Champagne Flashcards
What is the oldest champagne house still in production?
Ruinart est in 1729 is the oldest sparkling champagne house however Gosset as a still wine house was founded in 1584
Name the 5 oldest major champagne houses?
Ruinart
Taittinger
Mort et Chandon
Delamotte
Veuve Cliquot Ponsardin
Who discovered the process of remuage?
Remuage or riddling was attributed to the house under control of Madame Barbe-Nicole Ponsardin of Veuve Cliquot at the start of the 19th century
What was the first brut champagne?
Pommery “Nature” from Pommery in 1874
What is the only region in France that does not need to print either AOP or AOC on its bottling?
Champagne
What is the CIVC in champagne and what are they responsible for?
Comité interprofessional du vin champagne is a major group of growers, producers and shippers in the champagne industry. Est 1941 in response to nazi occupation. The group is largerly responsible for negotiation between small growers and large champagne houses. The houses own just over 10% of the vines in champagne
How much of the wine from champagne is grower based?
Under 25%
What was the first prestige cuvée?
Louis Roederer produced Cristal in 1876 for the Tsar Alexander the 2nd. It came in a flat bottomed lead crystal bottle
What is Téte de cuvée?
Tete cuvée is prestige cuvée. These are the top (often vintage) bottling of champagne houses
When was the boarders of champagne expanded and why?
In 2009 the boarders of champagne where expanded to accomodate growing demand. Increasing the villages from 319 to 357 that can bottle under the appellation. In 2017 there where 16000 growers and 320 houses.
Name the prestige cuvees for the following houses.
•Billecart salmon
•Bollinger
•Deutz
•Delemont
•Diebolt-Vallois
•Duval-Leroy
•Gosset
•Charles Heidsieck
•Laurent-Perrier
•Moët et Chandon
•G.H.Mumm
•Perrier-Jouet
•Piper-Heidsieck
•Pol Roger
•Pommery
•Ruinart
•Louis Roederer
•Taittinger
•Veuve Cliquot
•Nicolas Feuilatte
•Krug
•Jacques Selosse
•Billecart salmon - Nicolas Francois Billecart, Grande Cuvée, Elisabeth Salmon rose
•Bollinger - La Grande Anne
•Deutz - Cuvée William Deutz and Amour de Deutz
•Delemont - Nicolas Belmont? Double check
•Diebolt-Vallois - Fleur de Passion
•Duval-Leroy - Femme de Champagne
•Gosset - Celebris (both nv, vintage extra brut and extra brut rose)
•Charles Heidsieck - Blanc des Millenaires
•Laurent-Perrier - Grand Siècle (typically NV), Alexandra (Vintage rose)
•Moët et Chandon - Dom Perignon
•G.H.Mumm - Cuvée R. Lalou
•Perrier-Jouet - Belle Époque/Fleur de Champagne(USA discontinued. Brut, rose and bdb
•Piper-Heidsieck - Rare
•Pol Roger - Cuvée Winston Churchill
•Pommery - Cuvée Louise
•Louis Roederer - Cristal
•Ruinart - Dom Ruinart
•Taittinger - Comtes de Champagne
•Veuve Cliquot - La Grande Dame (Brut and rose)
•Nicolas Feuilatte - Palmes d’Or(Brut and rose)
•Krug - vintage unnamed
•Jacques Selosse - Substance
What are the top 5 largest champagne houses by sales?
Moët et Chandon
Veuve Cliquot
Nicolas Feuillatte
G.H.Mumm
Laurent Perrier
Taittinger
Where is champagne located on the latitude parallels?
Between the 48th and and 49th
What is the iconic soil of Champagne and what affect does it have on the region?
The Belemnite chalk is the white, porous soil that absorbs heat to protect the grapes over the cold nights and provides excellent drainage in a wet climate. The chalk is made up from fossilised sea life and has a high limestone content connected to deep roots and high acidity.
What is les bleus de ville?
Les bleus de ville is French that translates to “the city blues”. It refers to the inorganic and toxic waste incorporated into the Parisian garbage used as compost in champagne before the practice was banned in 1998. Much of this garbage remains especially the shredded remains of the blue bags used to transport it.
What percentage of planting’s does each major grape make up in champagne?
Pinot noir 38%
Chardonnay 30%
Pinot Meunier 32%