Champagne & French Sparkling Flashcards
1
Q
In what years was Dom Perignon the cellar master at the Abbey of Hautvillers?
A
- 1668 until his death in 1715.
2
Q
Which is the oldest champagne house in France?
A
- Gosset - 1584 as a still wine producer.
- Ruinart - 1729 oldest sparkling Champagne house.
3
Q
What is the soil profile of Champagne?
A
Belemnite Chalk - Porous, derived from the fossilized remains of millions of extinct cephalopods, has a high limestone content.
Micraster Chalk - named for an extinct sea urchin
Kimmeridgian clay - Côte de Bars.
4
Q
List the main regions of Champagne.
A
- Montagne de Reims - Pinot Noir
- Valleé de la Marne - Pinot Meunier
- Côte de Blancs - Chardonnay
- Côte de Sezzane - Chardonnay
- Côte de Bars aka Aube - Pinot Noir.
5
Q
Who mastered the process of remuage?
A
- Madame Barbe-Nicole Ponsardin, the Veuve (“widow”) Clicquot
6
Q
Who produced the first brut Champagne?
A
Pommery put the first brut Champagne, Pommery “Nature,” on the market in 1874.
7
Q
What is bouvreux?
A
Second crop that develop from rain during flowering and rarely ripens and left on vine.
8
Q
Major Champagne houses are located within which towns?
A
- Reims
- Epernay
- Ay
9
Q
Who controls the AOP regulations of Champagne?
A
Comité Interprofessionel du Vin de Champagne (CIVC) - 1941
10
Q
What are the grapes permitted for Champagne?
A
- Chardonnay - 31%
- Pinot Noir - 38%
- Pinot Meunier - 31%
- Arbane
- Petit Meslier
- Pinot Blanc
- Pinot Gris
11
Q
What pruning methods are used in Champagne?
A
- Guyot
- Double Guyot
- Chablis
- Cordon de Royat
- Vallée de la Marne - Pinot Noir
12
Q
What is the role of the major grape varieties in the Champagne blend?
A
- Chardonnay provides elegance and longevity.
- Pinot Noir supports the wine’s structure, richness and body.
- Meunier lends a youthful fruitiness and approachability.
13
Q
What is l’Echelle-des-crus Champagne?
A
A grading system for Champagne villages based on:
- Soil
- Microclimate
- Altitude
- Aspect
- Grape Variety
14
Q
What terms can graded villages use?
A
100% - Grand Cru Classé
90-99% - Premier Cru Classé
80-89% - Cru Classé
15
Q
Which premier cru villages were rated 99% in the l’echelle des crus?
A
- Mareuil-sur-Ay
- Tauxieres
16
Q
Name the Grand Cru Classé villages of Montagne de Reims.
A
- Ambonnay
- Beaumont-sur-Vesle
- Bouzy
- Louvois
- Mailly Champagne
- Puisieulx
- Sillery
- Verzenay
- Verzy
17
Q
Name the Grand Cru Classé villages of Valle de la Marne.
A
- Ay
- Tours-sur-Marne
18
Q
Name the Grand Cru Classé villages of Cotes des Blanc.
A
- Avize
- Chouilly
- Cramant
- Oger
- Oiry
- Le Mesnil-sur-Oger
19
Q
What does “CM” stand for?
A
Co-operative de Manipulant
- Co-operative made Champagne
20
Q
What does “NM” stand for?
A
Negociant Manipulant
- Champagne sold as wine made by the house.
21
Q
What does “RM” stand for?
A
Recoltant Manipulant
- Growers Champagne.
22
Q
What does “RC” stand for?
A
Recoltant Cooperateur
- Champagne sold by grower made using his grapes but produced by a co-operative.
23
Q
What does “MA” stand for?
A
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
24
Q
What does “SR” stand for?
A
Societe de Recoltant
- Champagne sold by a company created by Growers.
25
What does "NR" stand for?
Negociant Distributuer
| - Bought, re-branded and distributed Champagne.
26
What bottle sizes of Champagne can be made using la Methodé Champenoise?
- half bottles - 375ml
- bottles - 750ml
- magnums - 1.5l
- jeroboams - 3l
27
What is the quantity of must permitted to be extracted Champagne grapes?
2550L from 4000 kg of grapes.
28
Why is the maximum capacity for yeilds measured to 4000 kgs?
4,000 kg — a marc of grapes, the amount held in a traditional Coquard basket press.
29
What is vin de cuvée?
Initial 2050L of the press.
30
What is vin de taille or premier taille?
Final 500L of the press.
31
What is rebêche?
The "end of pressing", must account for 0-10% of the total, may only be used for distillation.
32
What is the term for base wines in Champagne?
Vins clairs - approximate alcohol content of 11%.
33
What is the term for Secondary fermentation in Champagne?
Prise de mousse.
34
What is pointage?
Briefly shaking of bottle to prevent dead yeast from sticking at the bottle glass before degorgement.
35
Which Champagne houses barrel ferment their base wines?
- Krug
- Bollinger
- Alfred Gratien
- Vilmart
36
What are the wines used for Vintage Champagne?
- Almost 100% blend of wines of the same year.
37
What is liqueur de tirage?
A blend mixed with measured quantities of liquid sugar, yeast, tannin and finnings.
38
What is autolysis?
Gradual breakdown of yeast, adds complexity and flavour desirable in sparkling wine production.
39
What is the lees ageing time in Champagne?
- NV - 15 month's - 12 months on lees
| - Vintage - 36 month's - 12 months on lees.
40
What is a bidule?
A plastic cup under the crown cap to gather the dead yeast cells after secondary fermentation.
41
What is the capacity of a gyro-palette & a pupitre?
Gyro-palette - 42 Dozen or 504 bottles.
| Pupitre - 120 bottles.
42
What are the different methods of dégorgement?
- Traditional - à la volée.
| - Modern - à la galce.
43
What is dosage?
The amount of sugar added, which determines the sweetness of the final bottled champagne.
44
What are the sugar levels for various Champagne styles?
```
Brut Naturelle - 0-3 g/L
Extra Brut - 0-6 g/L
Brut - 0-12 g/L
Extra Sec - 12-17 g/L
Sec - 17-32 g/L
Demi Sec - 32-50 g/L
Doux - 50g/L
```
45
Name the various Champagne bottle sizes.
- 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)
46
What is non-vintage Champagne?
Generally brut in style, the NV cuvée represents a house's signature style.
47
What is Vintage Champagne?
100% of the blend must come from the stated vintage, yet a maximum 80% of a year's harvest may be sold as vintage Champagne.
48
What is Blanc de Blancs Champagne?
100% white grapes (Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc, Arabanne & Petit Meslier).
49
What is Blanc de Noir Champagne?
Champagne made from 100% pinot noir & Pinot Meunier.
50
What are the still wine appellations of Champagne?
- Coteaux Champenois
| - Rosé de Riceys.
51
In which year was Coteaux Champenois AOC created?
- 1974.
52
Name the original 7 villages famous for their still wines.
Red - Aÿ, Bouzy, Cumières, Sillery, and Vertus.
| White - Mesnil and Chouilly.
53
What is Coteaux Champenois?
Coteaux Champenois covers still red, white, and rosé wines from the entire Champagne.
54
What is Rosé de Riceys?
Rosé de Riceys is reserved for 100% Pinot Noir rosé wines produced in Les Riceys, a cru village in the Aube.
55
What are single vineyard wines of Krug?
Clos du Mesnil - 100% Chardonnay
| Clos d'Ambonnay - 100% Pinot Noir
56
What are the single vineyard wines of Salon-Delamotte?
Salon - 100% Chardonnay - Le Mesnil-sur-Oger.
57
What is Ratafia de Champagne?
VDL - made by adding marc brandy to un-fermented grape juice.
58
What is blocage and deblocage?
The reserve and release respectively, of wine stocks for future vintage usage.
59
Which vineyards were added to Grand Cru in 1985?
Chouilly, Mesnil-sur-Oger, Oger, Oiry and Verzy.
60
Name the cremant appellations of France.
- Crémant de Bordeaux
- Crémant de Bourgogne
- Crémant de Loire
- Crémant de Limoux
- Crémant de Die
- Crémant du Jura
- Crémant d'Alsace
- Crémant de Savoie.
61
Describe Crémant de Bordeaux.
- All Bordeaux varietals
- The wines must spend a min. 9 months on the lees prior to dégorgement, and may not be released for a min. 12 months after the date of tirage.
62
Describe Crémant de Bourgogne.
- Min. 30% combined Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, and Pinot Noir; max. 20% Gamay.
- Minimum 9 months of lees aging prior to dégorgement. Wines may be released 12 months from the date of tirage.
63
What is Crémant de Bourgogne "Eminent" & "Grand Eminent"?
"Eminent" - Minimum 2 years of lees aging.
| "Grand Eminent" - Minimum 3 years of lees aging, plus an additional 3 months after dégorgement.
64
Describe Crémant de de Loire.
- Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay, Orbois, Cabernet Franc, Grolleau, Grolleau Gris.
- Minimum 9 months of lees aging prior to dégorgement. Wines may be released 12 months from the date of tirage.
65
Describe Crémant de Limoux.
- Max. 90% combined Chardonnay (min. 50%) and Chenin Blanc (10-40%); plus max. 20% combined Mauzac and Pinot Noir (max. 15%)
- Minimum 9 months of lees aging prior to dégorgement. Wines may be released 12 months from the date of tirage.
66
Describe Crémant de Die.
- Min. 55% Clairette, min. 10% Aligoté, 5-10% Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains.
- Minimum 9 months of lees aging prior to dégorgement. Wines may be released 12 months from the date of tirage.
67
Describe Crémant du Jura.
- Min. 70% combined Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Trousseau.
| - Minimum 9 months of lees aging prior to dégorgement. Wines may be released 12 months from the date of tirage.
68
Describe Crémant d'Alsace.
- Riesling, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Auxerrois, and/or Chardonnay.
- min. 9 months on the lees prior to dégorgement (12 months total aging, with at least 9 months on the lees, is required from the 2012 vintage forward).
69
Describe Crémant de Savoie.
- 40% Jacquère 20% Altesse only + red varieties.
- min. 9 months on the lees prior to dégorgement (12 months total aging, with at least 9 months on the lees, is required from the 2012 vintage forward.)
70
What is méthode rurale?
- Méthode Ancestrale - this 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—liqueur de tirage is unnecessary. Yeasts continue to ferment the remaining sugars in the bottle, giving the wine its sparkle.
71
Name a few examples of Méthode Ancestrale.
- Bugey Cerdon
- Clairette de Die Méthode Dioise Ancestrale
- Gaillac Mousseux Méthode Gaillaçoise
- Blanquette de Limoux Methode Ancestrale
72
What are the grapes for Blanquette de Limoux Methode Ancestrale?
- 100% Mauzac.
73
What is the ageing requirement for Blanquette de Limoux Methode Ancestrale?
- 2 months on less (Single fermentation).
74
What is the minimum alcohol for Blanquette de Limoux Methode Ancestrale?
- 10% abv.
75
What are the grapes for Blanquette de Limoux?
Min. 90% Mauzac + Chardonnay & Chenin Blanc.
76
What is the ageing requirement for Blanquette de Limoux?
- 9 months on lees (traditional method)
77
What is the minimum alcohol for Blanquette de Limoux?
- 9.5% abv.
78
What are the grapes or Clairette de Die Mousseux (Traditional)?
- 100% Clairette
79
What is the min alcohol% for Clairette de Die Mousseux (Traditional)?
- 9% abv.
80
What is the min RS for Clairette de Die Mousseux (Traditional)?
- Max. 15 g/L.
81
What are the grapes or Clairette de Die Methode Dioise Ancestrale?
- Min. 75% Muscat a Petits Grains + Clairette.
82
What is the min RS for Clairette de Die Methode Dioise Ancestrale?
- Min. 35 g/L.
83
What are the ageing requirements for Clairette de Die Mousseux (Traditional)?
- 9 months on lees.
84
What are the ageing requirements for Clairette de Die Methode Dioise Ancestrale?
- 4 months on lees.
85
What are the grapes for Bugey Cerdon?
Gamay & Poulsard.
86
What is the min. RS for Bugey Cerdon?
- Min. 40 g/L.
87
What is the min. alcohol % for Bugey Cerdon?
- Min. 8.5% abv.
88
What are the ageing requirements for Bugey Cerdon?
- Min. 2 months on lees.
89
What grapes are used to produced wines by the Methode Gaillacoise in Gaillac?
Mauzac & Mauzac Rosé.
90
What is the min. alcohol % for Methode Ancestral wines of Gaillac?
- Min. 8% abv.
