Champagne Flashcards

1
Q

What are the major varieties in Champagne (3)

A

Pinot Noir
Pinot Meunier
Chardonnay

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2
Q

Where is Champagne located

A

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

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3
Q

What are the 5 districts of Champagne

A

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

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4
Q

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

A

Atlantic Ocean
Marne River

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5
Q

What are the soils in Champagne

A

Main - Chalk with high limestone content and sandstone and marl

Chalk highest in Montagne de Reims and Cote des Blancs

Marl and sandstone in the west - Vallee da la Marne and Cote de Sezanne

Kimmeridgian Clay is the base in Cote des Bars along with Chalk

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6
Q

What is the climate in Champagne

A

Cool continental

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7
Q

Who is credited with assemblage and viticulture in Champagne

A

Dom Perignon

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8
Q

When was Ruinart founded as the first sparkling wine house

A

1729

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9
Q

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

A

Madame Ponsardin of Veuve Cliquot

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10
Q

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

A

1921

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11
Q

When was the CIVC formed

A

1941

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12
Q

What is the CIVC

A

Comite Interprofessional du Vin de Champagne

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13
Q

What is the Vin de Cuvee

A

First press juice

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14
Q

What is Vin de Taille

A

Second press juice, more tannic

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15
Q

What is Rebeche

A

Last press, used for distillate

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16
Q

What is liquer de tirage

A

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

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17
Q

What is riddling

A

The process of shaking and turning bottles to loosen the lees

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18
Q

What is disgorgement

A

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

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19
Q

List Champagne Styles from driest to sweetest (7)

A

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)

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20
Q

What is Couteaux Champenoise

A

Appellation for still wines

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21
Q

Top 10 Champagne Houses

A

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

22
Q

Non-Vintage (NV)

A

Generally Brut
The NV cuvee represents the house’s style

23
Q

Vintage Champagne

A

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

24
Q

Prestige Cuvee (Tete de Cuvee)

A

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

25
Q

NM (Négociant Manipulant)

A

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.

26
Q

RM (Récoltant Manipulant):

A

A grower-producer who makes Champagne from estate-grown fruit.

95% of the grapes must originate in the producer’s own vineyard

27
Q

CM (Coopérative Manipulant)

A

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

28
Q

RC (Récoltant Coopérateur)

A

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

29
Q

SR (Société de Récoltants)

A

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

30
Q

ND (Négociant Distributeur)

A

A middleman company that distributes Champagne it did not make

31
Q

MA (Marque d’Acheteur)

A

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

32
Q

NV Champagne required aging

A

15 months from tirage

33
Q

Vintage Champagne required aging

A

36 months from tirage

34
Q

Picollo size

A

187 mL

35
Q

Half bottle size

A

375 ml

36
Q

Bottle size

A

750 ml

37
Q

Magnum size

A

1.5 L / 2 bottles

38
Q

Jeroboam size

A

3 L / 4 bottles

39
Q

Prestige Cuvee Krug

A

Krug Grand Cuvee

40
Q

Prestige Cuvee Louis Roederer

A

Cristal

41
Q

Prestige Cuvee Moët & Chandon

A

Dom Perignon

42
Q

Prestige Cuvee Perrier Joët

A

Belle Epoque

43
Q

Prestige Cuvee Pol Roger

A

Winston Churchill

44
Q

Prestige Cuvee Bollinger

A

Grand Annee

45
Q

Prestige Cuvee Taitinger

A

Comtes de Champagne

46
Q

Prestige Cuvee Veuve Cliquot

A

La Grande Dame

47
Q

Prestige Cuvee G.H. Mumm

A

R Lalou

48
Q

Prestige Cuvee Laurent Perrier

A

Grand Siecle

49
Q

Prestige Cuvee Phillipponat

A

Clos de Goisses

50
Q

Prestige Cuvee Ruinart

A

Dom Ruinart