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WSET Diploma 4 Sparkling Wines > Champagne > Flashcards

Champagne Flashcards

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1
Q

What are the five main production sub-regions of Champagne?

A
  1. Montagnes de Reims
  2. Vallée de la Marne
  3. Côte des Blancs
  4. Côte de Sézanne
  5. Côte des Bar
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2
Q

Why is the Grand Cru or Premier Cru designation in champagne controversial?

A
  • Because it’s for the whole village, not individual (and invariably different plots/soils, aspects/ quality)
  • If all grapes come from one GC village can label village eg “Grand Cru Cramant”
  • If mixture of villages, but all GC can label “Grand Cru”
  • But because of diff standards within villages and need to create large volumes, champagne houses focus on blended wines and emphasise vintage/prestige cuvées rather than villages (in contrast to Burgundy)
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3
Q

What do the letters CM on a bottle of champagne mean?

A
  • Coopérative de Manipulation
  • “Made by a cooperative” eg Nicholas Feuillate
  • A wine cooperative that makes wine from all its members (growers) grapes pooled together
  • The individual grower may or may not have some involvement in the wine-making process. (NB differs from an SR (Societé de Recoltants) which is where growers share the same winery and always have significant involvement in the wine-making process)
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4
Q

Describe pressing in méthode champenoise (traditional method)

A
  • Aim to extract high quality, low phenolics (no extraction of tannins from skin/seeds) to make white from black grapes
  • Traditionally 4000kgs - a marc - loaded onto basket press
  • Still used, as are pneumatic and other moderns types
  • Juice separated strictly into two fractions
    • The cuvée (first 2050L/4000kgs) = free run juice & first pressing (100% for the best champagnes)
    • The taille (next 500L, no more, to limit phenolics)
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5
Q

What is champagne?

A
  • A protected region and wine style
  • a traditional method sparkling wine made from grapes grown within the appellation
  • most champagne is white, fully sparkling, NV Brut from blend of PN, Meunier & Chardonnay
  • typically med intense aromas/flavours of green apple and lemon with biscuit autolytic notes, high acidity, med alcohol and dry finish. Good to outstanding, mid to premium. Vintage & prestige cuvées command super-premium prices
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6
Q

Hazards, Pests and Diseases in Champagne

A
  1. Winter frost (can kill (parts of) vines
  2. Spring frosts destroy new buds, reduce yields
  3. Cold & wet weather in June disrupts flowering/fruit set, reducing yields/ripe & unripe grapes together
  4. Downy mildew, reduces crop levels
  5. Violent storms/hail in summer, damge grapes & vines
  6. Hot, humid sun after rain - rapid spread of botrytis
  7. Generally, downy & powdery mildew always a risk
  8. Dagger nematode spreading fanleaf virus also common
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7
Q

Topography & Soils of champagne

A
  • Paris basin old seabed, thick chalk.
  • Best base wines made on chalky hillsides of N champagne. Chalk esp good for chardonnay.
  • Most common soil is chalky soil with limestone and chalk subsoil. Chalk highly porous and stores water - steady supply if dry period
  • Most vineyards 90-300m on well-drained slopes: avoids waterlogging.
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8
Q

How does a chef de cave achieve a constant style of NV champagne year after year?

A
  • Blending (assemblage)
  • Large champagne houses have > 100 base wines/ reserve wines. (Also reduces risk of no wine in poor vintage)
  • Reserve wines important to style:
    • 10-15% of last 1 or 2 vintages is typical large brands
    • 30-40% older wine for complexity premium brands
  • How stored affects reserves
    • eg reductively in stainless steel for large brands
    • old oak to add mildly oxidative notes
    • Bollinger stores reserves in magnums
    • Keeping a “perpetual reserve”
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9
Q

What is the current demand for champagne?

A
  • Domestic 50% of champagne low av bottle price, but rising
  • 2017 exports by vol: UK, USA, Japan, Germany, Belgium
  • USA/Japan highest value, av price pb.
  • UK highest vol, lowest price pb (of top 10 markets)
  • (WSTA 2019 UK figures drop of quarter, but av bt price £47)
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10
Q

Key developments of champagne in early 20th C

A
  • Current AOC boundary (Champagne vineyard area) 1927
    • Critical in Comité Champagne’s later defence of the Geographical Indication “Champagne only comes from Champagne”
  • échelles des crus (“ladder of growths”) rating system introduced to determine grape prices. (now market does)
    • Underlies what became GC and 1erC villages
  • ‘blocage’ system (later called reserve wines)
    • initially set aside some young wine as insurance
    • now enables blending for consistent NV wines
    • adds depth & complexity, raised standard of NV
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11
Q

Location and regions of Champagne

A
  • N-E France just south of 50th parallel, E of Paris
  • Large: 150km N-S, 120km E-W
  • 5 sub regions. 3 around Epernay in N
    • Montagne de Reims (to E of Epernay)
    • Vallée de la Marne (W to slight E Epernay)
    • Cote de Blancs (to S)
    • Cote de Sézanne (S of Cote de Blancs)
    • Cotes de Bar (100km S, closer to Chablis than Epernay)
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12
Q

Planting regulations in champagne

A
  • Inter-row spacing 0.9 - max 1.5m, max total spacing 2.5m
  • Therefore av density 8000 vines p/H : competition between vines optimises quality
  • Sparkling wine grapes don’t need ripe tannins or concentrated flavours, so can be grown at high yields
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13
Q

Key developments of champagne in 19th Century

A
  • Controlled 2nd ferment using measured amount of sugar and yeast to create known pressure
  • Madame (Veuve - ‘widow’) Cliquot (d 1866) developed riddling (remuage) using pupitres
  • Disgorgement by dipping bottle neck in icy brine, enabling rapid production of clear wine on large scale
  • Late 19th dry style of champagne for English alongside sweet style
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14
Q

Champagne sales?

A
  • 300m bottles (2017)
  • 50% domestic, 50% exports
  • Houses 73% of all sales, 88% of all exports
  • Co-operatives small vol, evenly spilt domestic/export but Nicolas Feuillatte 3rd biggest brand on its own
  • Most growers wine sold in home market
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15
Q

Why are brioche flavours more prominent in champagne than in warmer climates?

A

Because there is a lower level of primary fruit due to Champagne’s cool climate

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16
Q

Describe (Petit) Meunier (old name called by Comité Champagne)

A
  • Mutation of Pinot, white hairs on leaves “floury” (meunier = “miller”)
  • Buds early, but later than PN, so less prone to spring frosts/coulure in cool Vallée de la Marne, where it dominates
  • Does better on heavier clay soils than C or PN.
  • Ripens earlier than PN - good if rain at harvest
  • Sensitive to botrytis infection
  • Reliable fruity wine, adds softness to blend: important for NV wines aged shorter on lees and drunk on release
  • Less used in long-aged wines (though Krug like it and growers Egly-Ouriet)
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17
Q

Who is the chef de cave?

A
  • The master blender
  • Aims to create a wine greater than the sum of its parts
  • Combines diff vineyards, varieties and vintages
  • Must predict the development of wine over time before second fementation and maturation has even begun
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18
Q

List 9 champagne styles

A
  1. NV - consistent through blending
  2. Vintage - 100% from year. Only “best” years, but varies by producer
  3. Rosé i) <span>us.blend red & white wine “rosé d’assemblage”</span> ​ii) <span>skin maceration & “bled off” = rosé de saignée</span>
  4. Blanc de Blancs - lean in youth, brilliantly age to biscuits/hazelnuts
  5. Blanc de Noirs - fuller bodied than BdB but age more quickly
  6. Grand Cru - all grapes from Grand Cru Villages
  7. Premier Cru - all grapes from Premier Cru /Grand Cru Villages
  8. Prestige Cuvée - us top wines, best grapes, nv or v. Some specialise in range eg Krug
  9. Late Release/ Recently disgorged - Extended lees ageing, ready to drink from release. Age quicker after disgorgement. eg Bollinger RD, Dom Perignons’ P2
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19
Q

Options in first fermentation in Champagne

A
  • Temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks or
  • Large oak foudres (increasing in quality producers, cos adds textural richness & mouthfeel)
  • Large selection of yeasts
  • Temperature usually 15-20C (warmer than trad white, as no need for primary fruit)
  • Many (but not all) encourage malo to reduce/soften acidity in final wine (and less risk of malo in bottle) though if warmer harvest it’s less of an issue
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20
Q

Describe champagnes route to market

A
  • Many conglomerates and large houses own /run distribution systems, localised in diff markets as way of controlling price/ limiting grey (unauthorised) market trading
  • Some use agents to distribute
  • Grower champagnes often use specialist agents who champion grower champagnes to spec shops/ private clients and hospitality sector.
  • Growers often visit key markets in person
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21
Q

What do the letters RM on a bottle of champagne mean?

A
  • Récoltant-Manipulant aka Grower Champagne
  • “Grower Maker” makes wine from his own grapes (up to 5% can be bought in)
  • Eg Agrapart & Fils
  • nb also includes co-operative members who take their bottles to be disgorged at the co-op
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22
Q

What can a producer do if natural sugar levels in the juice in champagne are too low?

A
  • Chaptalisation (adding sucrose) is permitted to produce a wine with a min alcohol level of 11%
  • EU law: final alcohol level no more than 13%
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23
Q

What is the échelles des crus and what is its relevance today?

A

Early 20th C rating system of villages to determine grape prices. Historically Comité Champagne fixed prices and then percentage paid to village:

  • 17 Grand Cru Villages 100% price
  • 44 Premier Cru Villages 90-99%
  • 257 other villages 80-89%

System ended under pressure from EU. Prices now determined by market (and biggest buyer, Moet et Chandon sets trend), but designation of villages continues and GC grapes still priciest.

24
Q

How is rosé champagne made?

A
  • Usually by blending small proportion of Pinot Noir and/or Pinot Meunier with white base wines to achieve desired colour/flavour
  • A few (eg Laurent Perrier) make like still rosé eg skin contact with black grapes.
25
Q

Cost of production of champagne?

A
  • Broadly: grapes 50%, total production 30% and commercialisation 20%
  • Grapes expensive: €6.10p/kg (1.2kg per 75cl bottle)
  • GC/ Prem C grapes more expensive
  • Vintage more expensive (Gc/ 1erC grapes, can’t release for 3 yrs): tough on cash flow for new businesses.
  • Rosé champagne costlier to produce (as uses red base wine - lower yields to reach ripeness, concentration needed)
  • oak for ageing/ fermentation also adds to costs
26
Q

Climate of Champagne

A
  • Cool continental, some oceanic influence (so rain throughout year - 700mm - sufficient)
  • Low av annual temp 11C (not us. enough for still wines) gives light bodied, high acid - ideal for sparkling
  • Moderate sunshine, even rain, gives freshness/ crispness key to Champagne’s style
  • Global warming: over last 30yrs harvest date forward 18 days, pot alcohol + 0.7%, av acidity dropped. As a cool region means more consistently ripe grapes/ fewer poor vintages
27
Q

What is a “perpetual reserve”?

A
  • A blend of younger and older wines used as a reserve wine to add complexity in champagne
  • A proportion is drawn off each year for the blend, and replaced by young wine
28
Q

How is champagne harvested?

A
  • Champagne AOC regulations specify whole-bunch pressing: grapes are hand-picked - preserve fruit quality
  • Avoids crushing/oxidation/microbial spoilage
  • Us takes 3 weeks, employs 100,000 people (travelling workforce, return each yr, paid by quality not just weight)
  • Grapes collected in perforated bins 50kg capacity
  • 1900 pressing centres throughout region keep transportation times to minimum
29
Q

What grapes can make champagne?

A
  1. Pinot Noir (2017 38%)
  2. Meunier (31%)
  3. Chardonnay (30% - rising: higher price/demand, yields better)
  4. Pinot Blanc (<1%)
  5. Arbanne (<1%)
  6. Petit Meslier (<1%)
  7. Fromenteau (<1%)

NB Laherte’s Les 7 niche cuvée uses all 7

30
Q

What are the maturation rules of champagne?

A
  • NV min 15 mths in producer’s cellar, at least 12 mths lees
  • Vintage min 3 yrs after tirage & at least 12 mths lees
  • In practice most vintage aged much longer on lees; as believed a long slow, second fermentation makes for finer champagne and smaller bubbles.
31
Q

Relationship between houses and cooperatives?

A
  • coops sell base wine to large houses
  • houses buying more directly from growers/ via agents
  • coops diversifying: making & promoting more own champagne
  • Comité Champagne tries to manage the relationship(s) often via the one or more organisations which represent them all
32
Q

What was Dom Perignon’s role in Champagne?

A
  • Dom Pierre Pérignon (d.1715)
    • first white from black grapes
    • invented Coquard press (still widely used)
    • started blending (assemblage) grapes from diff areas to make superior wine
    • re-introduced cork stopper into France
    • pioneered use of stronger English glass
    • But he considered fizziness a fault and his wines were only slightly fizzy
33
Q

What does the liqueur d’expédition do?

A
  1. The amount of sugar in the liqueur d’expédition determines the sweetness of the champagne
  2. Adds flavour:
    1. Young wine in the liqueur d’expédition can give light fresh flavours
    2. Aged reserve wine can provide aromas of baked apple, dried fruit
  3. Corrects colour in rosé
34
Q

What are the differences between the cuvée and the taille?

A
  1. Cuvée
    1. first 2050L/4000kgs free run & first press
    2. rich in acids for wines great finesse and ageing pot
  2. Taille
    1. Lower acidity, more colour pigments & phenolics
    2. Good to add expression in blend for wines to be drunk young, so more taille in NV
35
Q

What is the Comité Champagne’s approach to sustainable viticulture?

A
  • One of the first regions to promote it at a regional level
  • Reduced pesticides - sexual confusion increasingly used
  • Soil protection via
    • management of groundwater on slopes
    • increased cover cropping to promote biodiversity
  • In winery - water management schemes, recycling waste & by-products
  • 2010 60g lighter bottle for NV cuvées estimate annual CO2 reduction of 8000 metric tonnes. (Many producers use heavier, unique bottles for vintage/prestige cuvées)
36
Q

Is champagne the only wine made in Champagne?

A
  • No, 2:
  • AOC Rosé des Riceys (tiny still rose in Cote des Bar)
  • AOC Coteaux Champenois (stlll red, white or rose, tends to be light, pale ruby, high acid rosé)
37
Q

What do the letters NM on a bottle of champagne mean?

A
  • Négociant-Manipulant (often shortened to Négociant)
  • “merchant-maker” who buys wine, must or grapes (rather than grow them) to make champagne on their own premises and sell it under their own name.
  • eg most of the large Houses and brands Bollinger, Veuve Clicquot, Moet etc
38
Q

How did champagne come about?

A
  • Historically fermentation of pink, pinot noir, still wine would halt in cold winters, but if bottled, could recommence causing slightly fizzy wine.
  • Popular with English.
  • In mid 17th C, English glass enabled bottles to withstand pressure.
39
Q

What must be displayed on a champagne cork?

A

the name “Champagne” and the vintage if appropriate

40
Q

What do the letters MA on a bottle of champagne mean?

A
  • Marque d’ Acheteur (or Marque Auxiliaire)
  • a “brand name” owned by someone else unrelated to producer or grower.
  • The champagne is made and labelled in champagne; and the producer’s name appears on the bottle, but teh barnd name is owned by the client.
  • eg M&S Champagne, Berry Bros Champagne
41
Q

What are the four training systems approved in Champagne since 1938?

A
  1. Taille Chablis - best for chardonnay. Cane pruning but with lots of permanent wood (cordons) to protect against frosts. Max 5 cordons (us. 3-4) old wood. Each cordon has spur of up to 5 buds. Spurs grown annually, trained to max 0.6m to ensure fruit gets reflected solar (heat and light) from chalk.
  2. Cordon du Royat - PN & Meunier. Single cordon, spur-pruned, VSP.
  3. Guyot - Single or double replacement cane pruned with VSP: permitted for all varieties in lesser-rated vineyards
  4. Vallée de la Marne - like Guyot (cane-pruned) but more buds per cane. On decline.
42
Q

How is the Champagne harvest date set?

A
  • The Comité Champagne sets dates & yields - to prevent over-cropping (dilution), maintain quality, price, regulates supply and demand
  • Takes grape samples from 450 control plots from time of véraison, measures rate of colour change, av weight, sugar concentration, acidity, incidence of botrytis.
  • Determine dates, yields & min required pot alcohol
  • Harvest dates are only start: producers can start later
  • Or, by derogation (exemption) can apply to INAO (institut national de’origine et de la qualité) for village to pick earlier eg botrytis threat & need to pick below level set
43
Q

How long can lees ageing last?

A
  • Many years, but no effect after 10 years
  • Keeping wine on lees protects against oxidation and helps make “late disgorged” champagnes (higher prices, but of course higher cost of longer ageing)
44
Q

Describe the structure of the Champagne industry

A
  • 16000 growers (who own 90% of vineyards)
  • 320 champagne houses (who own 10% vineyards)
  • Growers sell to champagne houses or co-operatives
  • Brokers also important in finding wine for houses
  • Houses sell most of the champagne
  • Top 5 champagne groups = 2/3 all sales in value
  • Biggest: LVML owns Moet & Chandon, Dom Perignon, Veuve Clicquot, Ruinart & Krug
  • No 2: Vranken Pommery Monopole owns Vranken, Pommery, Monopole Heidsieck, Charles Lafitte, Bissinger
45
Q

Why does it require expertise and experience to achieve the desired colour in rosé champagne

A

Because yeast absorbs colour pigments in both fermentations

46
Q

Name 5 trends in the champagne market

A
  1. Brut Nature (in spec shops/restaurants)
  2. Dry - Brut Nature & Extra Brut doubled exports 2011-2016 (also grew in domestic hospitality)
  3. Launches of sweet styles eg Moet & Chandon Ice Imperial demi-sec drink over ice/cocktails promoted to upmarket travel sector
  4. Rosé generally. Up from 3% to 10% since 2000. Both Moet & Veuve C recently invested heavily in production/marketing.
  5. Super-premium single-vineyard champagnes. (Not new Philipponnat’s Clos des Goisses since 1935, Krug’s Clos de Mesnil since 1989, but higher prices now)
47
Q

What will you never see on a champagne label?

A

Champagne AC (even though it is a single, very large wine region)

48
Q

How does Champagne insure against poor vintages?

A
  • By setting aside a proportion of the crop as reserve wines in good vintages
  • Comité Champagne manages levels of reserve stocks
  • EU Law controls upper yields at 15,500 kilos/ha (eg 2006 and 2007) - part put into reserve.
49
Q

How is champagne supply controlled?

A
  • Comité Champagne takes a/c of
    • current stocks
    • world demand
    • progress of current season, then in late July
  • sets max yields (kilos/hectare) for coming harvest in 2 parts
    • i) grape yields for base wines
    • ii) allowance to go into reserve
  • Av yield over last 10 yr = 10,500 kils/ha
  • If producer needs more wine, can take it from reserves
  • Ongoing review as to possibility of extending perimeter of land available to make champagne
50
Q

Montagnes de Reims

A
  • More a wide plateau than a mountain
  • mainly black grapes, some good chard.
  • 6 Grand Crus villages on chalky soil:
    • Ambonnay, Ay, Bouzy, Mailly, Verzenay, Verzy
  • Some villages face N - excellent cool-climate, but frost prone
  • High acid, austere young.
51
Q

Vallée de la Marne

A
  • Frost prone valley
  • So late bud/early ripe Meunier dominates, esp E of Epernay on clay, marl & sand.
  • Fruity Meunier & rich (slightly riper) Chardonnay to blend for early drinking wines
52
Q

Côte des Blancs

A
  • Runs right angle to Marne valley
  • 95% Chardonnay (hence name)
  • Long, intense, austere in youth
  • Purest chalk.
  • 4 Grand Crus
    • Cramant, Avize, Oger, Le Mesnil-sur-Oger
53
Q

Côte de Sézanne

A
  • continuation South of Cote de Blancs,
  • but mostly clay and silt rather than chalk
  • most Chardonnay on warmer SE facing slopes
  • riper grapes (lower quality)
54
Q

Cote de Bar

A
  • Côte des Bar 25% of champagne
  • Mainly Pinot Noir, which ripens well on steep slopes
  • Kimmeridgian calcareous marl (like Chablis & Sancerre), stony, limestone - excellent drainage
  • V important source of fruity Pinot Noir for NV blends, mainly bought by merchants in Northern Champagne
55
Q

What was ‘blocage”

A
  • ‘blocage’ system (later called reserve wines)
  • initially set aside some young wine as insurance
  • now enables blending for consistent NV wines
  • adds depth & complexity, raised standard of NV
56
Q

When was the current AOC boundary of Champagne set and why was it particularly important?

A
  • 1927
  • Critical in Comité Champagne’s later defence of the Geographical Indication “Champagne only comes from Champagne”

WSET Diploma 4 Sparkling Wines (19 decks)

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