Champagne Flashcards
Where and when was Dom Pérignon the cellar master?
Abbey of Hautvillers from 1668 until his death in 1715.
In what year did the word mousseaux appear in connotation of effervescence in the wines of Champagne?
1724
Champagne created three terms to refer to the level of effervescence what are they?
Pétillant
Demi-mousseaux
Grand Mousseaux
Louis, son of Charlemagne, was crowned at Reims in what year?
816
What is the oldest producer in Champagne?
Gosset was founded in 1584, but as a still producer.
What is the oldest sparkling producer in Champagne?
Ruinart established in 1729 is the oldest sparkling Champagne producer.
What is Remuage?
riddling—a procedure that allows sediment to be easily removed from a bottle during dégorgement (disgorgement).
Who is Jean-Antoine Chaptal?
the French chemist and statesman for whom the process of chaptalization is named, identified the relationship between sugar and fermentation in a seminal 1801 work.
What did Pharmacist André François measure?
pharmacist André François’ measurement of the precise amount of sugar required to induce it without breaking the bottle, allowed Champagne houses to produce sparkling wines with greater confidence.
Champagne production was 300,00 bottles in 1800. What was it in 1880?
20 million.
Who made the first Brut Champagne?
Pommery in 1874. Pommery “Nature”.
When was the Aube excluded?
And when was it reinstated?
ignerons from the southern Aube region, who had long supplied Champagne houses with base white wine, protested and nearly rioted in 1911 after being excluded from the region. The Aube was reinstated as a full region of the appellation in 1927.
What AOC or AOP needs to be on Champagne bottles?
None.
What is the split of percentages of the primary grapes in Champagne?
Pinot Noir is 38%, Chardonnay 31%, and Oinot Meunier 31%.
What type of subsoil is found predominantly in Champagne’s slopes?
Porous, belemnite chalk. Belemnite chalk, derived from the fossilized remains of millions of extinct cephalopods, has a high limestone content, which allows vine roots to dig deeply and is linked to increased acidity.
What soil type characterizes the valleys Vineyards of Champagne?
A second layer of micraster chalk, named for an extinct sea urchin, characterizes the valley vineyards.
How does the Aube’s soil differ from the rest of Champagne?
A thin layer of clay and sand covers much of the chalk in Champagne; in the Aube to the south clay is the dominant soil type.
What are the additional grapes of Champagne?
In select areas, Pinot Blanc Vrai (“true” Pinot Blanc, a white form of Pinot Noir), Arbane, Pinot Gris, and Petit Meslier are authorized for Champagne AOP production, but they are rare, totaling less than 0.3% of plantings.
Name the four pruning methods allowed in Champagne.
Cordon de Royat
Chablis
Vallée de la Marne
and Guyot (double and simple).
What is the average vine age in Champagne?
Average vine age hovers around twenty years, as the lowered productivity of old vines is undesirable to most houses in Champagne.
Name the five districts of Champagne.
Montagne de Reims
Vallée de Marne
Côte des Blancs
Côte de Sézanne
Côte des Bars (in the Aube départment)
In what Champagne districts is Pinot Noir the dominant grape?
Montagne de Reims and the Aube (Côte des bar)
Where is Chardonnay dominant in Champagne?
Côte des blancs and Côte de Sézanne.
Pinot Meunier is dominant where in Champagne?
Vallée de la Marne
How many Grand Crus are there in Champagne?
17
How many Premier Crus are there in Champagne?
42
What does CIVC stand for?
Le Comité Interprofessionnel du vin de Champagne
What is the CIVC?
The CIVC, the regulatory body responsible for mediating relations between growers and producers, oversees the production methods and promotion of Champagne. The CIVC regulates the size of harvests, authorizes blocage and deblocage—respectively the reserve and release of wine stocks for use in future vintages—and safeguards the protected designation of Champagne.
What is the Échelle de Crus?
A percentile system known as the Échelle des Crus (“ladder of growth”) acts as a pro-rata system for determining grape prices. Vineyards located in villages with high rates will receive higher prices for their grapes than vineyards located in villages with a lower rating. In the early 2000s, the CIVC abolished the system entirely, but the premier and grand cru villages retain their titles, and producers may continue to label wines from these villages as such.
What does NM mean on a Champagne label?
NM (Négociant Manipulant): A house that purchases grapes and or base wines from growers and other smaller houses. Some NM houses own a significant portion of their own vineyards; others own none at all. Large Champagne houses with the most international presence are invariably in this category: Moët et Chandon, Louis Roederer, Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin, Billecart-Salmon, Lanson, Taittinger, Pol Roger, Perrier-Jouët, Mumm, and Laurent-Perrier. Quality varies widely, although prices are uniformly high. Many houses often fall under the same corporate parentage; for example, Moët et Chandon, Krug, Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin, and Mercier fall under the umbrella of the luxury conglomerate LVMH. (Louis Vuitton/Möet Hennessy)
What does RM on a Champagne label mean?
RM (Récoltant Manipulant): A grower-producer who makes Champagne from estate-grown fruit. 95% of the grapes must originate in the producer’s own vineyards.
What does CM mean on a Champagne label?
CM (Coopérative Manipulant): A growers’ co-operative that produces the wine under a single brand.
What does RC mean on a Champagne label?
RC (Récoltant Coopérateur): A grower whose grapes are vinified at a co-operative, but whose wines are sold under the grower’s own label.
What does SR mean on a Champagne label?
SR (Société de Récoltants): 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.
What does ND mean on a Champagne Label?
ND (Négociant Distributeur): A middleman company that distributes Champagne it did not make.
What does MA mean on a Champagne label?
MA (Marque d’Acheteur): A buyer’s own brand, often a large supermarket chain or restaurant, that purchases Champagne and sells it under its own label.
What are the Champagne extraction limits?
102 liters from 160 kg of grapes, or 2,550 liters from 4000kg.
Extracted juice is champagne is divided in to two categories, name them.
vin de cuvée (the first 2,050 liters) and the vin de taille (the following 500 liters)
What is the Rebêche?
A third extraction, the rebêche, is required by law and must comprise 1-10% of the total. The rebêche is used for distillate, not Champagne.
What is Débourbage?
the settling of the freshly pressed grape juice, during which any fragments of skin, pips and other sediment settles at the bottom of the vat.
Is Chapitalization legal in Champagne?
Not only is it legal but it very commonly used.
What are vins clairs?
The high acid base wines used in Champagne production. Approximate alcohol content of 11%.
Is the practice of clarification through fining, filtering, or centrifuge common in Champagne?
Yes, it is the norm.
How is a centrifuge used in clarification?
The wine or must is pumped into the separator, accelerated to rotational speed and flows upwards through holes in the disc pack. The centrifugal force on the underside of the disc causes the heavy lees to migrate outwards, while the clarified (lighter) wine or must flows inwards.
Is classic champagne from a single region?
The most classic representation of Champagne is a blend, utilizing a number of grapes, growing areas, and vintages.
What is the liquer de tirage?
A mixture of still wine, yeasts, sugar, and fining agents that will serve to ignite the second fermentation.
What is the Prise de Mousse?
The second fermentation
What is a bidule?
A plastic capsule affixed to the crown cap that serves to capture the sediment during remuage.
What is autolysis?
A chemical reaction between the wine and the lees by which enzymes break down the dead yeast cells, producing amino acids and releasing proteins and carbohydrates into the wine. It imparts characteristics in a wine such as richness and creaminess as well as aromas of bread dough, toast or brioche.
What is dégorgement?
In sparkling wine and champagne production disgorging is the process by which excess yeast or “yeast lees” are removed from the bottle before the cork is inserted. Disgorging sparkling wine is an integral part of the production process.
What is “sur pointe”?
Once the sediment is successfully collected in the neck of the bottle, the bottles remain in the upside-down vertical position (“sur pointe”) for a short period of time prior to dégorgement, although some houses will age the wine in this position for a number of years—Bollinger’s “RD” (“Récemment Dégorgé”) is kept sur pointe for a number of years, and only disgorged upon order.
What is dégorgement à la glace?
The modern method of dégorgement à la glace involves dipping the neck of the bottle in a freezing brine solution. The bottle can then be turned upright. The force of internal pressure will expel the semi-frozen sediment (and a small portion of wine) as the crown cap is removed.
What is the dosage or liquer d’expédition?
A liquid mixture of sugar syrup and wine.
What is RS for Brut Nature/Non-Dosé?
0-3 grams per liter, no added dosage
What is the RS for Extra Brut?
0-6 grams per liter
What is the RS for Brut?
0-12 grams per liter
What is the RS for Extra Dry?
12-17 grams per liter
What is the RS for Sec Champagne?
17-32 grams per liter
What is the RS for Demi-Sec Champagne?
32-50 grams per liter
What is the RS for Doux Champagne?
50+ grams per liter
Name the Champagne bottle sizes.
Champagne Bottle Sizes
Bottle Size
Quarter Bottle (Piccolo) 187 ml
Half Bottle (Demi) 375 ml
Bottle 750 ml
Magnum 1.5 L (2 bottles)
Jeroboam 3 L (4 bottles)
Rehoboam (discontinued in 1983) 4.5 L (6 bottles)
Methuselah 6 L (8 bottles)
Salmanazar 9 L (12 bottles)
Balthazar 12 L (16 bottles)
Nebuchadnezzar 15 L (20 bottles)
Solomon 18 L (24 bottles)
- Larger sizes, including the Sovereign, Primat, and Melchizedek are extraordinarily rare. Many sources cite the 18 L bottle as a Melchior, as it is called in Bordeaux.
Define Non-Vintage Champagne.
Non-Vintage (NV): Generally brut in style, the NV cuvée represents a house’s signature style, and the blender’s job is to ensure its consistency from year to year. Non-vintage Champagne makes up at least three-quarters of the market.
Define Vintage Champagne.
Vintage: 100% of the blend must come from the stated vintage, yet a maximum 80% of a year’s harvest may be sold as vintage Champagne. The better houses declare a vintage only in exceptional years. These are usually brut in style, and good examples can age for a decade or more.
Define Blanc de Blancs Champagne.
Blanc de Blancs: Only white grapes are permitted, but they are not always sourced from the Côte des Blancs. They may be vintage-dated or NV. The Blanc de Blancs category represents some of Champagne’s most ageworthy bottlings; while austere and often steely in youth, better examples develop an intense bouquet with maturity.
Define Blanc de Noirs Champagne.
Blanc de Noirs: White wine produced solely from black grapes. The wine usually displays richness, intensity, and weight, although it can lack the supreme elegance and finesse of Blanc de Blancs.
Define Prestige Cuvée (Tête de Cuvée) Champagne.
Prestige Cuvée (Tête de Cuvée): Usually the finest and most expensive bottling that a house offers, the prestige cuvée is typically (but not always) vintage-dated and aged for a number of years prior to release. Prestige Cuvées are usually only released in superior vintages, and may undergo more traditional vinification procedures, such as barrel fermentation, riddling by hand, and cork-finishing during the second fermentation. Many of the large houses produce prestige cuvées from their own vineyards—even single vineyards in exceptional cases. Prestige cuvées may be Blanc de Blancs, Blanc de Noirs or rosé in style. Not all houses produce a prestige cuvée, and some produce several. Classic examples include Moët et Chandon “Dom Pérignon,” Taittinger “Comtes de Champagne,” Louis Roederer “Cristal,” Laurent-Perrier “Grande Siècle,” Perrier-Jouët “Belle Époque” (previously bottled as “Fleur de Champagne” for the US market), Pol Roger “Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill,” Ruinart “Dom Ruinart,” and Veuve Clicquot-Ponsardin “La Grande Dame.”
Define a single vineyard champagne.
Single Vineyard Champagne bottlings may be produced by a large house or a smaller grower-producer, and may or may not be advertised as a prestige cuvée. Single Vineyard wines are not required to carry a vintage date, although they invariably do, and the style represents a stark departure from the blending philosophy of the region. Philipponnat’s “Clos de Goisses,” originally released for the 1935 vintage from one of the few walled vineyards of the region, remains a benchmark bottling.
Define Special Club Champagne.
Special Club Prestige Cuvée: The “Special Club” concept originated in 1971, with a dozen grower-producers. Lacking the marketing budgets of larger houses, these producers banded together to promote their prestige cuvées through identical packaging. The Club Trésors comprises 28 RM producers as members. The Special Club bottlings are estate-bottled, vintage-dated wines that represent the pinnacle of each individual grower’s style and production. Special Club bottles and labels share identical design. Current members include Marc Hébrart, Pierre Gimonnet, Paul Bara, J. Lassalle and Gaston Chiquet. For a complete membership, click here.
Define Rosé Champagne
Rosé Champagne: Vintage, NV, and prestige cuvées may also be produced in pink versions. The traditional saignée method, in which the wine gains its hue through extended skin contact, is less common than blending. Champagne is the only AOP in France that allows a rosé to be produced by blending red and white wine. A rosé prestige cuvée, a novelty in years past, is usually the most expensive and rare product a house offers.
What are Coteaux Champenois?
Still wine appellations within the region of Champagne. May be red, white, or Rosé and come from the entire appelation.
What is Rosé de Riceys?
Rosé de Riceys is reserved for 100% Pinot Noir rosé wines produced in Les Riceys, a cru village in the Aube.
What are the eight regions for Crémant wines produced by the traditional method?
Crémant de Bordeaux
Crémant de Bourgogne
Crémant de Loire
Crémant de Limoux
Crémant de Die
Crémant du Jura
Crémant d’Alsace
Vin de Savoie, which produces crémant under the designation Crémant de Savoie.
What are the eight regions for Crémant wines produced by the traditional method?
Crémant de Bordeaux
Crémant de Bourgogne
Crémant de Loire
Crémant de Limoux
Crémant de Die
Crémant du Jura
Crémant d’Alsace
Vin de Savoie, which produces crémant under the designation Crémant de Savoie.
What are the other regions producing traditional method sparkling wines, beyond the Crémants?
Vouvray
Montlouis-sur-Loire
Saumur in the Loire
Seyssel in Savoie
Blanquette de Limoux
(90% Mauzac with Chard and Chenin)
What are the best DOCG for traditional method wines in Italy?
Franciacorta
Oltrepò Pavese Metodo Classico
What is Methode Ancestrale?
Méthode Ancestrale: Also known as the méthode rurale, this is the oldest and most rudimentary of sparkling winemaking procedures. A single fermentation begins in tank, but the wine is transferred to bottles before the process is complete—liqueur de tirage is unnecessary. Yeasts continue to ferment the remaining sugars in the bottle, giving the wine its sparkle. The residual sweetness of the finished wines varies by appellation, but dosage is not allowed. The wine may be disgorged, filtered and rebottled in clean glass prior to sale. Bugey Cerdon, Clairette de Die Méthode Dioise Ancestrale, and Gaillac Mousseux Méthode Gaillaçoise are examples of the style.
Define The Charmat Process/Cuve Close/Tank Method:
Developed by Eugene Charmat in the early 20th century, the Tank Method is quicker, cheaper, and less labor-intensive than the traditional method. After the wine undergoes primary fermentation, liqueur de tirage is added to the wine, provoking a second fermentation, which occurs in a pressurized enamel-lined tank, or autoclave, over a matter of days. Once the appropriate pressure is reached (usually 5 atmospheres), the wine is chilled to arrest fermentation. Some appellations require the wine to remain in tank for a minimum period of time, such as one month for Asti DOCG. The wine is then filtered and bottled, usually with a dosage. The lack of extended lees contact in the tank method is not suitable for making quality wines in the style of Champagne. The bubbles, or bead, in tank method wines will be larger and coarser, and the wine will have a less uniform texture than wines made by the traditional method. However, this method is appropriate and even preferred for sparkling wines emphasizing fruit and varietal aromatics rather than the flavors derived from autolysis. Most Asti DOCG and Prosecco bottlings are produced in this method.
Explain the Continuous Method/ Russian Continuous Method
Developed in the USSR, this method is similar to the tank method, but the base wine is pumped through a series of interconnected (continuous) tanks while undergoing the second fermentation. Liqueur de tirage is constantly added to the wine, and lees accumulate in the first several tanks, offering a higher degree of autolyzed flavors than the standard tank method. The majority of German Sekt is produced by either the tank method or the continuous method.
What is the cheapest way to make sparkling wine?
Carbonation. The cheapest method of sparkling winemaking involves a simple injection of carbon dioxide into still wine. The bubbles do not integrate into the texture of the wine at all, and fade quickly upon opening.
