Champagne Flashcards
What are the 3 levels in the Échelle des Crus?
Grand Cru =100% (17 villages)
Premier Cru = 90-99% (42 villages)
Autre = 80-89% (200+)
What is the meaning of the term tirage?
the act of bottling a sparkling wine
What is the contribution of Barbe-Nicole Ponsardin (Veuve Cliquot) to Champagne making?
The process of riddling (remuage) is attributed to her.
What is Blanc de Noirs?
A white sparkling wine made from black grapes.
Pinot Noir and/or Meunier
What are the aging requirements for non-vintage & vintage Champagne and Crémant?
- Non-Vintage 12 months on lees & 3 more months in cellar
- Vintage 12 months on lees & 24 months in the cellar
- Crémant 9 months on the lees
What is the primary grape of the Grande Montagne de Reims?
Pinot Noir
What is the difference between Coteaux Champenois AOC & Champagne AOC?
- Coteaux Champenois AOC 100% still.
- Champagne AOC is 100% sparkling.
- Both areas cover the same area and use the same grapes.
What is disgorgement (dégorgement)?
Disgorgement is the removal of dead yeast cells after the second fermentation of sparkling wine in the Champagne Method.
What are the 3 principle grapes in Champagne today?
Pinot Noir (38%)
Meunier (32%)
Chardonnay (30%)
* Percentage of total area under vine.
What was the first Champagne house?
Ruinart (1729)
What are the 2 types of chalk found in Champagne?
Belemnite (preferred) & Micraster
Belemnite: ancient arrow-like/squid Micraster: sea-urchins
What is liquor d’expedition?
A mix of sugar and still reserve wine added to champagne after disgorgement and before the cork is inserted.
“Dosage”; determines a sparking wine’s final sweetness level.
What does the abbreviation CM refer to on a bottle of Champagne?
Coopérative de Manipulation
It is a cooperative that vinifies the grapes of its members.
What is the primary grape of Vitry-le-François?
Chardonnay
What is the primary grape of the Vallée de la Marne?
Meunier
But Pinot Noir is the Grande Valée de la Marne.
What Champagne is drier: Brut Nature or Sec?
Brut Nature
What is transversage?
In champagne/sparkling, the process of using 750ml bottles to fill larger format bottles (bigger than magnums) and small format bottles after disgorgement.
Which Champagne is sweeter: doux or demi-sec?
Doux
What is a pupitre?
An A-frame rack used for riddling Champagne bottles.
What are the 4 principle sub-regions of Champagne?
- Montagne and Val de Reims
- Vallée de la Marne
- Côte de Blancs
- Côte de Bar
What is disgorgement à la volée?
The traditional disgorgement by hand with no freezing of the cap.
What are crayères?
Old chalk cellars dug by the Romans now used as wine cellars.
What is sur lie aging?
The aging of wine on dead yeast cells.
What are the 3 AOCs of Champagne?
Rosé des Riceys AOC
Coteaux Champenois AOC
Champagne AOC
What is Champagne’s most widely planted grape?
Pinot Noir (38%)
What was Louise (Madame) Pommery’s contribution to Champagne?
She initiated the trend to dry styles of Champagne.
What is the term prise de mousse?
“Seizing of the Foam” or the second alcoholic fermentation in the making of Champagne.
What is “Blanc de Blancs”
A white sparkling wine made from white grapes.
What was Dom Perignon’s most important contribution to Champagne?
Creating the cuvée (blend) of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir & Meunier
What is the tête de cuvée?
A champagne house’s prestige bottling.
What does the abbreviation “NM” refer to?
Négociant-Manipulant
A producer who buys grapes from others for their blend.
What is the primary grape of the Côte des Blancs?
Chardonnay
What is a “Gyropalette”?
A mechanized rack used for riddling.
What does the term sur lattes refer to?
Storing Champagne bottles on horizontal strips of wood.
How many standard bottles of wine are contained in a Methuselah?
8 bottles
Which Champagne region is included in the Kimmeridgian ring?
Côte de Bar
What are the 7 levels of sweetness of Champagne?
Driest to Sweetest
- Brut Nature
- Extra Brut
- Brut
- Extra Sec (extra dry)
- Sec (dry)
- Demi-Sec
- Doux
What does the abbreviation “RC” refer to on a bottle of Champagne?
Récoltant-Coopérateur
A grower who send his grapes to a co-op to be made into Champagne, then sells it under a private label
What is the primary grape of the Côtes des Bar?
Pinot Noir
What is France’s northernmost wine region?
Champagne
It lies between 48 - 49.5 degrees north.
Why is Belemnite chalk preferred over Micraster chalk?
Location
Belemnite is found at the mid-to-upper slope where there is more sun and better water drainage
Micraster chalk is located where the slope begins to flatten.
Describe Barséquanais.
Comprised of 5 river valleys near the villages of Les Riceys within the Côte des Bar.
Pinot Noir dominant (85%) on Kimmeridgean soil
Describe Bar-Sur-Aubois.
Flanks the Aube river within the Côte de Bar.
Pinot Noir Dominant on Kimmeridgean soil
Describe Montgeux.
Located to the west of Troyes on chalk in the Aube.
Primarily Chardonnay on chalk
Describe Vitry-le-Francois.
East facing, chalky slopes
Most planted to Chardonnay
Describe Côte de Sezanne.
- Located north and south of the town of Sezanne
- Mostly chalk with pockets of clay
- Vineyards face southwest
- Mostly Chardonnay
Describe Val du Petit Morin.
- The Petit Morin is a tributary of the Marne
- Mix of chalk and sand/clay/marl
- So there is a split of Chardonnay and Meunier
Describe the Côtes de Blancs.
- Located south of Eperney
- Perpendicular to the Marne Valley
- Soils are chalk
- Vineyards face east
- Chardonnay dominates
Describe the Vallée de la Marne ouest.
- The western most section of Champagne
- Most of the vineyards are on the right bank of the Marne river, face south and southeast
- Soils = sand/clay/marl
- Meunier dominates
Describe the Vallée de la Marne Rive Droite.
- Vineyards of the right bank are south facing
- Soils = sand/clay/marl soils
- Meunier dominates
Describe the Vallée de la Marne Rive Gauche.
- Left bank of the Marne River Valley
- Vineyards face north
- Soils are sand/clay/marl
- Meunier dominates
Describe Côteaux Sud d’Éperney.
- South and southwest of Eperney
- Soils are chalk and sand/clay/marl
- Almost even split of Meunier and Chardonnay with a small amount of Pinot Noir
Describe the Grande Vallée de la Marne.
- South of Montagne de Reims and north of Éperney
- Soils = sand/clay/marl, some pockets of chalk
- Most of the vineyards are Pinot Noir
- Significant number of Premier and Grand Cru-ranked villages
Describe Val de Reims (Vesle & Arde River Valleys).
- Vineyards face northeast and southeast
- Soils of sand/clay/marl
- Dominated by Meunier
Describe the Monts de Berru.
- Vineyards lie east of Reims
- Encircle the Mont de Berru
- Varying aspects all on chalk
- Chardonnay dominates
Describe the Massif de Saint-Thierry.
- Along the right bank of the Vesle River
- Northernmost region
- vineyards face southeast
- Soils = sand/clay/marl
- Dominated by Meunier
Describe the Grande Montagne de Reims.
- South of the city of Reims
- horseshoe-shaped uplift
- Limestone rich marls with pockets of chalk
- Mostly Pinot Noir
- Vineyards are south, east, northwest and north facing
What kind of wine does chalk produce?
High in acid, lean wines with reserved aromatics
What kind of wine does sandy soil produce?
Open wines with more overt fruit characteristics and less structure; easy drinking
What kind of characteristics in wine does limestone-rich marl produce?
Aromatic, earthy expressions of the grapes
What kind of wine does clay produce?
tight and taut; these wines need some age to express their true flavors and aromas
Does limestone-rich marl retain water like chalk?
No
It does not have the water-retention capacity of chalk.
Where is Kimmeridgean marl found in Champagne?
Côte de Bar
What is chalk?
A type of limestone with tremendous water-retaining capacity
60-80 gallons of water per cubic yard
What is Micraster?
It is the fossilized remains of ancient sea urchins
Located where the slopes begint to flatten
What is Belemnite?
- It is the fossilized remains of ancient dart-like relative of today’s squid
- This is the preferred chalk as it is found higher on the slopes
What are winters like in Champagne?
Winters are cold
Not uncommon for the temperature to drop below 14 degrees for at least 3 or 4 days per year
What are autumns like in Champagne?
Can see heavy frost
What are summers like in Champagne?
Warm but seldom hot; maritime influences mean lots of clouds
What are the springs like in Champagne?
Can see heavy frosts
What is the climate of Champagne?
Continental with strong maritime influences
T or F? Champagne is the most northerly of all the wine regions in France.
True
What do other wine regions in France call their sparkling wine made in the Champagne Method?
Méthode Traditionelle
What was the Échelle des Crus?
A 1911 classification system for the producing villages and surrounding vineyards
What did Phylloxera do to Champagne?
- Champagne was one of the last regions hit by Phylloxera in 1890.
- It reduced the vineyard area to 1/5 its size
What were Champagne’s first bottlings called?
Vins de Montagne: Gouais (blanc & noir)
Vins de la Rivière: Fromenteau
What was the importance of the city of Reims?
For 600 years 27 French kings were crowned in the Cathedral of Reims.
Who united all the Gaulish tribes under his rule in the 5th century?
Clovis, King of the Francs
After the decline of the Roman Empire who overran Champagne?
The Vandals, Tuetons, Franks, and Huns, in turn
When did the first vineyards in Champagne become well established?
by 4th or 5th centuries AD
At this time, ruled by the Romans
The minimum number of hours of sunlight needed to grow grapes is 1,400 hrs/yr. How much does Champagne get annually?
On average 1,680 hrs/yr of sunlight
What is Liqueur de Tirage
- A blend of yeast and sugar that is added into the blended wine just before bottling
- It marks the pivotal point of difference between Méthode Champenoise and Méthode Ancestrale (Rural Method)
- It guarantees a sparkling product and predictable amount of sparkle
What is assemblage?
The blending of different base wines in order to insure consistency of the blend year to year.
What are the 2 challenges of the Méthode Ancestrale (Rural Method)?
- There was no way to tell how much sugar was left for the yeast to metabolize come spring
- Because semi-fermented wine is put in the bottle, there was no way to remove the yeast, resulting in cloudiness and grittiness
What is the Rural or Ancestral Method?
A single fermentation that undergoes a winter pause
What does cold temperature does to yeast?
Puts it in suspended animation
What is the most widely planted grape in Champagne?
Pinot Noir at 38%
What were the principle grapes of early Champagne?
From the 9th to 16th centuries they were
- Gouis Blanc
- Gouis Noir
- Fromenteau (Pinot Gris)
What is the 2nd most planted grape in Champagne?
Meunier at 32%
It is the Genetic mutation of Pinot Noir and Indigenous to France
What is the 3rd most planted grape in Champagne?
Chardonnay at 30%
Indigenous to France
Which grape in Champagne contributes the most acidity?
Chardonnay
Which grape in Champagne contributes the least acidity and moderate alcohol?
Pinot Noir
Which grape in Champagne contributes moderate acidity and the least alcohol?
Meunier
What is the advantage of mechanized remuage?
- Reduces time from 3 months to 1 week
- Takes up less space
What is Dégorgement?
Removal of the yeast from the bottle
- Yeast is collected in the neck of the bottle
- Bottle is chilled to 45 degrees in an icy brine freezing the yeast into a plug
- Bottle is turned upright and crown cap is removed
- Pressure inside ejects the plug
How many standard bottles in a Jeroboam?
4 bottles
How many standard bottles fit in a Rehoboam?
6 bottles
How many standard bottles fit in a Methuselah?
8 bottles
How many standard bottles fit in a Salmanazar?
12 bottles
How many standard bottles fit in a Balthazar?
16 bottles
Describe the Rosé des Riceys AOC?
- Rosé des Riceys is a Pinot Noir rosé
- It is produced in 3 villages of Les Riceys in the Aube
- All 3 villages flank the Laigne river
Describe the Coteaux Champenois AOC?
- Lies within the Champagne AOC zone of production
- most whites (small quanitity red and rosé)
- Still wines only
- Most is non-vintage and white
What 3 things facilitated the creation of Champagne?
- Strong glass (English glass)
- Uniform bottle neck openings
- Tight seal (Spanish cork)
What is the cork shape Chevillé?
Corks in the bottle over many years breakdown resulting in a peg shape that allows bubbles to escape.
What is the cork shape Juponé?
The skirt shape of the cork after only a few years in the bottle.
What is the prestige bottling of a Champagne house called?
Tête du Cuvée
What is rosé Champagne like?
Structured and powerful with a noticeable tannic grip.
What do the letters “NM” on the Champagne label mean?
Négociant-Manipulant
* Champagne producers using other producers’ grapes along with their own.
* All the big houses belong to this category.
What do the letters “RM” on a label of Champagne mean?
Récoltant-Manipulant
* A Champage produce using only their own grapes (estate).
What do the letters “RC” on a label of Champagne mean?
Récoltant-Coopérateur
* A wine grower affiliated with a wine making cooperative cellar.
* Brings grape to be vinified and then picks them up for sale under his private label.
What do the letters “SR” on a label of Champagne means?
Société de Récoltants
* A group of grape growers who jointly vinify and sell one or several communal brands.
What is “Late-Disgorged” Champagne?
- Champagne with prolonged aging on the lees with its crown cap.
- Tastes and feels like aged without the oxidative effects of 10 years in the cellar.
Why did Rome name the Champagne region Campania?
It means open, unforested land typical of the rolling hills of the region. The area is treeles because the thin topsoil that rested on chalk could not support higher plant life.
Who is credited with making the first sparkling wine in France?
- The Monks of Saint-Hilaire near near Limoux in Languedoc.
- It was known as Blanquette de Limoux.
- About 150 years before Champagne.
May have been earlier version, but this case is well-documented.
What century did Champagne begin making sparkling wine?
End of the 17th century/beginning of the 18th century
What barrier did King Louis XV remove that helped in Champagne production?
He allowed wine to be shipped in bottles.
Which of the 3 primary grapes in Champagne add the most acidity?
Chardonnay
Which of the 3 primary grapes in Champagne adds the least acidity?
Pinot Noir
Which of the 3 primary grapes in Champagne adds the most alcohol?
Chardonnay
Which of the 3 primary grapes in Champagne adds the least alcohol?
Meunier
What is chalk?
- Sedimentary
- Stores lots of water
- Low in organic matter
- can be warm, reflective
- Note: All chalk is limestone but not all limestone is chalk
What grape dominates in the sand/clay/marl soils of Champagne?
Meunier
What grape thrives on chalk in Champagne?
Chardonnay
What grape in Champagne does best on Kimmeridgean soils?
Pinot Noir
Why are the grapes of Champagne hand picked?
- To ensure whole grapes are picked
- To avoid compromising skin/causing bleeding pigment and bitter phenolics
In Champagne what is retroussage?
The tucking under of the grapes for the second press.
What is the gateau?
The cake remaining after the grapes are pressed
What is the French term for the process of chilling the wine and letting it rest to settle out particulate matter?
Débourbage
How is rosé Champagne made?
- Saignée method
- Adding red wine to the white
Blending a red and white is only legal in Champagne.
How much pressure is captured in the bottle during Prise de Mousse?
4.9 - 6 atmospheres of pressure
What is the minimum time a non-vintage Champagne spends on its lees?
12 months
What is the minimum time a NV Champagne spends in the cellar from tirage to release?
15 Months
What is the minimum time a vintage Champagne must spend in the cellar from tirage to release?
3 years
What is Rémuage (aka Riddling)?
The rotating of the bottles to loosen the dead yeast cells to help get them out of the bottle.
