Champagne Flashcards by Cameron Brinkers

What famous wine maker and colleagues were the first to master the art of making a clear white wine from red grapes.

Pierre Pérignon

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Who is the French microbiologist and chemist that discovered fermentation is caused by yeasts

Louis Pasteur

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What is the primary soil of Champagne

Limestone

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What causes Champagnes bubbles in the bottle

Trapped CO2 from a second fermentation that occurs in the bottle.

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What was the solution in the 1800s to the problem of champagne being too cloudy from dead yeast cells

Rémuage. The sediment is drawn the the bottle neck where it can be removed in one clump. This was developed by Antoine de Müller the head of the wine cellar for Veuve Clicquot.

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How did the dosage of Champagne differ 20 years ago versus today

20 years ago- 12-15 g/L of sugar (1.2-1.5 percent sugar)
Today- 7-9 g/L (0.7-0.9 percent sugar)

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List the red and white grapes allowed in Champagne

White- Arbane, Petite Meslier, Pinot Blanc, Fromenteau (local name for Pinot Gris), Chardonnay
Reds- Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier

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What was the total hectares mapped out by the INAO in 1927 for Champagne

34,000 hectares (85,000 acres)

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How many AOC’s exist in Champagne

Only one. Champagne itself

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How many Grand Cru exist in Champagne

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How many Premier Cru exist in Champagne

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How many Cru exist in Champagne

260

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Why are some Champagne vines trained low to the ground

To absorb heat reflected off the white limestone

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What type of soil is Marl

A type of limestone in which Calcium Carbonate is intermixed with Clay and Silt.

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How does chalk differ from limestone

Chalk is a soft calcium carbonate rich limestone that is more porous and allows for easier root penetration and drainage. It can act as a reservoir that can provide water back to the vines even in dry summers

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What are Crayères and what are they used for

In the 4th century the Romans dig 300 immensely deep quarries in the chalky rock. These same vertical chalk pits are used today by the Champagne houses to age Champagne.

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What is Pinot Meunier a clone of

Pinot Noir

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Where in Champagne are Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier usually planted

Chardonnay- planted in the chalkiest limestone sites (Blanc de Blanc)
Pinot Noir- planted in warm sites with as much sun exposure as possible (Valley of Kings)
Pinot Meunier- planted in Marne Valley near the low-lying river and humid conditions.

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What makes Pinot Meunier different from other grapes used in Champagne

It is less prone to frost and botrytis mold

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What are the 5 main vineyard areas of Champagne

Montagne de Reims
Côte des Blancs
Vallée de La Marne
Côte de Sézanne
The Aube (also Côte des Bar)

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What are grower Champagnes

Champagne wine made from the growers themselves rather than buying grapes to produce the Champagne.
This means the final Champagne is a much smaller number of base wines that are blended together and more likely to reflect terroir.

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Name 3 producers of Grower Champagne

Charlier & Fils
Doyard
Gatinois
J. Lassalle
Jean Lallement
Jean Milan
Jean-Pierre Launois
Laherte Frères
Marc Hérbrart
Michel Loriot
Philippe Gonet
Pierre Gimonnet et Fils
Pierre Péters
René Geoffroy
Vernier-Fannière
Veuve Fourny et Fils

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What is the role of the “memory of the house”

A retired senior winemaker who remembers distant vintages, how the wines were made, and how they turned out after decades of aging.

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What is the oldest Champagne house

Gusset (1584)

What is liqueur de tirage

A combination of sugar and wine used to start the second fermentation and develop bubbles in Champagne

Legally, how long must wines sit for after adding the liqueur de triage

15 months

What are the vineyard differences between Nonvintage, Vintage, and Prestige Cuvée Champagnes

Nonvintage- grapes come from good vineyards but not Premier Cru or Grand Cru Vintage- grapes come from good to great vineyards many of which are ranked Premier and Grand Cru Prestige Cuvée- grapes come from the greatest vineyards, most if not all of which are ranked Grand Cru

What are the grape differences between Nonvintage, Vintage, and Prestoge Cuvée Champagnes

Nonvintage- Pinot Meunier is almost always included due to lack of aging potential Vintage- Pinot Meunier is sometimes included in the blend Prestige Cuvée- Pinot Meunier is almost never included in the blend

What are the blend differences between Nonvintage, Vintage, and Prestige Cuvée Champagnes

Nonvintage- Dozens, sometimes hundreds,of still wines are used, from several different years Vintage- Dozens of still wines are used from a single year that was considered exceptional Prestige Cuvée- a blend of only the best wines from the best vineyards to which the producer has access

What are the lees aging differences between Nonvintage, Vintage, and Prestige Cuvée Champagnes

Nonvintage- 15 months Vintage- 3 years sur lie Prestige Cuvée- no requirement but common practice is 4 to 10 years sur lie

What is autolysis and how does it affect the wine

“Self-destruction” of cells where cell walls disintegrate. This spills out the contents of the yeast cells adding a creaminess, fullness, and complexity to the wine. Can be equated to bread dough or biscuits in the wine

What is dégorgement

Bottles are placed upside down in a glycol-solution which freezes the dead yeast at the neck of the bottle. The bottle is turned upside down and cap removed to shoot out the frozen contents.

What happens to the wine immediately with after dégorgement

It is topped with the liqueur d’expédition. A combination of reserve wine and sugar. The number of grams in the liqueur, or dosage, determines how dry or sweet a champagne will be.

What famous producer has Plénitude and has 3 releases of each (P1, P2, and P3). What are the main differences between P1 P2 and P3

Dom Pérignon P1- 9 years on lees P2- 15-20 years on lees P3- 25 years on lees

What is the purpose of The Punt on a Champagne bottle

The punt allows for a more even distribution of pressure during second fermentation preventing explosions

How do bubbles enhance the flavors of Champagne

As bubbles rise and burst on the surface of the wine Tony droplets of Champagne are released into the air projecting the wines aromas to your nose

What are the 3 main types of Champagne

Blanc de Blancs- meaning white from whites this Champagne is entirely made of Chardonnay grapes Blanc de Noir- meaning white from reds this extremely rare Champagne is the opposite of Blanc de Blancs and has a slight gray pink tinge made entirely from Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier Rosé Champagne- can be a different blend of the 3 principle grapes of Champagne in different percentages.

Describe the method of Saignée

Involves letting the base wine sit in contact with Pinot Noir skins until they pick up enough color to tint the wine pink

Describe d’assemblage

Involves adding a small amount of still wine into the base bases before the wine is bottled and undergoes second fermentation

How would a Pinot Noir dominant Rosé Champagne differ from a Chardonnay dominant Champagne and vice versa

Pinot Noir Dominate- often a bit fuller in body and richer Chardonnay Dominate- often lighter and more elegant

What is considered the best glass for Champagne

One tall enough to encourage a stream of bubbles but the upper third being slightly wide to allow the wine to be swirled and smelled.

What is the CIVC and what does it stand for

Comité Interprofessional del Vin de Champagne The official body that controls promotes and defends the industry

Name 3 Grand Crus of Champagne and the type of grapes they use

Aÿ- Both Ambonnay- Both Tours-sur-Marne- both Bouzy- Both Louvois- Both Chouilly- White Avize-White Cramant- White Le Mesnil-sur-Oger- White Oger- White Oiry- Both Beaumond-Sur-Vesle- Both Mailly- Both Puisieulx- White Sillery- Both Verzenay- Both Verzy- Both

What are the total number of villages in Champagne

319 villages

What grape is used for adaptation purposes

Voltis (no more than 5%)

What is the minimum alcohol for the base wine of Champagne

What is the maximum residual sugar for base wines in Champagne

10g/L

All grower Champagnes belong to the Club Trésors de Champagne True or False

False

A finished Champagne with a residual sugar of 20g/L would be labeled with which sweetness designation

Sec

During secondary fermentation bottles are usually stored horizontally in the ________ postion

Sur Latte

What year would a Champagne producer be LEAST likely to bottle a vintage dated Champagne? 2000 2001 2002 2003

2001

How many 5 oz glasses of Champagne would a Jeroboam (Double Magnum) yield?

Rosé de Riceys AOP wines are produced in which region?

Côte de Bars

What are the permitted methods of dégorgement for Champagne

Dégorgement à La glacé Dégorgement à La Volée

Which estate produces Clos des Goisses

Philipponnat

French term for the release of older vintages of base wine for use in assemblage.

Deblocage