CHAMPAGNE

Question 1

What is Champagne?

Answer 1

A protected region and wine style made from grapes grown within the appellation, as ensured by the Comité Interprofessionel du Vin de Champagne CIVC.

Question 2

What are the different styles of Champagne?

Answer 2

• Non Vintage: blend of numerous vintages to smooth out vintage variations and produce a consistent profile every year
• Vintage: 100% from year indicated, usually from best vintages reflecting the house style and showing characteristics of a part. year
• Rosé: blended red and white wine (rosé d’assemblage), or through black grape maceration and bleeding off (rosé de saignée)
• Blanc de Blancs: white grapes only, leaner and more austere in youth with incredible ageing potential
• Blanc de Noirs: black grapes only, fuller bodied and rapidly ageing
• Grand Cru: quality statement, all grapes must come from Grand Cru villages only
• Premier Cru: quality statement, all grapes must come from Premier Cru and/ or Grand Cru villages
• Prestige Cuvée: top of the range, made of a strict selection of the best grapes coupled with meticulous winemaking. May be vintage or non-vintage
• Late release, recently disgorged: extended lees ageing, disgorged just before release to be consumed immediately.

Question 3

What are the other appellations found in Champagne?

Answer 3

• AOC Rosé des Riceys - still rosé from Pinot Noir in côte des bar
• AOC Coteaux Champenois - can be red, light bodied, high acidity pale ruby Pinot Noir

Question 4

Name the 5 subregions of Champagne.

Answer 4

1. Montagne de Reims (Epernay)
2. Vallée de la Marne (Epernay)
3. Côte des blancs (Epernay)
4. Côte de Cézanne (South of Côte des blancs)
5. Côte des Bar (closer to Chablis)

Question 5

Describe the climate of Champagne and how it affects grape growing and wine styles.

Answer 5

Cool continental with some oceanic influence.
700 mm/ an rainfall
Low average temperature 11°C => light-bodied acidic wines ideal for trad. sparkling wine production
Moderate sunshine levels and rain spread throughout the year => freshness and crispness

Question 6

How has climate change (global warming) affected Champagne viticulture and wine styles?

Answer 6

Harvest dates moving forward by 18 days on average, average acidity is lower, potential alc. higher by 0.7%, more consistently ripe grapes and fewer poor vintages.

Question 7

What topography and soil types make up Champagne, and how do they affect vine growth?

Answer 7

Chalky hillsides in the northern part are ideal for growing high quality grapes suitable to make base wine, esp. Chardonnay.
Chalky soils with limestone subsoils with high water retention, providing steady supply or water in dry periods. 90-300 m above sea level. Well drained soils and plantings on slopes preventing water logging.

Question 8

Describe Montagne de Reims.

Answer 8

Known for black grapes, especially Grand Cru villages of Aÿ, Mailly, Verzenay, Verzy, Ambonnay and Bouzy. Some north facing villages with cool climate sites, although frost prone. High acidity, austere young wines. Variable soil types but chalky Grand Cru sites with good water retention and drainage.

Question 9

Describe Montagne de Reims.

Answer 9

Known for black grapes, especially Grand Cru villages of Aÿ, MAilly, Verzenay, Verzy, Ambonnay and Bouzy.

Question 10

Describe Valée de la Marne.

Answer 10

Frost prone valley => major plantings of Meunier (late bud break and late ripening) on clay, marl and sandy soils. Fruity Meunier and rich Chardonnay used to blend into early-drinking wines.

Question 11

Describe Côte des Blancs.

Answer 11

Almost exclusively devoted to white grapes. Purest chalk and 95% Chardonnay producing wines with great intensity and longevity, austere in youth. 4 Grand Cru villages: Cramant, Avize, Oger, Le Mesnil-sur-Oger.

Question 12

Describe Côte de Sézanne.

Answer 12

Mostly clay and clay/silt soils and some chalk, mostly planted with Chardonnay on warmer south-east facing slopes => fruitier, riper grapes rated of lesser quality than other regions’.

Question 13

Describe Côte des Bar

Answer 13

1/4 Pinot Noir plantings. Kimmeridgian calcareous marls on steep slopes and soils with stony limestone and excellent drainage. Important source of full-flavoured Pinot Noir to blend into non-vintage blends.

Question 14

What are the main varieties planted in Champagne?

Answer 14

Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay.

Question 15

What other varieties are planted and blended into niche cuvées?

Answer 15

Pinot Blanc, Arbanne, Petit Meslier and Fromenteau.

Question 16

Describe Meunier.

Answer 16

A mutation of Pinot Noir. Early budding variety, but later than Pinot Noir. Less prone to spring frost and coulure. Also does well on heavier soils. It ripens earlier than Pinot Noir = very handy when harvest is interrupted by rain. Sensitive to botrytis infection.
Reliable producer or fruity wines and contributes softness to Champagne blends, especially non vintage blends that age on lees for shorter times and drunk on release rather than cellared and bottle aged.

Question 17

What are the 4 approved training systems in Champagne?

Answer 17

Taille Chablis, Cordon du Royat, Gyot, Valée de la Marne.

Question 18

Describe Taille Chablis training.

Answer 18

a form of spur pruning. Best for Chardonnay, 3 -4 cordons with up to 5 buds. Large proportion of permanent wood protects against frosts, trained to max 0.6 m above ground to ensure the fruit gets solar energy reflected from soil.

Question 19

Describe cordon du Royat.

Answer 19

Use for PN and Meunier. A single cordon, spur-pruned and VSP.

Question 20

Describe Guyot.

Answer 20

Replacement cane system with VSP, single or double permitted.

Question 21

Describe Vallee de la Marne training.

Answer 21

Similar to Guyot but with more buds.

Question 22

What are the main hazards and diseases found in Champagne?

Answer 22

• sever winter frost that can kill vines or parts
• spring frost that can destroy buds and reduce yields
• cold and rainy weather that can disrupt flowering and fruit set/ coulure
• downy mildew
• storms and hail in summer
• hot and humid weather in summer, leading to spreading botrytis rapidly
• dagger nematode that can spread fanleaf virus

Question 23

Sustainable viticulture practices in Champagne.

Answer 23

• reduced pesticides, instead, sexual confusion techniques to control pest population
• increased use of cover crops to enhance biodiversity and manage groundwater on slopes
• lighter weight bottles for non-vintage cuvees to reduce carbon footprint.

Question 24

Outline Champagne Method steps.

Answer 24

1. Whole bunches pressed gradually to ensure high juice quality, low phenolics
   - Traditionally 4000 Kg of marc pressed = juice separated into 2 fractions, cuvee (2,050 L) and taille (500L) to avoid over-extraction of phenolics and maintain fruit flavours. Chaptalisation is permitted to produce a wine with min. alc. level of 11%, max. 13% by law. Some oak may be used, usually large format foudres to introduce richness and mouthfeel.
   Malo is encouraged during that stage to reduce and soften acidity in final wine. Not always though, depending on style of wine. Assemblage aims to create a wine that is greater than the sum of its parts. It is critical for non vintage wines as it achieves a consistent style from year to year.

Question 25

What are the advantaged of the Transfer Method?

Answer 25

1. To minimise the cost of manual riddling while retaining bready, biscuit notes obtained through yeast autolysis in bottle.
2. To reduce bottle variation (wine from individual bottles blended together in tank before final bottling).
3. Easier to make final adjustments to wine.
4. Cost and time savings for high volume production by removing need for riddling.

Question 26

Why is Ancestral Method produced wine variable?

Answer 26

Because there is no SO2 added at bottling, and no intervention in the fermentation process once the bottle has been sealed. Fermentation may start up again later in some bottle, producing higher pressure and less residual sugar in the wine.

Question 27

Describe Ancestral Method

Answer 27

Partly fermented must is put into bottles and remaining sugar is converted into alcohol and CO2 (effervescence).
Sugar levels in partly fermented must measured and final pressure level estimated.
Bottle fermentation throws dead yeast deposit, which may or may not be disgorged.
No dosage added.

Question 28

What is Ancestral Method also known as?

Answer 28

Pet Nat - Petillant Naturel

Question 29

Describe Pet Nat wine style

Answer 29

Low alcohol, slightly cloudy, dry to off-dry, cider-like flavours. No SO2 at bottling. Intended for early drinking.

Question 30

What is Tank Method also known as?

Answer 30

Cuve Close, Charmat, Martinotti

Question 31

What are the advantages of Tank Method?

Answer 31

Enables inexpensive large volumes of wine production, with low labour costs, which can be released quickly.
No riddling or disgorgement. No dosage or long period on lees during secondary fermentation.

Question 32

Describe Tank Method wine style

Answer 32

Fruity with primary aromas and flavours, no autolytic characters.

Question 33

Steps of Tank Method

Answer 33

1. First fermentation at 16-18ºC to retain fresh floral and fruit aromas and flavours.
2. Tirage/ sugar and yeast added for fast second fermentation in reinforced tanks.
3. Wine left in tank for as little as a month after.
4. Fermentation arrested by cooling wine down to 2-4ºC once desired RS and pressure reached.
5. Yeast lees removal optional depending on style desired. Usually removed immediately to free up tanks and minimise costs.
6. Cold stabilisation to precipitate tartrates
7. Yeast lees removed by centrifugation or filtration
8. Sugar adjusted, SO2 adjusted prior to sterile filtration and bottling.
9. Wine chilled down to -2ºC to reduce effervescence and bottled with counterpressure filler (bottle filled with CO2 under pressure) to prevent loss of CO2 and contact with oxygen.

Question 34

What is the difference between Tank Method and Asti Method?

Answer 34

Asti Method produces sparkling wine with a single fermentation. The sugar converted into CO2 (bubbles in final wine) comes from sugar in original must, not tirage.

Question 35

Steps of Asti Method

Answer 35

1. Must fermented in reinforced tanks.
2. CO2 allowed escape through valve in tank. Half way through, valve is closed to retain CO2. Timing depends on RS and pressure levels desired in final wine.
3. Fermentation stoped by chilling wine.
4. Filtering under pressure to remove yeast.

Question 36

What are the benefits of Carbonation? One limitation?

Answer 36

• The least expensive method.
• Used for petillant, lower pressure wines.
• Leaves aroma and flavour characteristics intact for aromatic, fruity sparkling wines.
• The base wine has to be good quality because any faults might be accentuated by bubbles.