Champagne Flashcards
Location
delimited region in northern france
Climate
cool continental
frosts and winter freeze hazards
wet weather can cause problems in the growing season
Soils
Chalk
Limestone
Important areas with marl and sand
need regular fertilizer, low in nutrients
Classification: aire delimitee
widespread area within which wines can be made and aged
Classification: aire production
particular parcels of land within the aire deliminee which alone can be planted with grapes which qualify for champagne production
Classification: review of the air production
Champ planted to capacity
vision to increase production
land excluded in 1927 and 1935 being re-assessed
started in 2003 by !NOA
historical and technical criteria
- demonstrate that Champ grapes were growing in these plots prior to the delinieation of the appellation and that the site is appropriate (climate, steepness of slope, soil, etc.)
- newly approved vineyard would not be able to produce Champ for several years after approval
Classifications: Crus
Villages, not individual sites, are crus
Can be limited to specific grape variety
- eschelle does crus: villages awarded percentage; 100% grand cru, 90-99% premier cru; system swept away with EU anti-competition legislation
- 17 grand cru villages; 44 premier cru
- some want burgundy type system but overhaul unlikely
Grape varieties
- char
- PN
- PM
Permitted, but 0.3% of plantings: - arbanne
- petit meslier
- Pinot Blanc
- ## Pinot gris
Vineyard: sub-regions
14 sub-regions. Most important:
- Montagne de Reims
- Cote des Blancs
- Vallee de la Marne
- cote de Sezanne
- cote des Bar
Vineyard: max permitted yield
10.4 Tonnes / ha
Vineyard: grape min abv
9%
Vineyard: Pruning systems
4 approved:
- taille chablis
- Cordon de Royat
- Guyot (single and double)
- Vallee de la Marne (only Meunière)
— all retain significant amount of wood, besides Guyot
Hand harvest required
Vineyard: Comité Champagne
- Created in 1845, “brand manager of champagne”
- highly encourages sustainable viticulture
- sets harvest dates and yield
- sets minimum potential alcohol
- sets amount of wine to be kept in reserve each year
- used to fix price of grapes, but now market dependent
Winery: juice yield
- soft pressure extraction
- 25.5 hL/4000kg(Marc)
- best juice = cuvée = 1st 20.5 hL
- remainder = taille = 5 hL
Winery: rose
Masceration or blend or red and white
Winery: vintage wines
- only grapes from states vintage
- in any year, no more than 80% of production can go to vintage wines.
- remaining 20% must be stored as reserve.
Winery: maturation and storage
- lees min 12 Mo
- tirage to sale:
—
Important Styles and Labelling Terms: Premier Cru
Made from grapes that come from Premier Cru and Grand Cru vineyards
Styles and Labelling Terms: Grand Cru
Exclusively Grand Cru vineyards
Styles and Labelling Terms: Non-Vintage NV
Not a Labelling term
- but describes wines from more than one vintage
- tent to represent the standard offering from the producer and display house style
Style and Labelling Terms: Vintage
Wine from single year
Style and Labelling Terms: RD
Recently disgorged
- trade mark of Bollinger used for Vintage Wines that have extended lees aging
- other producers have to use other terms for wines that have undergone extensive lees aging.
Styles and Labelling Terms: Prestige Cuvee
Not a Labelling term
- generally describes best wines in a producers range
Important trade structures general
- 15,000+ growers who own majority of land
- on average only 2ha land/grower
- 100+ cooperatives wine production
- ~300 houses champ export
- cooperative mvmt important in handling and processing grapes. They sell either must or vin clairs (base wine) or finished wine within the trade or finished wines to consumers.
- growers can produce wine independently or with help of cooperative. Sales of these wines are significant.
- broking companies: buy finished wines from houses, cooperatives, or growers, and sell them under their own brand or wholesale them to retailers or restaurants who are after their own label or exclusive brands for their outlets
Important trade structures: Representative Bodies
- Comite Interprofessional du Vin de Champagne (CIVC) - aka Comite Champagne
- represents growers, cooperatives, and houses
- Syndicat General des Vignerons de la Champagne
- represents growers
- created in 1919, raising grape prices due to demand
- represents 15,000+ growers now
- defends interest of growers
- provide business support (legal/financial advice)
- economic security and maximize profits
- environmental protection
- promote grower champagnes sold under the “Champagne de Vignerons” umbrella brand, introduced in 2001, represents 5000+ growers
- Federation des Cooperatives de la Champagne
- represents cooperatives
- formed in 1939
- ensure supply of raw materials to cooperatives
- promote cooperative-produced champagnes, ensure representation in the market
- defend interests of members in legal matters
- Union des Maisons de Champagne
- represents the houses
- 1882, formed to fight phylloxera, safeguard Champs name
- approximately 100 houses
- rules:
- – have in place a global strategy which guarantees quality
- – actively promote and protect the Champagne appellation
- – actively participate in viticultural and oenological research to further improve the standards of Champagne
Producer classifications: NM
Negociant Manipulant
- Champagne House/Maison
- only producers permitted to purchase significant amounts of grapes, must still wine, or wine sur latte.
- wine marketed under house brand
- Pol Roger, Bollinger, Louis Roederer: source up to 75% of grapes from their domaine vineyards
Producer classifications: RM
Recolant Manipulant
- Grower who produces wine from their own grapes
- can buy grapes up to 5% of their own crop
- responsible for 22% of sales
- 20,000 RM landowners, only about 500 produce wine under their own labels
Producer classifications: SR
Societe de Recolants
- 2+ growers who share the same winery to produce a market wine from their grapes
- winegrowers control winemaking - can ask for help from coop
Producer classifications: CM
Cooperative manipulant
- a cooperative wine, sold under the cooperatives own brands
- most famous = Nicolas Feuillatte, Jacquart rising in popularity
- success of CM’s affects large houses
Producer classification: RC
Recoltant-cooperateur
- growers who sells wine to made from their grapes that are made by the cooperative
Producer classifications: ND
Negociant Distributeur
- a broker who buys and sells finished wines
Producer classifications: MA
Marque d’Archeteur
- brand owned by a retailer or restaurant
Key producer groups
LVMH
- ruinart
- Mercier
- Moet and Chandon; Dom Perignon
- Veuve Clicquot
- Krug
Vranken-Pommery
- Pommery
- Vranken
- Heidsieck and Cie. Monopole
- Charles Lafitte
Landon-BCC
- Champagne Boizel
- Champagne Chanoine Freres
- Champagne Philipponnat
- Champagne De Venoge
- Champagne Alexandre Bonnet
- Maison Burtin
- Champagne Lanson
Laurent Perrier (Laurent Perrier, Champagne de Castellane, Salon-Delamotte, J. Lemoine)
Pernod Richard (G.H. Mumm and Perrier-Jouet)
