Champagne

Question 1

Where is Champagne located? How big is it?

Answer 1

North-east France, directly east of Paris. Just below the 50th parallel. 150km north to south, 120km east to west.

Question 2

Typical flavours of White, fully sparkling, NV Brut, made from Chardonnay, Pinot Noir & Meunier?

Answer 2

Medium intensity aromas & flavours of apple & lemon, brioche/biscuit, high acidity, medium alcohol. Good to outstanding quality, mid to premium priced.

Question 3

Labelling terms: Vintage

Answer 3

100% of fruit must be from stated year, theoretically only produced in outstanding vintages. Will reflect the house styles, while also the characteristics of that year.

Question 4

Labelling terms: Rosé

Answer 4

Rosé d’assemblage made by blending red and white wines. Rosé de saignée made by ‘bleeding’ the colour off the skins.

Question 5

Labelling terms: Blanc de Blancs

Answer 5

White (wine) from white (grapes), can be leaner in youth, but have unmatched aged potential.

Question 6

Labelling terms: Blanc de Noirs

Answer 6

White (wine) from black (grapes), fuller bodied, especially in youth, often thought to age more rapidly than Blanc de Blancs

Question 7

Labelling terms: Grand Cru

Answer 7

Grapes must be grown 100% in Grand Cru classified villages

Question 8

Labelling terms: Premier Cru

Answer 8

Grapes must be grown 100% in Premier Cru classed villages.

Question 9

Labelling terms: Prestige Cuvée

Answer 9

Usually top wine of a producer’s range. A product of strict grape selection of the best grapes, together with meticulous winemaking. Can be vintage or NV. Some houses (eg. Krug) specialise in making a range of prestige cuvées

Question 10

Labelling terms: Late release, recently disgorged (R.D.)

Answer 10

Wines that have seen extended lees ageing, ready to be consumed immediately as oxygen after a long period of time ages more rapidly. Dom Pérignon P2 and Bollinger R.D. are exampls of this

Question 11

What are the two AOCs that make still wines in Champagne?

Answer 11

Rosé des Riceys in Côte des Bar and AOX Coteaux Champenois, which can be red, white or rosé

Question 12

Define ‘échelle des crus’

Answer 12

‘ladder of growths’, a rating system used to determine grape prices, now used to determine Grand and Premier Cru villages

Question 13

Define ‘blocage’ system

Answer 13

Later called reserve wines. A portion of younger wine set aside as an insurance policy. It became a system of storing reserve wines to later reduce variation or raise quality and complexity for non-vintage wines

Question 14

Growing environment in Champagne?

Answer 14

Cool continental with some oceanic influence

Question 15

Average rainfall for Champagne?

Answer 15

700mm per annum

Question 16

What are the five sub-regions of Champagne?

Answer 16

Montaigne de Reims, Vallée de la Marne and Côte des Blancs (Epernay), Côte de Sézanne & Côte des Bar

Question 17

When was the Champagne AOC boundary set?

Answer 17

1927

Question 18

Hazards of Champagne?

Answer 18

Rain (especially in June), hail (summer), severe winter frost, spring frost, fungal disease, summer humidity, downy and powdery mildew, dagger nematode (spreads fanleaf virus)

Question 19

Soils of Champagne?

Answer 19

Chalk with limestone and chalk subsoils. Paris Basin, old seabed.

Question 20

Altitude of Champagne vineyards?

Answer 20

90-300m

Question 21

Comment on the Montagne de Reims

Answer 21

Best known for black grapes. Home to Grand Cru villages of Mailly, Verzenay, Verzy, Ambonnay and Bouzy. Some top villages face north, making them frost prone. Wines tend to have very high acidity and are austere in youth. Trépail, Villers-Marmery & Monts de Berru are planted mostly to Chardonnay. Soil types vary, but Grand Cru all Chalk dominant

Question 22

Comment on the Vallée de la Marne

Answer 22

Meunier dominant, majority of plantings are west of Epernay and planted on clay, marl and sandy soils. Fruity styles of wines. Meunier is late bud break and early ripening. Frost prone valley. Grand Cru village of Aÿ located here. Chardonnay also grown and used in blends for early-drinking wines

Question 23

Comment on the Côte des Blancs

Answer 23

Valley runs at right angles to the Vallée de la Marne due south from Epernay. Almost exclusively white grapes and has the purest form of chalk soils. 95% Chardonnay. Four Grand Cru villages of Cramant, Avize, Oger and Le Mesnil-sur-Oger located here. Tend to be austere in youth, but some of the most age-worthy wines.

Question 24

Comment on the Côte de Sézanne

Answer 24

A continuation of the Côte de Blancs, clay and clay/silt soils, some pockets of chalk. Mostly planted to Chardonnay on warmer south-east facing slopes. Fruiter and riper grapes. General lower quality of fruit.

Question 25

Comment on the Côte de Bar

Answer 25

A quarter of vineyard area planted to Pinot Noir (84%). Kimmeridgian calcareous marl soils (Chablis and Sancerre). Steep slopes with stony limestone elements (excellent drainage)

Question 26

What are the seven permitted grape varieties of Champagne?

Answer 26

Pinot Noir, Meunier, Chardonnay, Arbanne, Pinot Blanc, Petit Meslier, Fromenteau (sibling of Pinot Gris)

Question 27

Pinot Noir in Champagne

Answer 27

Early budding, early ripening. Prone to spring frost, coulure, downy & powdery mildew’s, botrytis, leaf roll and fan leaf. Moderate yields, quality drops if yields are too high. Lends body to a blend. Responds well to autolytic characters.

Question 28

Meunier in Champagne

Answer 28

Mutation of Pinot Noir. Early budding (still later than PN & CH), early ripening does well in heavier clay-based soils. Sensitive to botrytis. Reliable grape, produces fruity wine and contributes softness to blend. Supposedly doesn’t age well, however, Krug and Egly-Ouriet disagree.

Question 28

Chardonnay in Champagne

Answer 28

Can still produce quality at higher yields. Good for areas with spring frost and crop loss. Apple and citrus aromas complement autolytic characters and long-lees ageing. Retains high acidity and low alcohol levels while avoiding under ripe flavours. Early budding, vulnerable to spring frost, prone to coulure, millerandage, powdery mildew, grapevine yellows and botrytis.

Question 29

EU Labelling Terms for Sweetness in Sparkling Wines

Answer 29

Brut Nature 0-3 g/L
Extra Brut 0-6 g/L
Brut 0-12 g/L
Extra-Sec 12-17 g/L
Sec 17-32 g/L
Demi-Sec 32-50 g/L
Doux 50+ g/L

Question 30

Planting density for Champagne?

Answer 30

1.5m inter-row spacing, 0.9-1.5m intra-row spacing. Total spacing never more than 2.5m. Planting density 8000 vines per hectare

Question 31

Training, pruning and trellising?

Answer 31

Regulated in Champagne since 1938. Four approved systems: Taille Chablis, Cordon du Royat, Guyot and Vallée de la Marne. Average number of fruiting buds may not exceed 18 per square metre.

Question 32

Describe Taille Chablis

Answer 32

Widely recognised as the best trellising for Chardonnay. 3-4 cordons, maximum 5. Each cordon has a spur with up to 5 buds. Spur pruning, retaining a large proportion of permanent wood, which can protect against spring frost. Spurs must be trained to max 0.6m above ground. Good distribution of vegetation.

Question 33

Describe Cordon de Royat

Answer 33

Used for Pinot Noir and Meunier. Vine has a single cordon that is spur-pruned and the shoots are vertically positioned. Optimised leaf/fruit balance.

Question 34

Describe Guyot

Answer 34

Replacement cane system with VSP permitted in lesser rate vineyards. Single or double guyot permitted in Champagne. Simple, rational pruning, works for all grape varieties.

Question 35

Describe Vallée de la Marne trellising

Answer 35

Favours fruit production, only authorised for meunier. Similar to guyot but with a higher number of buds. Not as popular

Question 36

What is the main rootstock for Champagne grapes?

Answer 36

41B

Question 37

Describe 41B rootstock

Answer 37

Vinifera x Berlandieri Group
Origin: Bordeaux, France (Chasselas x Berlandieri – Millardet e De Grasset 1882). Encourages a short vegetative cycle and thus promotes early ripening. Tolerant of lime, moderate to drought

Question 38

Describe SO4 roostock

Answer 38

Selektion Oppenheim 4, a.k.a SO4, hybrid of V. Berlandieri X V. Riparia Origin: Germany, 1904 (Galet and Morton, 1979). Resistance to Phylloxera and moderate resistance to many nematode species. Quite vigorous, moderately lime tolerant

Question 39

Comment on the structure of the Champagne industry

Answer 39

15,000 growers owning 90% of vineyards and 360 Champagne houses. Co-operatives provide a bridging point between growers, who own majority of the vineyards, and the houses, who sell majority of the wine, but own only 10% of vineyards. Brokers also play an important role, finding wine for the houses.

Question 40

Define Négociant manipulant (NM)

Answer 40

Commonly referred to as ‘houses’ buy grapes, must or wine to make champagne on their own premises and market it under their own label. All big Champagne houses belong to this category.

Question 41

Define Récoltant manipulant

Answer 41

Businesses, often referred to as ‘growers’ make and market their own label from grapes sourced exclusively from their own vineyards and processed on their own premises.

Question 42

Define Coopérative de manipulation

Answer 42

Co-operatives that market Champagne under their own lable from members grapes.

Question 43

Two largest house-owning groupings?

Answer 43

LVMH (Moët & Chandon, Dom Pérignon, Mercier, Veuve Cliquot, Ruinart & Krug)
Vranken Pommery Monopole (Vranken, Pommery, Monopole Heidsieck, Charles Lafitte and Bissinger)

Question 44

Champagne houses account for what percentage of export and sales?

Answer 44

73% of all sales, 88% of exports

Question 45

Main markets for export of Champagne?

Answer 45

UK, USA, Japan, Germany and Belgium. USA & Japan are highest price point markets.