Champagne Flashcards
What is assemblage?
`Blending
Wines made in the fashion of Champagne but produced elsewhere may be labeled as ?
traditional method (méthode traditionnelle) or classic method (méthode classique)
Is someone else but Champagne allowed to label their wines as Champagne?
Particularly in the US, but such wines are banned from the EU.
What is the oldest Champagne house still in operation today?
Gosset, founded in 1584 as a still wine producer
Which house can claim to be the oldest sparkling Champagne house?
Ruinart, established in 1729
What is vin gris ?
Vin gris is simply a term for a very light (we’re talking pale pink) rosé wine made from red grapes.
What is vin de cuvée and vin de taille?
1st press: Cuvee = 2050 liters
2nd press: Taille = 500 liters
What is rebeche?
3rd press: Rebeche = remaining juice extracted after the 2550 liters
must be either distilled by Dec 15th following the harvest and is often used to make ratafia. It can also be used in vinegar production.
Name 2 Champagne houses founded in the 18th century
Ruinart, Taittinger, Moët et Chandon, Delamotte and Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin
What is remuage?
Riddling
Who is considered to have pioneered the remuage process?
Madame Barbe-Nicole Ponsardin, the Veuve (“widow”) Clicquot,
The process of chaptalization is named after who?
Jean-Antoine Chaptal, a French chemist and statesman
Who firstly identified the relationship between sugar and fermentation?
Jean-Antoine Chaptal, in a seminal 1801 work.
What was the difference in Champagne production from the early 1800 to the 1880s?
Champagne production jumped from 300,000 bottles in 1800 to 20 million bottles by the 1880s.
Were many small growers making Champagne in the 19th Century?
No, it was too costly.
Many were selling grapes to the big houses
Which Champagne house created the first Brut Champagne? When?
Pommery put the first brut Champagne, Pommery “Nature,” on the market in 1874.
When was the Champagne region delimited?
In 1908
When was the Champagne winemaking production and viticulture regularised ?
in 1927
What happened in Champagne in 1911?
Vignerons from the southern Aube region, who had long supplied Champagne houses with base white wine, protested and nearly rioted in 1911 after being excluded from the region.
In which year The Aube was reinstated as a full region of the appellation?
1927
What was the Commission de Châlons?
When was it formed?
In 1935
a consortium of growers and merchants formed to develop quality standards and regulate pricing.
In which year Champagne was granted AOP?
1936
Which is the only AOC/AOP that does not need to include Appellation Contrôlée (or Protégée) on the label?
Champagne
What happened in the 1890s?
Phylloxera
What did some producers do when Phylloxera struck?
Unscrupulous producers imported other sparkling wines and pass the product off as true Champagne
What was in fact a key component of the initial delimitation of the region in 1908?
The repression of fraud.
Collusion amongst producers to drive down Champagne grape prices was common at the turn of the century, even as they sourced fruit from the Loire, the Languedoc, and other countries.
How did WWI affected Champagne?
WWI cut right through the region. Reims suffered constant bombardment for nearly four years; the wives, children, and those too infirm or old to fight risked life and limb to haul in the harvests. Braving artillery explosions and suffering from a lack of manpower, horses and fertilizer, the Champenoise delivered one of the finest vintages of the 20th century in 1914.
What did Champagne producers do under nazi invasion?
They walled the bottles in the cellar
Who was the ‘Weinführer”?
Nazi-appointed agent Otto Klaebisch
who had taken up residence at the Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin estate
Why was François Taittinger jailed?
He passed off inferior wines as “Reserved for the Wehrmacht”
When and why was the Comité Interprofessional du Vin de Champagne (CIVC) founded?
In 1941
From the existing but limited framework of the Commission de Châlons, Count Robert-Jean de Vogüé of Moët et Chandon in 1941 organized a new, broader consortium of growers, producers and shippers to represent the Champagne industry and protect its interests in the face of Nazi occupation
What’s the farming limit dictated by the Contrôle des Structures in Champagne?
farming is restricted to no more than fifteen owned or rented hectares
How many growers are in Champagne to this day?
Around 20000
What was the first Champagne tête de cuvée?
When?
1921 vintage of Moët et Chandon’s “Dom Pérignon”
What did the INAO decided in 2009?
To broaden the appellation’s area—the first major change since 1927. The number of villages that can grow grapes for the appellation increased from 319 to 357.
Still not approved yet.
Currently, still 319 villages
The first real effect on sale will be from 2021
How did increase the production in recent years?
+55 million bottles from 2017 to 2018
362 million bottles
Which are the biggest export market for Champagne?
UK, USA, Germany, and Japan, which account for half of all Champagne exports.
At which parallel sits Champagne?
between the 48th and 49th parallels
What is one of the biggest risk in champagne ?
Ripening
And which are the biggest viticulture pressures?
Frost, rain, fungal disease and hail
What’s the climate? What’s one the main factors?
It’s a cool continental, Atlantic-influenced climate
What is bouvreux? What’s affected by?
It’s a second crop, that rarely ripens and is left on the vine.
It is caused by rain that disrupt flowering
What’s the soil in Champagne?
Porous, belemnite chalk subsoil
A second layer of micraster chalk
What is Belemnite chalk?
How does it affect viticulture?
It’s a chalk derived from the fossilised remains of millions of extinct cephalopods, has a high limestone content, which allows vine roots to dig deeply and is linked to increased acidity.
It absorbs heat to protect the vines at night and providing excellent drainage in the wet climate.
Whet’s the majority of the soil in the valley vineyards?
micraster chalk
What’s above the chalk in Champagne?
A thin layer of clay and sand
What’s the soil profile in the Aube?
clay
What is “Les bleus de ville” ?
Are shreds of blue plastic scattered throughout many of the vineyards—remnants of bags used to ship composted trash. Recycled Parisian garbage was used to fertilise vineyards until 1998
Grapes of Champagne:
What’s the most planted?
Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and the black grape Meunier
PN 38%
Pinot Blanc Vrai, Arbane, Pinot Gris, and Petit Meslier
What’s the percentage of the plantings of the lesser four varietals in Champagne?
less than 0.3%
What’s the max press yield in Champagne?
102 liters/160 kg (Additional pressed juice is rebêche, or the “end of pressing”) and must account for 1-10% of the total. This may only be used for distillation.
Or or 2,550 liters per 4,000 kg
To which percentage can rebeche account for?
What can rebeche be used for?
It must account for 1-10% of the total.
This may only be used for distillation.
What’s the Maximum Yields (Rendement de Base)?
10,400 kg/ha
What’s the min must weight?
143 g/l
What are the allowed training methods?
Chablis, Cordon de Royat, Vallée de la Marne (allowed for Meunier only), Guyot (simple or double)
What’s the Minimum Planting Density?
max. 2.5 square meters per vine
What’s the aging in Champagne?
NV wines: Min. 15 months from date of tirage
Vintage Wines: Min. 36 months from date of tirage
Which percentage of a year harvest can be sold as vintage Champagne?
80%
What’s the percentage of the vintage that must be present in a vintage dated Champagne?
100%
Excluding wine and products contained in the liqueur de tirage or the liqueur d’expédition
What’s the size of a Marc?
4,000 kg
a marc of grape is the amount held in a traditional Coquard basket press.
What’s the final yield in Champagne ?
66 hl/ha
Department of Champagne?
Aube, Aisne, Marne, Haute-Marne, Seine-et-Marne
How many villages are allowed to grow grapes for Champagne ?
319
Nam the five districts of Champagne
Montagne de Reims, Vallée de la Marne, Côte des Blancs, Côte de Sézanne, and the Côte des Bars (the Aube)
Around which 3 communes the majority of the big houses are located?
Reims, Épernay and Aÿ
What’s the main grape in Montagne de Reims and the Aube?
PN
What’s the main grape of the Côte de Sézanne?
Chardonnay
What’s the most planted grape in the Vallée de la Marne?
Why is that?
Meunier
VdlM is prone to frost.
Meunier bud late and ripen early
How does the ‘Cru’ status work in Champagne?
Cru status is awarded to entire villages in Champagne, rather than individual vineyards or properties
How is a Cru village further regulated?
the areas authorized for cultivation within each commune are strictly defined
How many GC and Premier Cru villages in Champagne?
17 GC
42 1er Cru
What does the CIVC do?
It mediates relations between growers and producers
It oversees the production methods and promotion of Champagne.
It regulates the size of harvests, authorizes blocage and deblocage, and safeguards the protected designation of Champagne
What is blocage and deblocage?
the reserve wine
and the release of wine stocks for use in future vintages
What is the Échelle de Crus?
It was a system used until 1990 where the CIVC was setting the price of grapes, a percentile system through which every village is rated
What score was needed to classify as GC in the échelle de Crus?
and 1er Cru?
100 GC
1er Cru 90-99
Which were the only premier cru villages with a 99% ranking?
Mareuil-sur-Ay in the Vallée de la Marne and Tauxières in Montagne de Reims
How were classified villages with a score of less than 90?
Simply as CRU
After a 1985 revision, what was the minimum rate in des Echelle de Cru?
80
What did the rate in the echelle de Cru represented until 1990?
It represented the set percentage of price that a grower could receive for fruit
How is the price of fruit regulated today?
The CIVC recommends, rather than regulates pricing, and supervises the exchange between growers and Champagne houses in order to promote fairness
When was the echelle de crus abolished?
In the early 2000. However Villages maintained their 1er and GC status
What’s an NM?
Négociant Manipulant
A house that purchases grapes and or base wines. Some NM houses own a significant portion of their own vineyards, others own none at all.
Ex. Moët et Chandon, Louis Roederer, Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin, Billecart-Salmon, Lanson, Taittinger, Pol Roger, Perrier-Jouët, Mumm, and Laurent-Perrier.
What’s an RM?
Récoltant Manipulant: A grower-producer who makes Champagne from estate-grown fruit.
What percentage of fruit must originate from the estate’s vineyards in order to be able to qualify for RM?
95%
What’s a CM?
Coopérative Manipulant
A growers’ co-operative that produces the wine under a single brand.
What’s an RC?
Récoltant Coopérateur.
A grower whose grapes are vinified at a co-operative, but sells the wine under his own label.
What’s a SR?
Société de Récoltants
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.
What’s a ND?
Négociant Distributeur
A middleman company that distributes Champagne it did not make.
What’s a MA?
Marque d’Acheteur
A buyer’s own brand, often a large supermarket chain or restaurant, that purchases Champagne and sells it under its own label.
What is debourbage? how long does it last for?
Juice settling after pressing.
It happens at cool temperature for eight to fifteen hours
What are the Bourbes?
Solids in the must.
They can be removed by racking prior to fermentation.
Is Chaptalisation allowed in Champagne?
yes
What is the vins clairs? What’s usually the alcohol level?
It’s the high-acid base wines
11%
What’s the liqueur de tirage?
a mixture of still wine, yeasts, sugar, and fining agents that will serve to ignite the second fermentation
What is the prise de mousse?
The second fermentation, the capture of the bubbles. (the point when it becomes champagne)
What is the Bidule?
It’s plastic capsule that will serve to capture the sediment during remuage
How long does the second fermentation last for?
up to 8 weeks usually
How much does the alcohol rise in the bottle?
1.2-1.3%,
How many atmosphere are created by the carbon dioxide in the bottle?
5 to 6
What does “sur latte” means?
Horizontally.
The way in which bottles are stored during the second fermentation
What’s Autolysis?
It’s the process to breakdown of dead yeast cells
What’s the min lees aging for Champagne ? Its the same for V and NV?
Yes, its the same.
12 months
What’s the pointage?
It’s an operation in which each bottle would be briskly shaken in order to prevent the sediment from sticking to the sides of the bottle. However, many selected yeasts strains no longer require this practice
What is the pupitre?
two large wooden planks fastened together in an upright “A” shape, with sixty angled holes cut into each plank of wood
Who is a remuer?
How many bottle can he do per day?
It’s a person who would fractionally turn and tilt each bottle over a period of about eight weeks, slowly inverting the bottles with the neck pointing downward
a top remuer is rumored to handle upwards of 70,000 bottles a day
What’s the gyropalette?
It’s an automated device that holds 504 bottles.
With the gyropalette, remuage is shortened to a week or less
What is ‘sur pointe’?
It’s the upside-down vertical position that bottles hold before degorgement
What’s iconic about Bollinger’s “RD” ?
(“Récemment Dégorgé”) is kept sur pointe for a number of years, and only disgorged upon order.
What are the methods of degorgement?
dégorgement à la glace and dégorgement à la volée
What’s the liqueur de expedition?
Le dosage. a liquid mixture of sugar syrup and wine
Sweetness levels in Champagne?
Brut Nature/Non-Dosé 0-3 grams per liter, no added dosage Extra Brut 0-6 grams per liter Brut 0-12 grams per liter Extra Dry 12-17 grams per liter Sec 17-32 grams per liter Demi-Sec 32-50 grams per liter Doux 50+ grams per liter
What’s the muselet?
It’s the wire cage
how many twist for the muselet?
6 and half
For which size bottles is transfer method allowed in Champagne? What’s the French name?
Transvasage
For bottle sizes larger than a Jeroboam and smaller than a half bottle
For Transvasage, is remuage needed?
no. Wine is disgorged into a pressurized tank and filtered.
Name the size of Champagne Bottle
Quarter Bottle (Piccolo) 187 ml Half Bottle (Demi) 375 ml Bottle 750 ml Magnum 1.5 L (2 bottles) Jeroboam 3 L (4 bottles) Rehoboam (discontinued in 1983) 4.5 L (6 bottles) Methuselah 6 L (8 bottles) Salmanazar 9 L (12 bottles) Balthazar 12 L (16 bottles) Nebuchadnezzar 15 L (20 bottles) Solomon 18 L (24 bottles)
What’s another name for the Solomon bottle?
Many sources cite the 18 L bottle as a Melchior, as it is called in Bordeaux.
Which are the two ways in which Champagne rosee is made?
Rosé de Saignée and Rosé d’Assemblage
It’s blending white and red wine a common practice to make rose?
not in France. Champagne is the only AOC that allows it
What’s the rarest example from a champagne House?
A rosé prestige cuvée
What are the other AOP in Champagne, beside Champagne?
Coteaux Champenois and Rosé de Riceys
Coteaux Champenois : What it is for?
Blanc
Rosé
Rouge
Made with same varietals allowed for Champagne
Rosé de Riceys: What is it for?
What it is required as vilification method?
Rosé (tranquille): 100% Pinot Noir
Grapes are vinified as whole bunches (semi-carbonic maceration)
From where can the Rosé de Riceys be produced?
Les Riceys, its a commune in the Aube
Other Classic method AOC in France?
eight AOP regions for crémant
Crémant de Bordeaux, Crémant de Bourgogne, Crémant de Loire, Crémant de Limoux, Crémant de Die, Crémant du Jura, Crémant d’Alsace, and Crémant de Savoie.
Vouvray, Montlouis-sur-Loire, and Saumur in the Loire; and Vin de Savoie and Seyssel in Savoie
Blanquette de Limoux
What’s the limit on pressing for Cremant?
100 liters from 150 kg, or 2,666 liters from 4,000 kg
What’s the difference between Mousseaux and Petillant?
mousseux is for fully spk
whereas lightly sparkling wines are labeled pétillant
Where did Roederer established itself internationally?
Roederer established operations in Anderson Valley in Mendocino
Where did Taittinger and Moët et Chandon established themselves internationally?
Taittinger and Moët et Chandon founded American projects in Carneros and Yountville, respectively
What is Méthode Ancestrale? How is it also called?
méthode rurale
It is the oldest and most rudimentary of sparkling winemaking procedures. A single fermentation begins in tank, but the wine is transferred to bottles before the process is complete
Is Dosage allowed for Méthode Ancestrale?
no
Is Méthode Ancestrale wine simply left in the bottle and sold?
Typically, the wine is disgorged, filtered and rebottled in clean glass prior to sale.
Can you name an example of appellation of Méthode Ancestrale in France?
Bugey Cerdon, Clairette de Die Méthode Dioise Ancestrale, and Gaillac Mousseux Méthode Gaillaçoise
What is the The Charmat Process/Cuve Close/Tank Method?
After a first fermentation, liqueur de tirage is added to the wine, provoking a second fermentation, which occurs in a pressurized enamel-lined tank, or autoclave, over a matter of days
What is the Continuous Method/Russian Continuous Method?
This method is similar to the tank method, but the base wine is pumped through a series of interconnected (continuous) tanks while undergoing the second fermentation. Liqueur de tirage is constantly added to the wine, and lees accumulate in the first several tanks, offering a higher degree of autolyzed flavors than the standard tank method.
How is the majority of the German Sekt produced?
It is produced by either the tank method or the continuous method.
How is the Carbonation method done?
It involves a simple injection of carbon dioxide into still wine
How many GC in the Montagne de Reims?
9 Sillery Puisieulx Beaumont-Sur-Vesle Verzenay Mailly-Champagne Verzy Louvois Bouzy Ambonnay
Which Village in the Montagne de Reims was elevated after 1985?
Verzy
Name the GC villages in Vallée de la Marne?
2
Ay and Tours sur Marne
Which Vallée de la Marne GC is for Red only?
Tours sur Marne
Name the GC Village of the Côte des Blancs
Chouilly Oiry Cramant Avize Oger Le Mesnil-sur-Oger
How many 1er Cru in Valle de la Marne?
Name 3
Vallée de la Marne Premier Cru Villages (8 total): Bisseuil Champillon Cumières Avenay-Val-d'Or Dizy Hautvillers Mareuil-sur-Aÿ Mutigny
Côte des Blancs Premier Cru Villages
How many?
Name 3
9 Bergères-lès-Vertus Cuis Étréchy Grauves Pierry Val-des-Marais (Coligny) Vertus Villeneuve-Renneville-Chevigny Voipreux
Montagne de Reims Premier Cru Villages.
How many? Name 3
25
Bezannes Billy-le-Grand Chamery Chigny-les-Roses Cormontreuil Coulommes-la-Montagne Écueil Jouy-lès-Reims Ludes Les Mesneux Montbré Pargny-lès-Reims Rilly-la-Montagne Sacy Sermiers Taissy Tauxières-Mutry Trépail Trois-Puits Vaudemange Villers-Allerand Villers-aux-Nœuds Ville-Dommange Villers-Marmery Vrigny
What is the Club Trésors de Champagne?
The “Special Club” concept originated in 1971, with a dozen grower-producers. Lacking the marketing budgets of larger houses, these producers banded together to promote their prestige cuvées through identical packaging. (maybe no more same bottle?)
How are the special club bottles?
Vintage or NV?
The Special Club bottlings are estate-bottled, vintage-dated wines that represent the pinnacle of each individual grower’s style and production. Special Club bottles and labels share identical design.( maybe no more same bottle?)
Name 3 members?
Paul Bara (Bouzy) Roland Champion (Chouilly) Charlier et Fils (Montigny-sous-Châtillon) Gaston Chiquet (Dizy) Duménil (Chigny-les-Roses) Forget-Chemin (Ludes) Fresnet-Juillet (Verzy) Pierre Gimonnet et Fils (Cuis) J.M. Goulard (Prouilly) Henri Goutorbe (Aÿ) Grongnet (Etoges) Marc Hébrart (Mareuil-sur-Aÿ) Hervieux-Dumez (Sacy) Vincent Joudart (Fèrebrianges) Juillet-Lallement (Verzy) Larmandier Père et Fils (Cuis) J. Lassalle (Chigny-les-Roses) Joseph Loriot-Pagel (Festigny) A. Margaine (Villers Marmery) Rémy Massin et Fils (Ville-sur-Arce) José Michel et Fils (Moussy) Moussé Fils (Cuisles) Nominé-Renard (Villevenard) Pertois-Moriset (Le Mesnil-sur-Oger) Salmon (Chaumuzy) Sanchez-Le Guédard (Cumières) Vazart-Coquart et Fils (Chouilly)
What are the main rules of the Special Club?
Who can join?
Viticulture must occur on the estate (only RM producers may join)
Vinification and bottling must occur on the estate
Members must respect and uphold the Club’s charter
Can a special club be made every year?
The Club Trésors will declare a vintage as being worthy of “Special Club” prestige cuvées, then each member may decide individually whether or not to produce a “Special Club” wine
(no more same bottle?)
Is Pierre Peter still part of the special club?
No, since 1981
Also Larmandier-Bernier in 1996, Gosset-Brabant in 2006, and Leclerc-Briant are out
What grand cru vineyard is closest to Reims?
Sillery
What is retrousse in terms of Champagne?
Retrousse is scooping the edges of the press cake back to the middle after each pressing with a traditional basket press.
What major houses are known for blocking MLF in their Champagne?
Lanson, Gosset, and Salon
Name three initiatives the CIVC has taken to improve sustainability.
- reducing pesticide use by 50%
- avoiding insecticides with sexual confusion
- water recycling
- crown cap & bidule recycling
- lighter bottles to reduce carbon emissions
What is the maximum residual sugar for Champagne AOP base wine?
10 g/L
Which two prominent Ay houses age their champagne under cork? What is the alternative? Why do so few big houses age their champagne under cork?
Bollinger and Ayala; most houses, especially big houses, use crown caps. You risk cork taint by aging Champagne under cork, which has to be checked for upon disgorgement. But Bollinger feels it provides more complexity and actually LESS risk of unnatural oxidation.
What does the CIVC stand for?
Comite Interprofessional du Vin de Champagne
What is méthode rurale?
Méthode Ancestrale
What is the term for the Roman chalk tunnels below the streets of Epernay and Reims?
Crayers.
Name three Champagnes that are made with a solera system of perpetual aging?
Selosse Substance, Bereche Reflet d’Antan, Lahertes Les 7, Pierre Peters Reserve Oubliee
Put the three major grape of Champagne in order from first to bud to last.
Chardonnay is the first to bed, then Pinot Noir, then Pinot Meunier.
Name the Grand Crus of the Montagne de Reims, from north to south?
Sillery, Puisieulx, Beaumont-sur-Vesle, Verzenay, Mailly, Verzy, Louvois, Bouzy, Ambonnay
In what year was SPARKLING wine first made in Champagne?
The first record of sparkling wine being made in Champagne is in 1718.
Which are the better premier crus of the Montagne de Reims, and where do they lie? Name a producer based in each.
Ludes, Chigny-les-Roses, and Rilly-la-Montagne are considered three of the better 1er crus of Montagne de Reims – they are basically a western extension of the grand cru slope that includes Mailly, Verzy, and Verzenay. Bereche and Ployez-Jacquemart are based in Ludes; Cattier and J. Lassalle are based in Chigny-les-Roses; and Vilmart & Cie is based in Rilly-la-Montagne.
What is Winzersekt?
In Germany, a sparkling wine usually made by a grower, from one of the 13 anbaugebiete, above 3.5 of pressure
What are the 5 most recent vintages of Salon?
2008, 2007, 2006, 2004, 2002, 1999, 1997
2008 Magnum only
Where is the highest point in the Montagne de Reims located?
900ft above sea level between Verzenay & Verzy, it is a national park
The Butte de Saran marks the border between which two Grand Cru sites?
Chouilly and Cramant
What two regions in Champagne do not have any Grand Crus?
Cote de Sezanne and Cotes des Bars (the Aube)
Where do the “Rive Droite” and the “Rive Gauche” fall in respect to the Marne river? What aspects do each have? Name one wine made from each.
Rive Droite — right bank — north bank of river, with vineyards facing south. Moussé Fils Special Club & Special Club Rosé.
Rive Gauche — left bank — south bank of the river, with vineyards facing north. Bérêche Rive Gauche.
Name the 5 districts of Champagne and what grapes each is particularly known for.
Cote des Blancs -- Chardonnay Montagne de Reims -- Pinot Noir Vallée de la Marne -- Pinot Meunier Cote de Sézanne -- Chardonnay Cote des Bars (The Aube) -- Pinot Noir
What is the southernmost village in Champagne?
Les Riceys, Côte des Bar
What are the best vintage of the 1980’s in Champagne?
1982, 1983, 1985, 1988, 1989
What is MCR?
MCR stands for moût concentré rectifié, or concentrated and rectified grape must. The majority of MCR comes from the Languedoc. It is used in Champagne as alternative to liqueur d’expedition.
Arguments FOR: Neutrality, less oxidation
Arguments AGAINST: Terroir, Syrupy
What was the first tete de cuvee? In what year?
1921; Moet et Chadon’s Dom Perignon
Name three biodynamic producers in Champagne.
Larmandier Bernier, David Leclepart, Vouette and Sorbee, Roederer (the largest bio-d landowner in Champagne).
Where is Kimmeridgean Marl found in the Champagne region? What is another name of Kimmeridgean Marl?
This is found in Cote des Bar (The Aube). AKA Virgulien Marl.
Give for these producers their location and the main grape they grow Egly-Ouriet Pierre Moncuit Drappier Jerome Prevost
Egly-Ouriet - Ambonnay, Pinot Noir
Pierre Moncuit - Le Mesnil, Chardonnay
Drappier - Urville, Aube, Pinot Noir
Jerome Prevost - Gueux, Montagne de Reims, Pinot Meunier
What changed in sweetness levels for Champagne pre-2010 and post-2010?
Brut went from 0-15 g/L to 0-12 g/L. Extra dry went from 12-20 g/L to 12-17 g/L. Sec went from 17-35 g/L to 17-32 g/L. Demi-sec went from 33-50 g/L to 32-5o g/L. Extra brut and doux stayed the same.
Where is Cristal Rosé sourced from?
ay
What region is defined by the Ardre and the Vesle rivers?
Montagne de Reims
What two years have seen an October (late) harvest in Champagne since 1988?
1991 and 2013
How many liters/bottles are in a Nebuchadnezzar?
15L/20 bottles
What is the difference between Agrapart’s L’Avizoise and Venus?
Both are blanc des blancs from Avize; L’Avizoise is on clay soils, Venus is on chalk
In what decade was sugar first added to control the amount of carbonation in Champagne?
1820-1830
What vintages has Clos du Ambonnay been made in?
1995, 1996, 1998, 2000
What is the blend for these cuvees and their first vintage
Clos des Goisses
Winston Churchill
Clos St Hilaire
Clos des Goisses - 65% PN 35% C - 1935
Winston Churchill - PN > C - 1984
Clos St Hilaire - PN - 1995
How many liters/bottles are in a Balthazar?
12L/16 bottles
What three harvests have seen August picking (early) in the 2000s in Champagne?
2003, 2007, and 2011
What is Ampeleos?
A grower organisation in Champagne that promotes sustainable viticulture.
What three grand crus of the Montagne de Reims and less esteemed than the others and why?
Sillery, Puisieulx, and Beaumont-sur-Vesle lie in alluvial flatlands to the north of the “montagne” and thus have very little in the way of elevation and aspect, as well as richer soils.
When is the soonest that tirage can occur following harvest?
January 1st, the year after harvest
What is the largest grand cru of the Montagne de Reims?
Verzenay at 400+ ha.
What was called “Club de Viticulteurs Champenois” until 1999?
Special Club
What vintages has Blanc de Millénaires been made in?
1983, 1985, 1990, 1995, 2004
What two grand crus are rated 100% for one grape only?
Chouilly, Cote de Blancs, for white wine only and Tours-sur-Marne, Mareuil-sur-Ay, red grapes only
Where is Cote aux Enfants, who owns it, and what is it known for?
Cote aux Enfants is a lieu-dit in Aÿ owned by Bollinger. It is known for Pinot Noir, especially their Coteaux Champenois that shares the same name.
What current grand crus were elevated in 1985?
Four in the Cote de Blancs: Chouilly, Oiry, Oger, and Le Mesnil-sur-Oger; one in the Montagne de Reims: Verzy
What Champagne house was known as Forest-Forneaux until 1931?
Taittinger
What direction does the Clos des Goisses face? Where is it located?
South, the eastern end of Mareuil
Single cru: Le Bout du Clos
Jacques Selosse
Though the Cote de Blancs is planted 96% to Chardonnay, where is a majority of the region’s Pinot Noir planted?
Vertus, a premier cru in the southern portion of the region
Which strain of yeast is most often used for the 2nd fermentation in bottles?
Saccharomyces bayanus
What are the only two 1er crus of Champagne that are classified at 99% on the Echelle de Crus?
Tauxieres (Montagne de Reims) and Mareuil-sur-Ay (Vallee de la Marne)
What grape was planted in significant quantities in the Aube before it was outlawed with the introduction of the AOC system?
Gamay
Name two cooperatives in Champagne.
Nicolas Feuillatte and Jacquart
Where is Ulysse Collin based?
Congy; Côte de Sézanne
What were the traditional grapes of the Champagne region, up until the 16th century?
Gouais, Fromenteau
What was the first single village Champagne to be produced? Single vineyard?
Salon, 1905; first commercial release 1921
Clos des Goisses, 1935
Which Champagne House makes the Cuvee des Grands Cotes, Coteaux Champenois Rouge?
Egly Ouriet
Whose extra brut Champagne is called ‘Pure’?
Pol Roger
Which Champagne, from a Vranken owned Champagne house, is only released in Magnum format?
Pommery’s Les Clos Pompadour
How many Litres in a Sovereign?
26.25L
Name the Prestige Cuvees from the following Champagne houses: Ayala – Drappier – Duval Leroy – Charles Heidseck – Henriot – Mumm – Jacques Selosse – Vilmart and Cie – Nicolas Feuillatte – Jacquart –
Ayala – Perle d’Ayala Drappier – Charles de Gaulle Duval Leroy – Femme de Champagne Charles Heidseck – Blanc des Millenaires Henriot – Hemera Mumm – Cuvee R Lalou Jacques Selosse – Substance NV Vilmart and Cie – Couer de Cuvee Nicolas Feuillatte – Palme d’Or Jacquart – Cuvee Alpha
What contribution did Dom Perignon contribute to Champagne’s advancement?
Introduced the Pressoir Coquard (Coquard Press), was the first to make white wine from red grapes, first to realize that blending across several lots created a more balanced and complex finished wine.
What contribution did Jean-Baptiste François contribute to Champagne’s advancement?
He invented the sucre-oenomètre (wine-sugar meter) allowing Champagne makers to more accurately add the right amount of sugar to the wine to make its sparkle, with less risk of the bottle exploding because of too much pressure.
What contribution did Louis Pasteur contribute to Champagne’s advancement?
His work elucidated the truth behind fermentation and the relationship between sugar and yeast during this process.
What contribution did Madame Pommery contribute to Champagne’s advancement?
Introduced the first widely successful brut style Champagne.
Describe the permitted pruning methods in Champagne and which grape they are most appropriate for.
Cordon de Royat is used for Pinot Noir. Requires the short pruning of spurs on one long cordon with the ambition of helping the vine retain a higher degree of permanent wood which will help it resist frost more effectively
Taille Chablis is used for Chardonnay most of the time though the grape will also be trained in Cordon de Royat in Grand Cru villages. Promotes longer canes with more fruit buds encouraging a good balance of vigor and productivity. Also promotes retention of a higher degree of wood to protect against frost
Vallée de la Marne is used exclusively for Meunier. Similar to Guyot
Guyot is commonly used for all grapes in the most highly frost-prone areas.
Which pruning methods can be used in GC and 1er cru vineyards?
Only Chablis (cane pruned), and Cordon de Royat (especially PN)
Who makes Clos du Moulin?
Cattier, 1952 .
The third specific site Champagne
Who were the first three to make Champagne from site specific areas?
Salon, 1905
Philipponat, Clos des Goisses, 1935
Cattier Clos du Moulin 1952
Who makes Grande Sandree?
Drappier
What was the first Special Club?
1971, Reserve Special Les Chetillions
Pierre Peters
How much sugar will originate 1 atmosphere?
4 grams
Which iconic producer store his reserve wine in barrels?
Roederer
What percentage of PN would you find in the Cotes de Blanc?
Where mostly?
2%
Vertus
Name 3 lieu-dits cuvée from Selosse
"Les Chantereines" in Avize "Chemin de Châlons" located in Cramant. Les Carelles in Le Mesnil-sur-Oger La Côte Faron Ay Le Bout de Clos from Ambonnay Sous Le Mont from Mareuil sur Ay
Who makes Exquisé?
Selosse, is a demi sec Champagne
Who is Andre Julien?
He was the first person to do a comprehensive effort classifying the Champagne vineyards in 1796.
Epinette, Morillon blanc and Romeret are all synonyms for which grape in Champagne?
Chardonnay
Where is the city of Troyes?
This is the main city in the Cote des Bars. It was the largest trading center in Medical Europe- was right on the spice route.
What are the two subregions of the Cote des Bars?
Barsequanais
Bar-Sur-Aubois
What is the dominant grape planted in the villages of Trepail and Villers-Marmery?
Both are premier cru vineyards in the Montagne-de-Reims. While the Grande Montagne is regarded as Pinot noir terroir, its eastern villages Trapail and Villers-Marmery are planted almost entirely with Chardonnay. David Leclapart is best in Trepail, and A. Margaine in Villers-Marmary. Some have called this portion of the mountain “Perle Blanche.”
Who produces “Grande Sendree?”
Drappier
Who makes joyeaux de France?
Boizel
Who makes Clos St Hilaire?
Billecart Salmon
