Champagne Flashcards
What was the first term used in Champagne to imply effervescence?
Mousseux
What was the first still wine house founded in Champagne?
Gosset (1584)
What is the oldest sparkling Champagne house?
Ruinart (1729)
To whom is accredited the invention of the riddling (or remuage) process?
Madame Barbe-Nicole Ponsardin (or Madame Cliquot)
What does riddling or remuage help with?
It helps with the extraction of sediment during dégorgement
The term chaptalization is named after:
Jean-Antoine Chaptal
What did Jean-Antoine Chaptal do?
Jean-Antoine Chaptal was a French chemist who identified the relationship between sugar and fermentation
What is the French term for riddling?
Remuage
The region of Champagne is located between which parallels?
48th and 49th
Why do Champagne houses often have to blend between vintages?
Ripening is extremely variable in Champagne due to its generally cold weather so houses blend between vintages to achieve consistency
What type of soil predominates throughout Champagne?
Chalk and limestone
What is the most planted grape in Champagne?
Pinot Noir
What does Chardonnay offer to a Champagne wine?
Elegance and longevity
What does Pinot Noir offer to a Champagne wine?
Richness, body and structure
What does Pinot Meunier offer to a Champagne wine?
Youthful fruitiness and approachability
What are the five main Champagne sub-regions?
The Montagne de Reims, Vallée de la Marne, Côte des Blancs, Côte des Sézanne, and the Côte des Bar (in the Aube department)
What is the most planted grape in the Montaignes de Reims and the Aube?
Pinot Noir
What is the most planted grape in the Côte de Sézanne and the Côte des Blancs?
Chardonnay
What is the most planted grape in the Vallée de la Marne?
Pinot Meunier
How many Champagne villages have Grand Cru status?
17
What does NM stand for in a bottle of Champagne?
Négociant Manipulant
(A house that purchases grapes or base wine from growers or from smaller houses. Most of the largest Champagne houses fall under this category)
Which was the first brut Champagne ever released?
Pommery “Nature” (1874)
What does RM stand for in a bottle of Champagne?
Récoltant Manipulant
(A producer that makes Champagne mostly out of his own grapes. At least 95% of the grapes must be from the producer’s own vineyards)
By law, how many liters of grape juice can be extracted out of 4,000 kg of grapes?
2,550 liters. (The first 2,050 liters are separated from the last 500 liters. These products are called vin de cuvée and vin de taille respectively)
In Champagne production, where is the must transferred to after being divided in vin de cuvée and vin de taille?
The must is transferred to stainless steel vats or small oak barrels. The must resting here will settle and the sediments will be removed (debourbage process)
How can malolactic fermentation be prevented during Champagne production?
By the addition of sulphur dioxide (SO2) or storing the fermenting must at low temperatures
What is the French term for the remaining solids found in the must?
Bourbes
Must is often chaptalized before the first fermentation in Champagne production.
True or False
True
In Champagne, what is the name of the high-acid base wine produced from the first fermentation?
Vins clairs (approx. 11% alcohol content)
What is assemblage?
Process of blending base wine from different grapes, regions and vintages to achieve consistency
What is liqueur de tirage and when is it used during the Méthode Champenoise?
Mixture of still wine, yeast and sugar that causes second fermentation.
It is added to the product after of the assemblage process.
What is the French term for the second fermentation?
Prise de mousse
How long does the second fermentation usually takes in Champagne sparkling wines?
Up to 8 weeks
How much does the alcohol level rise up in Champagne sparkling wines after the second fermentation occurs?
1.2% to 1.3%
During second fermentation, Champagne bottles are usually stored horizontally.
True or False
True
The breakdown of the dead yeast cells is called:
Autolysis
What is the minimum time required for non-vintage Champagne to be aged on the lees?
12 months
What is a pupitre and who invented it?
Devide that holds 60 bottles and that was used for riddling previous dégorgement.
Madame Clicquot
What is a gyropalette?
Automated device that holds 504 bottles. It is used for the remuage process
Explain the most modern method of dégorgment (dégorgment à la glace):
The neck of the bottle is dipped in a freezing solution that makes it easier to expel sediments without losing too much wine
What is the difference between dégorgment à la glace and dégorgment à la volée?
Dégorgment à la volée consists of expelling the sediments without freezing the neck of the bottle, resulting in more wine lost during the process.
What is another term for dosage?
Liqueur d’expédition
What is dosage or liqueur d’expédition?
Mixture of wine and sugar that determines the style of wine
What is the most common level of sweetness in Champagne?
Brut
What is the name of the cage that holds the cork in a bottle of Champagne?
Muselet
What are the different sweetness classifications in Champagne?
- Brut Nature (0 - 3 grams per liter / no dosage)
- Extra Brut (0 - 6 grams per liter)
- Brut (0 - 12 grams per liter)
- Extra Dry (12 - 17 grams per liter)
- Sec (17 - 32 grams per liter)
- Demi-sec (32 - 50 grams per liter)
- Doux (50+ grams per liter)
Non-vintage Champagne must be aged in bottle for 15 months (including the lees aging period) prior release.
True or False
True
For how long must Vintage Champagne be aged in bottle prior release?
36 months
How many turns does a muselet take to open?
Six half-turns
What is the maximum percentage of a year’s harvest that can be sold as vintage Champagne?
80%
What is Moët et Chandon’s Tête de Cuvée?
Dom Pérignon
What is Taittinger’s Tête de Cuvée?
Comtes de Champagne
What is Louis Roederer’s Tête de Cuvée?
Cristal
What is Perrier-Jouët’s Tête de Cuvée?
Belle Époque
What is Pol Roger’s Tête de Cuvée?
Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill
What is Ruinart’s Tête de Cuvée?
Dom Ruinart
What is Veuve Clicquot-Ponsardin’s Tête de Cuvée?
La Grande Dame
What is Laurent-Perrier’s Tête de Cuvée?
Grande Siècle (usually NV)
What is Bollinger’s Tête de Cuvée?
La Grande Année
Champagne is the only AOP in France that allows rosé wine to be made by blending white and red wine.
True or False
True
What are the two still wine AOPs of Champagne?
Coteaux Champenois and Rosé de Riceys
What are a few of the most notable Champagne vintages?
1990, 1995, 1996, 2002, 2008, 2012*, 2013, 2014, 2015
- = Best vintages
What is the organism that regulates and protects the Champagne designation?
CIVC (Le Comité Interprofessionnel du vin de Champagne)
How were the villages of Champagne ranked?
Villages that achieved the maximum échelle (scale) of 100% were classified as grands crus. Villages that achieved an échelle of 90% through 99% were classified as premier cru.
Compare Blanc de Blancs and Blanc de Noir styles
Blanc de Blancs is a more crisp, citrus driven style, usually dryer.
Blanc de Noir is a rounder, fleshier and fruitier style.
