases Champagne and sells it under its own label

Question 32

NV Champagne required aging

Answer 32

15 months from tirage

Question 33

Vintage Champagne required aging

Answer 33

36 months from tirage

Question 34

Picollo size

Answer 34

187 mL

Question 35

Half bottle size

Answer 35

375 ml

Question 36

Bottle size

Answer 36

750 ml

Question 37

Magnum size

Answer 37

1.5 L / 2 bottles

Question 38

Jeroboam size

Answer 38

3 L / 4 bottles

Question 39

Prestige Cuvee Krug

Answer 39

Krug Grand Cuvee

Question 40

Prestige Cuvee Louis Roederer

Answer 40

Cristal

Question 41

Prestige Cuvee Moët & Chandon

Answer 41

Dom Perignon

Question 42

Prestige Cuvee Perrier Joët

Answer 42

Belle Epoque

Question 43

Prestige Cuvee Pol Roger

Answer 43

Winston Churchill

Question 44

Prestige Cuvee Bollinger

Answer 44

Grand Annee

Question 45

Prestige Cuvee Taitinger

Answer 45

Comtes de Champagne

Question 46

Prestige Cuvee Veuve Cliquot

Answer 46

La Grande Dame

Question 47

Prestige Cuvee G.H. Mumm

Answer 47

R Lalou

Question 48

Prestige Cuvee Laurent Perrier

Answer 48

Grand Siecle

Question 49

Prestige Cuvee Phillipponat

Answer 49

Clos de Goisses

Question 50

Prestige Cuvee Ruinart

Answer 50

Dom Ruinart

Question 51

What makes Krug special?

Answer 51

They do not make a prestige cuvee