Champagne Flashcards
1
Q
What is assemblage?
A
Blending
2
Q
What does mousseaux mean?
A
Fully sparkling
3
Q
What is the oldest champagne house still in operation?
A
Gosset (1584)
4
Q
What is the oldest sparkling Champagne house?
A
Ruinart (1729)
5
Q
What is dégorgement?
A
Disgorgement
6
Q
Who produced the first brut Champagne?
A
Pommery (1874)
7
Q
Does Champagne need to include Appellation Contrôlée on its label?
A
No
8
Q
What is the CIVC?
A
Comité Interprofessional du Vin de Champagne
Mediates between large houses and small growers
Originally set up to combat Nazi influence
Now operates 16 bureaus in key export markets to protect Champagne
9
Q
What is the maximum amount of hectares a Champagne producer is allowed to use?
A
15 (Contrôle des Structures)
10
Q
When was the appellation of Champagne expanded?
A
2009
11
Q
Why do Champagne houses blend vintages?
A
Extremely variable weather in Champagne
12
Q
At what latitude is Champagne?
A
48th
13
Q
What is bouvreux?
A
A second crop
Often found in Champagne
Caused by too much rain and leads to unripened fruit
14
Q
What is the primary soil type of Champagne?
A
Chalk and limestone
15
Q
What is the dominant soil type in the Aube?
A
Clay
16
Q
What are rarely used grapes in Champagne that are only authorized in certain areas?
A
Pinot Blanc Vrai
Arbane
Pinot Gris
Petit Meslier
17
Q
How often are yields set in Champagne?
A
Annually
18
Q
What is a marc of grapes?
A
2550 liters of must per 4000 kg of grapes
19
Q
How many districts are in Champagne?
A
5
20
Q
What are the districts of Champagne?
A
Montagne de Reims
Vallée de la Marne
Côte des Blancs
Côte de Sezanne
Côte des Bars (the Aube)
21
Q
What is the dominant grape in Montagne de Reims?
A
Pinot Noir
22
Q
What is the dominant grape in the Aube?
A
Pinot Noir
23
Q
What is the dominant grape in the Côte de Sezanne?
A
Chardonnay
24
Q
What is the dominant grape in the Côte des Blancs?
A
Chardonnay
25
How is cru status awarded in Champagne?
To entire villages
26
How many grands crus villages exist in Champagne?
17
27
How many premiers crus villages exist in Champagne?
42
28
What is blocage?
Portion of a vintage set aside for future use. Regulated by the CIVC
29
What is deblocage?
Release of wine stocks held from previous vintages. Regulated by the CIVC
30
What is the Échelle de Crus?
Percentile system by which the crus of Champagne are rated/Stopped being used in 1990
31
What is NM?
Négociant Manipulant
32
What is a Négociant Manipulant?
A house that purchases grapes and/or base wine from growers and other small houses. Most international houses are in this category
33
What is RM?
Récoltant Manipulant
34
What is a Récoltant Manipulant?
A grower-producer who makes Champagne from estate-grown fruit. 95% of the grapes must originate in the producer’s own vineyards
35
What is CM?
Coopérative Manipulant
36
What is a coopértive manipulant?
A growers’ co-operative that produces the wine under a single brand
37
What is RC?
Récoltant Coopérateur
38
What is a Récoltant Coopérateur?
A grower whose grapes are vinified at a co-operative, but sells the wine under his own label
39
What is SR?
Société de Récoltants
40
What is a 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
41
What is ND?
Négociant Distributeur
42
What is a Négociant Distributeur?
A middleman company that distributes Champagne it did not make
43
What is MA?
Marque d'Acheteur
44
What is a 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
45
What is vin du cuvée?
The first 2050 liters from 4000kg pressed in Champagne
46
What is vin de taille?
The next 500 liters pressed from 4000 kg of grapes in Champagne
47
What is rebêche?
The final extraction from Champagne. Must comprised 1-10% of total/Used for distillate
48
What is débourbage?
Settling of juice in Champagne after pressing
Done at a cool temperature for 8-15 hours
49
What are bourbes?
Solids found in must
50
What is vin clair?
The high acid base wine of Champagne that results from primary fermentation
51
Is chaptalizatino common in Champagne?
Yes
52
In Champagne what process usually occurs after primary and malolactic fermentation?
Fining
53
What is liqueur de tirage?
Mixture of still wine, yeasts, sugar, and fining agents meant to ignite secondary fermentation
54
What is prise de mousse?
Secondary fermentation
55
What is a bidule?
Plastic cap that captures sediment
56
What is sur latte?
Horizontally laying bottles
57
What is autolysis?
The breakdown of dead yeast cells
58
What is the minimum aging requirement for non-vintage Champagne sur lees?
12 months
59
What is pointage?
Briskly shaking a Champagne bottle to prevent sediment from sticking
Modern yeast strains make this almost unnecessary today
60
What is sur pointe?
When a bottle is in upside-down vertical position at the end of remuage
61
What is dégorgement à la glace?
Dipping neck of wine bottles in freezing brine solution before dégorgement
62
What is dégorgement à la volée?
No freezing brine solution and more wine loss
Older method
63
What is dosage?
Also called liqueur d'expédition. Adds sweetness to Champagne (if desired)
64
What are the sweetness levels of champagne (from driest to sweetest)?
Brut Nature
Extra Brut
Brut
Extra Dry
Sec
Demi-Sec
Doux
65
What is a muselet?
A wire cage fixed around a Champagne cork with six half-twists
66
What is the total minimum aging time for non-vintage Champagne?
15 months
67
What is the total minimum aging time for vintage Champagne?
36 months
68
How big is a Piccolo?
187ml
69
How big is a Demi?
375ml
70
How big is a bottle?
750ml
71
How big is a Magnum?
1.5 L
72
How big is a Jeroboam?
3L
73
How big is a Rehoboam?
4.5L
74
How big is a Methuselah?
6 L
75
How big is a Salmanazar?
9 L
76
How big is a Balthazar?
12 L
77
How big is a Nebuchadnezzar?
15 L
78
How big is a Solomon?
18 L
79
What is another name for a Solomon bottle?
Melchior (called that in Bordeaux)
80
Can Rosé Champagne be made by blending?
Yes
81
What wine is made in Rosé de Riceys?
100% Pinot Noir rosé
82
In which district is Rosé de Riceys?
the Aube
83
What does pétillant imply?
Lightly sparkling
84
Describe the méthode ancestrale
Oldest sparkling wine method
Single fermentation
No liqueur de tirage
Yeasts continue fermenting in the bottle
No dosage
85
Describe the Charmat process
Secondary fermentation occurs in autoclaves (pressurised tanks) over several days
Wine is then chilled to stop fermentation
Minimal lees contact
Creates larger bubbles
Emphasizes fruit and varietal aromatics over autolysis
86
Describe the continuous method
Similar to Charmat
Base wine pumped through a series of tanks
Liqueur de tirage is added continuously
More autolysis flavors than Charmat
87
Champagne primary fermentation vessels
Stainless steel
Used oak
Some producers use new oak
88
Remuage
Riddling
Either on racks or with gyropallette
89
Gyropallette
Automated riddling machine
Spanish invention
Holds 504 bottles
Cuts remuage to a week or less
90
Pupitre
Classic remuage a-shaped rack
91
Brut Nature/Non-Dosé RS level
0-3 g/L
92
Extra Brut RS level
0-6 g/L
93
Brut RS level
0-12 g/L
94
Extra dry RS level
12-17 g/L
95
Sec RS level
17-32 g/L
96
Demi-Sec RS level
32-50 g/L
97
Doux RS level
50+ g/L
98
NV Champagne market share
>75%
99
NV Champagne typical RS level
Brut
100
Vintage Champagne grape requirement
100% from stated vintage
Max 80% of a year's harvest can be Vintage
101
Vintage Champagne typical RS level
Brut
102
Prestige cuvée
A Champagne house's best wine
AKA tête du cuvée
Typically vintage
Sometimes uses older methods
103
Club Trésor
Group of grower-producers
Produce Special Club Prestige Cuvée
Made to market top wines from smaller houses
Currently 27 members
104
Methode Traditionelle steps
Pressing
Débourbage
Primary fermentation
Malo (in some cases)
Clarification
Assemblage
Cold stabilization
Racking
Liquer de tirage
Secondary fermentation
Aging
Riddling
Dégorgement
Dosage
Aging
105
Max. planting density Champagne
2.5 sqm. per vine
106
Champagne total hectares
33,400 (4% of French plantings)
107
Average annual temperature Champagne
11 C
108
Number of winegrowers Champagne
15,000
109
Number of Grands Cru Champagne
17
110
Number of Premiers Cru Champagne
42
111
Champagne's dual climate
Oceanic and continental influences
Oceanic - heavy rainfall, seasonal temp stability
Continental - Good sunlight in summer, harsh winters
112
Average annual sunlight hours Champagne
1,680
113
Average annual rainfall Champagne
Approx. 650mm
114
Winter temperature risks Champagne
Can destroy new buds and sometimes whole vines
55 years since 1875 with >1% total planting damage
115
Primary Champagne subsoil
Limestone
116
Average Champagne aspect
12% (some areas up to 59%)
117
Organic viticulture Champagne
5x increase over past 10 years
Still <1% of total plantings
118
Gender confusion Champagne
A natural method for eliminating use of pesticides
Used by 1/3 of Champagne plantings
119
Irrigation in Champagne
Forbidden
120
Champagne Climate Action Plan
From 2003
Initiative with 40 research areas to reduce carbon footprint
25% reduction by 2025, 80% by 2050
15% reduction achieved between 2003-2010
121
Pinot noir % Champagne plantings
38%
122
Pinot Meunier % Champagne plantings
32%
123
Chardonnay % Champagne plantings
30%
124
Approved training systems Champagne
Chablis
Cordon
Guyot (single and double)
Vallée de la Marne (only for Pinot Meunier)
125
Champagne production value
€4.9 B (2018)
126
Champagne top 5 export markets (number of bottles)
UK (26.7m)
USA (23.7m)
Japan (13.6m)
Germany (12.1m)
Belgium (9.1m)
127
Champagne exports (€)
€2.9 B (2018)
