Champagne Flashcards
Which event prompted the establishment of champagne houses?
A 1728 Royal decree allowing the transport and trade of Champagne wine in bottles.
What was Champagne region known for before wines?
Chalk quarries and trade.
How is Methode Champenoise called outside champagne?
Methode Traditionelle
How much Pinot Meunier is planted in Champagne and what it adds to the wine?
34% and adds moderate acidity and least alcohol.
When was Champagne Golden age?
1920 and the Belle Epoque
How much Chardonnay is planted in Champagne and what it adds to the wine?
28% and adds most acidity and most alcohol.
What tipe of wine was made in the 900’s and how they called it?
Vin de la Montagne =Gouais
Vin de la Riviere = Formenteau
What social factors greatly affected Champagne region trough time?
Wars: Franco-German, 100 years, Napoleonic against Austria, Prussia and Russia and Both World wars
Name ancient Sparkling wine method
Rural or ancestral
What is champagne location?
between paralels 49 and 49.5, the nothest wine region in France. 1.5 hors from paris.
What Grapes were planted in Champagne up to the 20th Century?
White: Pinot Blanc, Epinette, Bon Blanc, Petit Blanc, Arbane, Petit Meslier ( Coss Gouai Blanc and Savagnin) and Chardonnay.
Red: Chasselas Rouge, Gamay, Morillon, Enfumé Noir, Pinot Noir, pinot meunier.
When Champagne owned the name?
in 1887 by the Court of appeals in Angers
When was Champagne growing area delineated?
It was delineated in 1908 excluding Aube, and in 1027 Aube was finally recognized.
What year were the first Houses established?
Ruinart 1730 Chanoine Frères 1743 Henri Abelé 1757 Veuve Clicquot 1772 Louis Roederer 1776 Heidsieck1785 Piper-Heidsieck 1785 Jacques et Freres 1798
When and Where was sparkling wine made before champagne
150 years before DP made it, in Limoux, rousillion
Density planted before Phyloxera in Champagne
Before 16000 vines per acre = 40000 vines per hectare
How are named sparkling wines outside Champagne?
Crémant, Petillant and Mousseux
How’s Champagne Climate?
Dual Climate: Continental affects Winter (Cold and Harsh)
Maritime affects Spring and fall (Frost)
Maritime affects Summer (warm and often Cloudy)
How many sun light hours a year in Champagne?
1650 hours of sunlight a year
What can happen in Autumn in Champagne?
early Frost.
How much Pinot Noir is planted in Champagne and what it adds to the wine?
38% and adds least acidity and moderate alcohol
Acre to square Meter
1 acre = 2046 m2
Is Spring frost common in Champagne?
Yes, its common and severe. The champegnoise use Chaufretes and sprinklers to combat it.
Name the subregions of Champagne
The Côte de Bar; The Montagne de Reims; Val de Reims; Valle de la Marne; Côte de Blancs; côte de Sézanne and Vitry-le-Francoise.
When Champagne was planted with vineyards?
1st t 4th century AD by Celts.
What Champagne means in latin?
Unforested Land
Hectare to Acre
1 Hectare = 2.47 acres = 10000 m2
Area cultivated pre and post Phylloxera in Champagne
Pre Phylloxera 150000 acres = 60000 Hectares
Post Phylloxera 30000 acres = 12000 hectares
Name traditional Grapes in Champagne between the 9th and 16th Century.
Gouais: white
Fromenteau: Gray-Pink.
Describe Côte de Bar main grape, location and soil.
Côte de bar is a Champagne’s sub region and is located south-east of Troyes, Flanking the Aube and the Sienne Rivers. Primary grape: Pinot Noir.
Soil: Kimmeridgean Limestone rich Marls, Face South east.
Describe Montagne de Reims main grape, location and soil.
Montagne de Reims is a Champagne’s subregion. It’s located south of Reims. Planted mostly with Pinot Noir, with some Meunier and some Chardonnay.
Forms half circle around mountain facing: South, south-east, east, norrth-east and north. Chalky slopes.
Describe Val de Reims main grape, location and soil.
Val de Reims is a Champagne’s subregion. It’s planted with mostly Pinot Meunier with some Pinot Noir on clay, marls and sand.
Val de Reims include the vineyards of Masif of St Thierry and Vallée de L’Ardre
Describe Valle de la Marne main grape, location and soil.
Valle de la Marne is a Champagne’s subregion. It’s located west of Epernay, flanking the Marne River. Planted mostly with Pinot Meunier on marl, clay and sany soil.
Right bank of the river facing South, Left bank of the river facong North.
Describe Côte de Blancs main grape, location and soil.
Côtes de Blancs is a Champagne’s sub region. Located South of Epernay, mostly planted with Chardonay on Chalk.
Describe Côte de Sézanne main grape, location and soil.
Côte de Sézanne is a Champagne’s sub region. Located at north and south of town of Sézanne. Hilly area planted mostly with Chardonnay on Clay. Facing South-east
Describe Vitry-le-Francoise main grape, location and soil.
Vitry-le-Francoise is a Champagne’s sub region. Located south-east of the Côte de Blancs and North-east of Côte de Sézanne. Planted with mostly Chardonnay on Clay, facing East.
What’s the type of chalk in Champagne’s soil?
Belemnite and Micraster.
Belemnite most prized, located in mid slopes.
Micraster located when slopes begin to flatten.
Name all type of soils in Champagne.
Chalk; Sand and Clay; Limestone rich Marl.
Where in Champagne’s subregion one can find Chalk soils, how is it and what type of fruit it produce?
Found in Reims, Epernay, Aÿ, Ambonnay and Verzenay, Montagne de reims and Côte de Blancs.
Produce high acidity grapes, lean wines with reserved aromas.
Where in Champagne’s subregion one can find Sand and Clay soils, how is it and what type of fruit it produce?
Found in Vallée de la Marne and Val de Reims. They are a mix of Marl, Clay and Sand.
Clay soils produce mineral rich wines which need more aging.
Sandy soils produce Fruity characteristics.
Where in Champagne’s subregion one can find Limestone Rich Marls soils, how is it and what type of fruit it produce?
Found in Côte de Bar.
Doesn’t have as much water retention as chalk. Preffered soil for Pinot Noir.
Marls deliver deeply aromatic, earthy Pinot Noirs.
What cross of grapes produced Petite Mensier?
Gouais Blanc x Savagnin
Name Champagne AOC and quick description
AOC Rosé des Rices: 100% rosé still wine
AOC Coteaux Champenois: 100% still wine, same area and grapes of Ch. Aoc and mostly non vintage.
AOC Champagne: 100% Still
Where Rose des Riceys is produced and what is it?
It’s one of the 3 Champagne’s AOC, it’s made of Pinot Noir and produced in the 3 villages of Riceys in Aube.
What is the Echelle des Crus?
It's a rank of producing villages created in 1911. A scale of 80 to 100 points. 100: Gran Cru, 17 villages 90-99:premier Cru: 41 Villages. 80-89: Champagne, 225 villages. No longer in use since 2003
How many Premier Crus are in Champagne
?
41 villages, by the Echelle des Crus
How many Grand Crus are in Champagne
?
17 Villages, 6 in cotes des Blancs, 9 in Montagne de reims, 2 in Vallée de la Marne.
Does Grand/Premier cru signifies single vineyard in Champagne?
No, it can be a blend of different Gran Cru or Premier cru vineyards respectively
Is Echelle des Crus still in use?
No, It stop being used in 2003
Who developed the Methode Champenoise?
Dom Pèrignon, Brother Jean Oudart and Veuve Clicquot.
How do you call the blend of still wines in Champagne?
Cuvée
How much of the year harvest is used to make the vintage champagne?
No more than 80%, rest is saved as reserve in biblioteque
What’s the sugar level in Champagne’s grapes at harvest time?
Low, they harvest with a low sugar level intentionally to get a low alcohol still wine after 1st fermentation to ensure yeast can work in second fermentation.
What is DP credited with in the Champenoise method?
DP is credited with creating his cuvée with different proportions of CH, PN and PM clusters in the press, also in selecting fruit at harvest in many trips to vineyard to ensure quality.
How grapes are vinified in Champagne?
Different grape varieties are fermented separately so are different lots.
How rosé champagne is made?
Rosé champagne is made in 2 ways
Blending a little of PN in a white cuvee or
Saignée: with little skin contact as a traditional rose is vinified.
What means Tirage in Champagne?
Tirage means the act of bottling with an addition of a mix of sugar and yeast to the cuvée, this is the Liqueur de Tirage.
What’s Liqueur de Tirage.
It’s the addition of a mix of sugar and yeast to the cuvée to produce the 2nd fermentation created by Brother Jean Oudart
What means Prise en Mousse?
Prise en Mousse means the act of Seize the Foam, refers to the second fermentation wich creates 4.9 to 6 atmospheres of pressure.
How much presure is in a bottle of champagne?
4.9 to 6 atmospheres of pressure.
What means Sur Lattes?
It means the rest of the bottle champagne in between Strips Of Wood in the cellar during second fermentation
How long takes 2nd fermentation in Champagne?
30 days aprox
Why Champagne is left to rest on the lees?
Decomposed yeast release proteins that contribute to the texture mouthfeel or the Champagne Bouquet aroma profile of Brioche, toasted nuts, toasted grain, Biscuits and freshly baked bread
What Sur Lie means?
Sur Lie means aging the wine on the lees (dead yeast) so it picks up complexity.
What a long period of aging produce in champagne?
The Carbon dioxide disolves more completely on the wine, smaller bubbles.
By law, for how long Champagne has to be aged on the lees?
12 months on the lees. compared to 9 months for most cremates. Non vintage as to spend 15 months in cellar from Tirage to release. Vintage has to spend 3 years on cellar.
What permitted bottled champagne?
Spanish corck and English glass.
What’s Remuage?
Riddling. The act of rapidly turn the champagne bottles 1/8 rotation and shift in space to colect the lees in the bottle neck. Atributed to Veuve Clicquot.
What’s Degorgement?
I’s the removal of the lees.
What’s A La Volée?
Removing the lees by hand from champagne without chilling the bottleneck, mostly done today for iconic cuvées or Magnums.
What’s Transversage?
The act of filling large champagne bottle formats from regular bottles.
Name the styles of Champagne
Brut Nature: No dosage, 0-0.3 % sugar Extra Brut: 0-0.6% Brut: 0-1.2% Extra Sec: 1.2 - 1.7 % Sec: 1.7 - 3.2 % Demi Sec: 3.2 - 5 % Doux: Over 5 %
What Madamme Pommery did?
Started to do drier champagne after the fall or the Russian Tzar and it’s market.
Name Types of Champagne
Vintage: Only in good years. more expensive, lower production, vintage in label and cork.
Non Vintage: A blens of several vintages.
Tête de Cuvée: House prestige bottle
Blanc de Blancs: Delicate , Finesse or rich and Powerfull.
Blanc de noirs: carries a bit of tannins, more expresive aromas.
Rosé: Structured and noticeable tannins grip.
Champagne Labels:
NM: Negotiant-Manipulant RM: Recoltant-Manipulant RC: Recoltant-Cooperateur SR: Societee de recoltants CM: Cooperative de manipulation MA: Marque Auxiliaire/Marche dAcheteur/M Autorisée ND: Negociant Distribuiteur
What NM Signifies in a Champagne label?
NM: Negotiant-Manipulant A producer that use his fruit and Buys fruit.
What RM Signifies in a Champagne label?
RM: Recoltant-Manipulant, A producer who makes but doesn’t buy fruit.
What RC Signifies in a Champagne label?
RC: Recoltant-Cooperateur, A grower afiliated to a wine making cooperative cellar, Then he retrieves his finished wine and sells with his label.
What SR Signifies in a Champagne label?
SR: Societee de Recoltants, Group of growers who jointly vinifie and sell communal brands.
What CM Signifies in a Champagne label?
CM: Cooperative de manipulation, A cooperative which vinifies for it’s members.
What MA Signifies in a Champagne label?
MA: Marque Auxiliaire/Marche dAcheteur/M Autorisée
A private label registered by an individual or group (restaurants/Supermarkets)
What ND Signifies in a Champagne label?
ND: Negociant Distribuiteur, Wine Buyer who purchase finished wine and gives it his private label.
Name the points of difference in Champagne and other sparklings.
The Chalk Soil and the Kimmeridgean Soil are quit rare, they are firmly structured, big boned and Masculine or small boned and Feminine. Champagne differenciates from other sparklings wines in flavor profile and aromatics.
When to drink Champagne, how much aging
It’s meant to be drink afyter 2 to 3 years of release, more to cork lifespan than to agreeability.
What RD signifies in a Champagne label?
Recently disgorged
What low temperature produces to a bottle of champagne?
Reduces the pressure inside the bottle.
Old Champagne - young Champagne?
Less effervecense+nutty aromas/ Fresh effervecense Fruitty and Floral aromas
