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WSET 4 (D4 - Sparkling Wines) > Champagne > Flashcards

Champagne Flashcards

1
Q

What is assemblage?

A

Blending

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2
Q

What does mousseaux mean?

A

Fully sparkling

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3
Q

What is the oldest champagne house still in operation?

A

Gosset (1584)

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4
Q

What is the oldest sparkling Champagne house?

A

Ruinart (1729)

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5
Q

What is dégorgement?

A

Disgorgement

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6
Q

Who produced the first brut Champagne?

A

Pommery (1874)

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7
Q

Does Champagne need to include Appellation Contrôlée on its label?

A

No

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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

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9
Q

What is the maximum amount of hectares a Champagne producer is allowed to use?

A

15 (Contrôle des Structures)

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10
Q

When was the appellation of Champagne expanded?

A

2009

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11
Q

Why do Champagne houses blend vintages?

A

Extremely variable weather in Champagne

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12
Q

At what latitude is Champagne?

A

48th

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13
Q

What is bouvreux?

A

A second crop

Often found in Champagne

Caused by too much rain and leads to unripened fruit

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14
Q

What is the primary soil type of Champagne?

A

Chalk and limestone

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15
Q

What is the dominant soil type in the Aube?

A

Clay

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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

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17
Q

How often are yields set in Champagne?

A

Annually

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18
Q

What is a marc of grapes?

A

2550 liters of must per 4000 kg of grapes

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19
Q

How many districts are in Champagne?

A

5

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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)

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21
Q

What is the dominant grape in Montagne de Reims?

A

Pinot Noir

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22
Q

What is the dominant grape in the Aube?

A

Pinot Noir

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23
Q

What is the dominant grape in the Côte de Sezanne?

A

Chardonnay

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24
Q

What is the dominant grape in the Côte des Blancs?

A

Chardonnay

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25
Q

How is cru status awarded in Champagne?

A

To entire villages

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26
Q

How many grands crus villages exist in Champagne?

A

17

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27
Q

How many premiers crus villages exist in Champagne?

A

42

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28
Q

What is blocage?

A

Portion of a vintage set aside for future use. Regulated by the CIVC

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29
Q

What is deblocage?

A

Release of wine stocks held from previous vintages. Regulated by the CIVC

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30
Q

What is the Échelle de Crus?

A

Percentile system by which the crus of Champagne are rated/Stopped being used in 1990

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31
Q

What is NM?

A

Négociant Manipulant

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32
Q

What is a Négociant Manipulant?

A

A house that purchases grapes and/or base wine from growers and other small houses. Most international houses are in this category

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33
Q

What is RM?

A

Récoltant Manipulant

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34
Q

What is a Récoltant Manipulant?

A

A grower-producer who makes Champagne from estate-grown fruit. 95% of the grapes must originate in the producer’s own vineyards

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35
Q

What is CM?

A

Coopérative Manipulant

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36
Q

What is a coopértive manipulant?

A

A growers’ co-operative that produces the wine under a single brand

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37
Q

What is RC?

A

Récoltant Coopérateur

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38
Q

What is a Récoltant Coopérateur?

A

A grower whose grapes are vinified at a co-operative, but sells the wine under his own label

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39
Q

What is SR?

A

Société de Récoltants

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40
Q

What is a Société de Récoltants?

A

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

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41
Q

What is ND?

A

Négociant Distributeur

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42
Q

What is a Négociant Distributeur?

A

A middleman company that distributes Champagne it did not make

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43
Q

What is MA?

A

Marque d’Acheteur

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44
Q

What is a Marque d’Acheteur?

A

A buyer’s own brand, often a large supermarket chain or restaurant, that purchases Champagne and sells it under its own label

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45
Q

What is vin du cuvée?

A

The first 2050 liters from 4000kg pressed in Champagne

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46
Q

What is vin de taille?

A

The next 500 liters pressed from 4000 kg of grapes in Champagne

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47
Q

What is rebêche?

A

The final extraction from Champagne. Must comprised 1-10% of total/Used for distillate

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48
Q

What is débourbage?

A

Settling of juice in Champagne after pressing

Done at a cool temperature for 8-15 hours

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49
Q

What are bourbes?

A

Solids found in must

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50
Q

What is vin clair?

A

The high acid base wine of Champagne that results from primary fermentation

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51
Q

Is chaptalizatino common in Champagne?

52
Q

In Champagne what process usually occurs after primary and malolactic fermentation?

53
Q

What is liqueur de tirage?

A

Mixture of still wine, yeasts, sugar, and fining agents meant to ignite secondary fermentation

54
Q

What is prise de mousse?

A

Secondary fermentation

55
Q

What is a bidule?

A

Plastic cap that captures sediment

56
Q

What is sur latte?

A

Horizontally laying bottles

57
Q

What is autolysis?

A

The breakdown of dead yeast cells

58
Q

What is the minimum aging requirement for non-vintage Champagne sur lees?

59
Q

What is pointage?

A

Briskly shaking a Champagne bottle to prevent sediment from sticking

Modern yeast strains make this almost unnecessary today

60
Q

What is sur pointe?

A

When a bottle is in upside-down vertical position at the end of remuage

61
Q

What is dégorgement à la glace?

A

Dipping neck of wine bottles in freezing brine solution before dégorgement

62
Q

What is dégorgement à la volée?

A

No freezing brine solution and more wine loss

Older method

63
Q

What is dosage?

A

Also called liqueur d’expédition. Adds sweetness to Champagne (if desired)

64
Q

What are the sweetness levels of champagne (from driest to sweetest)?

A

Brut Nature

Extra Brut

Brut

Extra Dry

Sec

Demi-Sec

Doux

65
Q

What is a muselet?

A

A wire cage fixed around a Champagne cork with six half-twists

66
Q

What is the total minimum aging time for non-vintage Champagne?

67
Q

What is the total minimum aging time for vintage Champagne?

68
Q

How big is a Piccolo?

69
Q

How big is a Demi?

70
Q

How big is a bottle?

71
Q

How big is a Magnum?

72
Q

How big is a Jeroboam?

73
Q

How big is a Rehoboam?

74
Q

How big is a Methuselah?

75
Q

How big is a Salmanazar?

76
Q

How big is a Balthazar?

77
Q

How big is a Nebuchadnezzar?

78
Q

How big is a Solomon?

79
Q

What is another name for a Solomon bottle?

A

Melchior (called that in Bordeaux)

80
Q

Can Rosé Champagne be made by blending?

81
Q

What wine is made in Rosé de Riceys?

A

100% Pinot Noir rosé

82
Q

In which district is Rosé de Riceys?

83
Q

What does pétillant imply?

A

Lightly sparkling

84
Q

Describe the méthode ancestrale

A

Oldest sparkling wine method

Single fermentation

No liqueur de tirage

Yeasts continue fermenting in the bottle

No dosage

85
Q

Describe the Charmat process

A

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
Q

Describe the continuous method

A

Similar to Charmat

Base wine pumped through a series of tanks

Liqueur de tirage is added continuously

More autolysis flavors than Charmat

87
Q

Champagne primary fermentation vessels

A

Stainless steel

Used oak

Some producers use new oak

88
Q

Remuage

A

Riddling

Either on racks or with gyropallette

89
Q

Gyropallette

A

Automated riddling machine

Spanish invention

Holds 504 bottles

Cuts remuage to a week or less

90
Q

Pupitre

A

Classic remuage a-shaped rack

91
Q

Brut Nature/Non-Dosé RS level

92
Q

Extra Brut RS level

93
Q

Brut RS level

94
Q

Extra dry RS level

95
Q

Sec RS level

96
Q

Demi-Sec RS level

97
Q

Doux RS level

98
Q

NV Champagne market share

99
Q

NV Champagne typical RS level

100
Q

Vintage Champagne grape requirement

A

100% from stated vintage

Max 80% of a year’s harvest can be Vintage

101
Q

Vintage Champagne typical RS level

102
Q

Prestige cuvée

A

A Champagne house’s best wine

AKA tête du cuvée

Typically vintage

Sometimes uses older methods

103
Q

Club Trésor

A

Group of grower-producers

Produce Special Club Prestige Cuvée

Made to market top wines from smaller houses

Currently 27 members

104
Q

Methode Traditionelle steps

A

Pressing

Débourbage

Primary fermentation

Malo (in some cases)

Clarification

Assemblage

Cold stabilization

Racking

Liquer de tirage

Secondary fermentation

Aging

Riddling

Dégorgement

Dosage

Aging

105
Q

Max. planting density Champagne

A

2.5 sqm. per vine

106
Q

Champagne total hectares

A

33,400 (4% of French plantings)

107
Q

Average annual temperature Champagne

108
Q

Number of winegrowers Champagne

109
Q

Number of Grands Cru Champagne

110
Q

Number of Premiers Cru Champagne

111
Q

Champagne’s dual climate

A

Oceanic and continental influences

Oceanic - heavy rainfall, seasonal temp stability

Continental - Good sunlight in summer, harsh winters

112
Q

Average annual sunlight hours Champagne

113
Q

Average annual rainfall Champagne

A

Approx. 650mm

114
Q

Winter temperature risks Champagne

A

Can destroy new buds and sometimes whole vines

55 years since 1875 with >1% total planting damage

115
Q

Primary Champagne subsoil

116
Q

Average Champagne aspect

A

12% (some areas up to 59%)

117
Q

Organic viticulture Champagne

A

5x increase over past 10 years

Still <1% of total plantings

118
Q

Gender confusion Champagne

A

A natural method for eliminating use of pesticides

Used by 1/3 of Champagne plantings

119
Q

Irrigation in Champagne

120
Q

Champagne Climate Action Plan

A

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
Q

Pinot noir % Champagne plantings

122
Q

Pinot Meunier % Champagne plantings

123
Q

Chardonnay % Champagne plantings

124
Q

Approved training systems Champagne

A

Chablis

Cordon

Guyot (single and double)

Vallée de la Marne (only for Pinot Meunier)

125
Q

Champagne production value

A

€4.9 B (2018)

126
Q

Champagne top 5 export markets (number of bottles)

A

UK (26.7m)

USA (23.7m)

Japan (13.6m)

Germany (12.1m)

Belgium (9.1m)

127
Q

Champagne exports (€)

A

€2.9 B (2018)

WSET 4 (D4 - Sparkling Wines) (13 decks)

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