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WSET Diploma D4 > Champagne > Flashcards

Champagne Flashcards

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1
Q

What is the CIVC?

A

The Comite Interprofessionnel du Vi de Champagne

  • Now known as Comite Champagne
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2
Q

How many different styles of champagne are there?

A

9

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3
Q

How many of the different styles of champagne can you name?

A
  • Non-Vintage/NV
  • Vintage
  • Rose
  • Blanc de Blanc
  • Blanc de Noir
  • Grand Cru
  • Premier Cru
  • Prestige Cuvee
  • Late Release, recently disgorged
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4
Q

Describe non-vintage champagne?

A

It is a champagne blended from multiple vintages and parcels. This wine usually follows a set house style to produce a consistent product every year.

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5
Q

What is vintage champagne?

A

By law, 100% of the wine must come from the year indicated. Theoretically, these wines are only produced from the best vintages; however, there is often some variance as different producers rate some vintages more highly than others.

  • The vintage wine will still reflect the house style, but can be a unique wine, showing the characteristics of the year without having to meet a set mold.
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6
Q

What are the two ways that Rose champagne is made?

A
  • Most rose champagne is made by blending red wine with white, known as Rose d’assemblage
  • Skin maceration of black grapes is also permitted and then the wine is bled off, or drawn off the skins. These wines are know as Rose de saignee.
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7
Q

Describe what Blanc de Blanc Champagne is (BdB)

A

Blanc de Blanc Champagne is a white wine made from white grapes only.

  • These wines can be leaner and more austere in their youth, but often have unmatched ageing potential.
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8
Q

What is Blanc de Noir Champagne?

A

A white wine made from black grapes only.

  • The wines are fuller bodied than BdB. However, they are generally thought to age more rapidly than BdB
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9
Q

What was the wine of Champagne before it was sparkling?

A

It was pink, still wine, made from Pinot Noir. Since Champagne is so far north, fermentation would halt and then pick up again once temperatures rose, resulting in sparkling wine.

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10
Q

What was the first market to take to the slightly fizzy wines of champagne?

A

England

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11
Q

What was the game changer for sparkling wine?

A

Glass produced in coal-fired ovens in England that could reliably withstand the pressure

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12
Q

What did Dom Pierre Perignon contribute to the development of champagne as we know it?

A
  • Produced the first white wine from black grapes
  • Inventing the coquard press
  • Blending wines from different parcels to make a superior wine
  • Is believed to re-introduced cork stoppers
  • The use of English glass as well
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13
Q

What is something many people may not know about Dom Perignon?

A

That he actually considered the fizziness to be a fault.

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14
Q

Who helped develop the process of riddling?

A

Madame Clicquot

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15
Q

What is the ‘echelle des crus’?

A

Echelle des crus translates to Ladder of Growths.

This is a was originally a rating system used to determine grape prices. But since the market determines prices, the system now used to define grand cru and premier cru villages

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16
Q

Describe what the blocage system is

A

The blocage system, now called reserve wines, was initially a portion of young wines set aside as an insurance policy against future disasters.

Now it is a system of storing reserve wines to help reduce vintage variation and keep the quality consistent. This has helped raise the average quality of non-vintage champagne.

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17
Q

Where is champagne located?

A

Just below the 50th parallel, directly east of Paris in northeast France.

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18
Q

What are the 5 sub-regions of Champagne?

A
  • Montagne de Reims
  • Vallee de la Marne
  • Cote des Blancs
  • Cote de Sezanne
  • Cote des Bar
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19
Q

What is the climate for Champagne?

A

It is cool continental, with some oceanic influence, with rains year round.

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20
Q

How has climate change affected harvest dates in Champagne?

A

It has moved harvest dates up on an average of 18 days.

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21
Q

The Paris basin has a think layer of ____

A

Chalk

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22
Q

High chalk content is widely believed to benefit which grape variety?

A

Chardonnay

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23
Q

What is the most common soil type found in Champagne?

A

Chalky soils with limestone subsoil and more chalk.

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24
Q

List the grand cru villages located in the Montagne de Reims

A
  • Ambonnay
  • Bouzy
  • Mailly
  • Verzenay
  • Verzy
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25
Q

Montagne de Reims is know for what color of grapes?

A

Black

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26
Q

Is Montagne de Reims actually a mountain range?

A

No, it’s really more of a plateau

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27
Q

What is the main grape of the Valle de la Marne, and what is it generally planted on?

A

Meunier, and it is typically grown on clay, marl and sandy soils, producing a fruity Meunier.

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28
Q

What are some benefits of planting Meunier?

A

It has a later bud break and is earlier ripening that Chardonnay or Pinot Noir, making it better suited to the frost prone Marne Valley

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29
Q

What is the most planted grape in the Cote des Blancs?

A

Chardonnay as it makes up 95% of the plantings

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30
Q

Name the 4 grand crus listed in the book of the Cote des Blancs

A
  • Cramant
  • Oger
  • Avize
  • Le Mesnil-sur-Oger
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31
Q

What are the main grape varieties grown in Champagne?

A
  • Pinot Noir
  • Chardonnay
  • Meunier
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32
Q

what is the average planting density per hectare in Champagne?

A

8,000 plants per hectare

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33
Q

What are the four approved systems for training, pruning and trellising in Champagne?

A
  • Taille Chablis
  • Cordon du Royat
  • Guyot
  • Vallee de la Marne
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34
Q

Describe Taille Chablis

A
  • This is a system for training, pruning and trellising plants in Champagne, and is generally seen as the best for Chardonnay.
  • It usually has 3-4 cordons, but may have as many as 5.
  • At the end of each cordon is a is a spur with up to 5 buds
  • Spurs must be trained to a maximum of .6 meters (~2 ft) off the ground. This is done to ensure that the fruit gets the benefit of solar energy reflected from the soil.
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35
Q

What grapes is Cordon du Royat training used for?

A

Pinot Noir and Meunier

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36
Q

Describe the Cordon du Royat system

A

The vine is trained to have a single cordon that is spur-pruned with vertically positioned shoots.

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37
Q

Describe the Guyot system

A

This is a replacement cane system that can be double or single Guyot. This system is permitted in lesser-rated vineyards for all three varieties.

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38
Q

What is the Vallee de la Marne training method?

A

It is a method similar to Guyot, but with a higher number of buds. This system is being used less now than in the past.

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39
Q

What is the maximum number fruiting buds per vine that is allow in a square meter?

A

18

40
Q

List the climatic dangers growers face in Champagne

A
  • Severe winter frost, which can kill parts of vines or the whole vine
  • Spring frost which kill new buds
  • Cold and rainy weather in June can disrupt flowering and fruit set
  • Violent storms and hail during the summer
  • Hot and humid weather during the summer, especially after a heavy ran, can lead to the rapid spread of botrytis bunch rot
41
Q

What are some fungal diseases and vineyard pest that can also cause problems in Champagne?

A
  • Powdery Mildew
  • Downy Mildew
  • Dagger nematodes spread the fanleaf virus
42
Q

Champagne is one of the first regions where _____________ is being promoted on a regional level

A

Sustainable Viticulture

43
Q

What are some of the techniques growers are utilizing to become more sustainable in Champagne?

A
  • Reduction in the use of pesticides
  • Using sexual confusion techniques
  • Management of groundwater on the slopes
  • Increased used of cover crops to promote biodiversity
  • lighterweight NV bottles
  • water and waste management schemes
44
Q

Do producers get to set their own harvest dates in Champagne?

A

No, the Comite Champagne is responsible for setting harvest dates and yields each year.

It is important to note that these are only start dates, and producers can start that day, or several days later

45
Q

How does the Comite Champagne decide when harvest begins and what the yields should be?

A

They take grape samples from 450 control plots from the time of verasion, and measuring color change, weight, sugar concentration, acidity, and incidence of botrytis.

46
Q

Is there a way to get around the start dates set by the CIVC?

A

There is.

Producers can reach out to the INAO and ask for derogation if botrytis rot is threatening their crop.

47
Q

Why does the Comite Champagne set yield limits?

A

This is done for the following reasons:
1. Protecting the quality of the wine by avoiding over cropping
2. Protect the price of champagne
3. Regulates supply and demand

48
Q

Champagne AOC regulations specify what kind of harvest and what kind of grape pressing?

A
  • Hand Harvest
  • Whole bunch pressing
49
Q

How long does the harvest in Champagne generally last, and what is the estimate of people required to help complete harvest?

A

Harvest takes about 3 weeks, and it is thought that harvest requires around 100,000 people

50
Q

How many pressing centers are located throughout champagne?

A

1,900

51
Q

Do Champagne producers have a set harvest team?

A

No, it is usually a traveling workforce, and workers often return loyally year after year to the same producers

52
Q

How is Champagne made?

A

It is made using the traditional method, historically known as methode champenoise

53
Q

What is a marc?

A

It is a unit of measurement that equals 4,000kg of grapes

54
Q

What are the three types of presses used in Champagne?

A
  • Basket Press
  • Pneumatic Press
  • Hydraulic Horizontal Press
55
Q

What are the two different names of the press fractions in Champagne?

A
  • The first 2,050 litres (per 4,000 kg) is called the Cuvee
  • The second 500 liters (per 4000 kg) is called the Taille
56
Q

Why is there a limit of the amount of press fractions?

A
  • It protects the wines overall quality by avoiding over-extraction of phenolics, and maintaining fruity flavors.
57
Q

What are the differences between the cuvee and the taille?

A
  • The cuvee is rich in acids and produces wines with great finesse and long aging potential.
  • The taille has lower acid, but is richer in coloring pigments and phenolics
58
Q

Between the taille and cuvee, which is used more in the NV blend?

A

The taille because it is more expressive in its youth and does not have the same aging potential.

59
Q

Is chapitalization permitted in Champagne?

A

It is if the sugars is not high enough to reach the minimum 11% alcohol.

However the abv in the final wine cannot exceed 13%.

60
Q

What are the two vessels used for the primary fermentation in Champagne?

A
  • Temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks
  • Large oak foudres
61
Q

When does MLC occur for Champagne?

A

Malolactic conversion will generally be encouraged after the completion of the primary fermentation to reduce and soften the wine.

Some producers may choose to avoid malolactic conversion all together as they believe their style of champagne is better without it.

62
Q

What is the aim of blending (assemblage)?

A

To create a wine that is greater than the sum of its parts.

63
Q

What is the Chef de Cave?

A

The Chef de Cave is the master blender for a champagne house

64
Q

Why is it beneficial for the Chef de Cave to have as many reserve wines as possible?

A
  • So they can produce a consistent house style year after year
  • They can still produce wines in years that had frost/hail/disease
65
Q

How do Champagne houses, house their reserve wines?

A
  • Some houses will keep the wines in stainless steel tanks
  • Other will will keep the wine in old oak to add some oxidative notes.
  • More unusual options may be keeping the wine in magnums (Bollinger)
  • Some houses may keep a perpetual reserve as well, similar to sherry houses.
66
Q

Is rose champagne made after the primary fermentation?

A

It certainly can be.

Most rose champagne is made by blending a small portion of Pinot Noir and/or Meunier with white base wines. Other houses make their roses in the saignee method.

It is important to remember that the yeast will absorb some of the color pigments during each fermentation, so creating rose champagne requires both expertise and experience.

67
Q

Why is ageing the wines on the lees one of the most important stages of Champagne production?

A

It is because during the lees ageing process that all of the toasty brioche characteristics start to develop due to yeast autolysis.

68
Q

What was the original purpose of the ‘echelle des crus’?

A

To establish the prices to be paid for grapes

69
Q

How many Grand Cru, Premier Cru, and regular villages, are there in Champagne?

A
  • 17 Grand Cru
  • 42 Premier Cru
  • 257 regular villages
70
Q

How many different growers are there in Champagne?

A

Over 16,000

Fun fact: They own around 90% of the vineyards

71
Q

How many Champagne houses are there in Champagne?

A

340

72
Q

What do the letters NM mean when they are found on a bottle of Champagne?

A
  • Negociant manipulant; these businesses are commonly referred to as ‘houses’. They buy grapes, must or wine to make Champagne on their own premises and market it under their own label.
73
Q

What do the letters RM stand for?

A
  • Recoltant manipluant; These busnesses are commonly referred to as ‘growers’, make and market their own label from grapes exclusively sourced from their own vineyards and processed on their own premises
74
Q

What do the letters CM stand for?

A

Cooperative de manipulant; these businesses are co-operatives that market Champagne under their own label from members’ grapes.

75
Q

LVMH owns what Champagne Houses?

A
  • Moet and Chandon
  • Dom Perignon
  • Mercier
  • Veuve Clicquot
  • Runiart
  • Krug
76
Q

Vranken Pommery Monopole owns what Champagne Houses?

A
  • Vranken
  • Pommery
  • Monopole Heidsieck
  • Charles Lafitte
  • Bissinger
77
Q

How much Champagne is sold domestically and abroad?

A

It is a 50/50 split.

  • In 2018 there were 302 million bottles sold, so 151 mil sold domestically and abroad
78
Q

What is one of the main roles of the Comite Champagne?

A

To manage the relationship between the Champagne houses, the co-operatives and the growers.

  • Each group has one or more organizations that represent them
79
Q

What is the average yield over the last decade in Champagne?

A

10,500 kg/ha

80
Q

Is there a chance of the Champagne AOC will expand?

A

Champagne is currently conducting a review that does include the possibility of additional land being made available for the production of Champagne grapes.

81
Q

List the top 5 export markets for Champagne?

A
  • United Kingdom
  • United States
  • Japan
  • Germany
  • Belgium
82
Q

How and why is Champagne re-positioning itself within the sparkling wine market?

A
  • Champagne is moving away from the volume market and is focusing on higher price points
  • The rise of mid-priced Prosecco
  • So while the volume of Champagne being produced has dropped, there has also been an increase in pricing
83
Q

What is the cost of a kg of grapes in champagne, and how many kg does it roughly take to make one 750ml bottle?

A
  • It cost €6.10 per/kg, and it takes around 1.2 kg of grapes to make a single 750ml bottle
  • So the starting production cost per bottle is €7.32
84
Q

Why is vintage Champagne more expensive to produce than non-vintage champagne?

A
  • It is made from higher quality grapes (Grand/Premier Cru)
  • It also cannot be sold for 3 years vs the 15 months that NV must sit, which can lead to cash flow problems
85
Q

What is more expensive to produce, White Champagne or Rose Champagne?

A

Rose Champagne is marginally more expensive to produce as red wine is required. Making the base red wine is also going to be more expensive than making a white wine.

86
Q

List the seven grape varieties permitted in Champagne

A
  • Arbanne
  • Chardonnay
  • Fromenteau
  • Meunier
  • Pinot Blanc
  • Pinot Noir
  • Petit Meslier
87
Q

How are grape prices determined in Champagne?

A

The market

88
Q

Who is the largest buyer of grapes in Champagne?

A

Moet & Chandon

89
Q

Explain how the Grand/Premier Cru designation works in Champagne

A
  • The Grand/Premier Cru applies to the village as a whole
  • If the grapes all come from a single village, then that villages name may appear on the bottle
  • If the fruit comes from multiple Grand Cru villages, then just the term Grand Cru can appear on the label
90
Q

What is the controversy in the current Grand/Premier Cru designations?

A

That the designation applies to the entire village because inevitably there will be differences in aspects and soils

91
Q

What Grand Cru Village in located in the Valle de la Marne?

A

Aÿ

92
Q

What are the main soils for the Côte de Sézanne

A
  • Clay
  • Clay/silt
  • Pockets of chalk
93
Q

What is the most planted variety in the Côte de Sézanne?

A

Chardonnay

94
Q

Which sub-region is an important source of Pinot Noir in Champagne?

A

The Côte des Bar, nearly a quarter of the vineyard area is planted to Pinot Noir

95
Q

What is the main soil type of the Côte des Bar?

A

Kimmeridgian Soils

96
Q

How many pressing centers are found in Champagne?

A

1,900

97
Q

What is the maximum yield in Champagne?

A
  • 79 hL/ha

This can be increased in good vintages to 98 hL/ha, with the stipulation that the excess is put into reserves

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