Champagne/Sparkling Flashcards
Define Remuage
Riddling, turning the bottles during secondary fermentation to move the yeast sludge towards the neck of the bottle
Define Dégorgement
Disgorgement, removing the yeast cells in sparkling wine production through an expulsion of wine and sediment
Who released the first “Brut” Champagne
Pommery with their “Nature” label in 1874
What is the only AOP/AOC that does not need to include “Appellation Controlee/ protegee on the label
Champagne
Who is the oldest champagne house, originally producing only still wine
Gosset est in 1584
Who is the oldest sparkling wine exclusive champagne house
Ruinart, est 1729
What are the two major soil types of champagne
Belemnite: Porous Chalk with lots of limestone attributed to higher acidity
Mircraster: Chalk characteristic of the valley vineyards
Where in champagne is Clay a dominant soil type
The Aube
Name the authorized grapes for Champagne production
- Chardonnay
- Pinot Noir
- Pinot Meunier
- Pinot Blanc
- Pinot Gris (Fromenteau)
- Arbane
- Petit Meslier
What is the most planted grape of Champagne
Pinot Noir
Name the pruning methods authorized in Champagne
- Cordon de Royat
- Chablis
- Vallée de la Marne (Only for Meunier)
- Guyot (Both double and simple)
What is a marc in Champagne
A marc is a measurement of resulting grape must from grapes. Only 2,550 liters per 4,000Kg of grape may be pressed; this is also the amount held in a traditional Coquard basket press
What Champagne Grand Cru is considered a premier cru for white grapes
Tour-Sur-Marne in the Vallee de la Marne
What Champagne Grand Cru is considered a premier cru for red grapes
Choilly in the Cote de Blanc
Name the 5 districts of Champagne
- Montagne de Reims
- Vallée de la Marne
- Cote des Blancs
- Cote de Sézanne
- Cote des Bars (Aube)
Define Blocage
Reserving wine stocks in Champagne for use in future vintages
Define Deblocage
Releasing reserve wines from previous vintages in Champagne to use in blends
What are the only two premier crus in Champagne with a 99% échelle rating
- Tauxierès in MdR
- Mareuil-sur-Ay in VdM
Name the Grand Crus of the Montagne de Reims from North to South
- Sillery
- Puisieulx
- Beaumont-sur-Vesle
- Verzenay
- Mailly
- Verzy (Added in 1985)
- Louvois
- Bouzy
- Ambonnay
Name the Grand Crus of the Vallée de la Marne
- Ay
- Tours-sur-Marne (Red grapes only)
What grand cru in Champagne is authorized for red grapes only
Tour-sur-Marne in the Vallee de la Marne,. It is a premier cru for white grapes
What grand cru of Champagne is authorized for white grapes only
Chouilly in the Cote des Blancs. It is a premier cru for red grapes
Name the grand crus of the Cote de Blancs from North to South
- Chouilly (White grapes only, added in 1985)
- Oiry (Added in 1985)
- Cramant
- Avize
- Oger (Added in 1985)
- Le Mesnil-sur-Oger (Added in 1985)
What grand crus of champagne were added after 1985
- Verzy (MdR)
- Chouilly (CdB)
- Oiry (CdB)
- Oger (CdB)
- Le Mesnil-sur-Oger
Define NM
“Negociant Manipulant” A hopuse that purchases grapes for base wines. They may own some of their own vineyards or they may not
Define RM
“Recoltant Manipulant” Grower-producer making champagne from estate grown fruit. 95% of the grapes must come from the producer’s own vineyards
Define CM
“Cooperative Manipulant” Grower cooperative producing wine under a single brand
Define RC
‘Recoltant Cooperateur” A grower whose grapes are vinified at a cooperative but the wine is sold under his own label
Define SR
“Societe de Recoltants” A firm, not a cooperative, set up by a union of growers who share resources to make their wines and market several brands
Define ND
“Negotiant Distribteur” Middleman company that distributes Champagne it did not make
Define MA
“Marque d’Acheteur” A “Buyers own brand” often a large supermarket or restaurant that purchases champagne and sells it under its own label
Define vin de Cuvée
The first 2,050 liters of a marc of grapes (4,000kg) which is the best juice
Define vin de taille
The following 500 liters of juice pressed from a marc of grapes (4,000kg) which is richer and more pigmented than the vin de cuvee. it may be sold off or used as a structural element in the blend
Define rêbeche
Third pressing of Champagne required by law to comprise 1-10% of the total which is used for distillate production, not champagne
Define débourbage
Allowing sediment to settle in wine
Define liqueur de tirage
Mixture of still wine, yeasts, sugar and fining agents added to still wine to start a second fermentation inside the bottle
Define prise de mousse
“Capture the sparkle” which is another term for second fermentation
Define bidule
Plastic capsule inside a crown cap which helps to capture sediment during remuage (riddling)
What is the atmospheric pressure of champagne
5-6 atmospheres
Define sur latte
Horizontal storage of champagne bottles during second fermentation
Define pointage
Historic method of briskly shaking champagne bottles before disgorgement to prevent yeast from sticking to the sides of the bottle
What is the capacity of a gyropalette
504 bottles
What is the capacity of a pupitre
60 bottles, although many places have replaced this A shaped bottle storage style for gyropalattes
Define sur pointe
Vertical standing of champagne bottles after riddling prior to disgorgement
Define liqueur d’expedition
Dosage: liquid mixture of sugar syrup and wine to adjust the final sweetness level of champagne
Discuss the 6 categories of sweetness for champagne and the residual sugar levels
- Extra Brut: 0-6 g/L
- Brut: 0-12 g/L
- Extra Dry: 12-17 g/L
- Sec: 17-32 g/L
- Demi-Sec: 32-50g/L
- Doux: 50+ g/L
As of 2011 there is an allowed 3g/L margin of error
How much of a years harvest may be used for vintage champagne
80%
What are the aging requirements for non vintage and vintage champagne
Non-Vintage: 15 months total 12 of which must be on the lees
Vintage: 36 months
Describe the varying bottle sizes in champagne and their volumes
- Quarter bottle (Piccolo): 187mL
- Half Bottle (Demi): 375mL
- Bottle: 750mL
- Magnum: 1.5L
- Jeroboam: 3L
- Rheoboam: 4.5L (Discontinued in 1989)
- Methuselah: 6L
- Salmanazar: 9L
- Balthazar: 12L
- Nebuchadnezzar: 15L
- Solomon: 18L (Called Melchior in Bordeaux)
What is the capacity of a Jeroboam
3L; 4 bottles
What is the capacity of a Rehoboam
4.5L; 6 bottles
What is the capacity of a Methuselah
6L; 8 bottles
What is the capacity of a Salmanazar
9L; 12 bottles
What is the capacity of a Balthazar
12L; 16bottles
What is the capacity of a Nebuchadnezzar
15L; 20 bottles
What is the capacity of a Solomon
18L; 24 bottles
Name 5 special club members
While there are 28 total members, a good handful to know are:
- Gaston Chiquet
- Pierre Gimonnet
- Henri Goutorbe
- Marc Hébrart
- José Michel
- Larmandier Père et Fils
- Nomine-Rénard
- Vazart-Coquart
Name the two still wine AOPs in Champagne
- Coteaux Champenois
- Rosé de Riceys
What style of wine is designated to Rosé de Riceys AOP and where does it come from
Rose wine only from 100% Pinot Noir coming from the village of Les Riceys in the Aube
Describe the Methode Ancestrale
AKA method rurale in which 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 inside the bottle giving the wine its sparkle. Dosage is not allowed. Wine is typically disgorged, filtered and rebottled in clean glass prior to sale.
Name 3 AOPs that produce method ancestrale wines and the names of the wines
- Bugey AOP in Savoie producing Bugey-Cerdon
- Clairette de Die AOP in the Northern Rhone producing Clairette de Die Méthod Dioise Ancestrale
- Gaillac AOP in southwest France producing Gallaic Mousseux Méthode Gaillacoise
Describe the Continuous Method
AKA Russian Continuous Method, developed in the USSR
Base wine is pumped through a series of interconnected tanks while undergoing second fermentation. Liqueur de tirage is constantly added to the wine and lees accumulate in the first several tanks offering more autolysis flavor than charmat method
Which of Selosse’s wines are made in Solera systems
- Substance featuring 100% Chardonnay from Avize
- Contraste featuring 100% Pinot Noir from Ay
With the 2010 release of Selosse’s “lieux-dit” bottling, Contraste is now called “La Cote Faron” to represent the single vineyard origins. There is also “Les Carelles” which is 100% Solera Chardonnay from Le Mesnil
Who produces Charles de Gaulle
Drappier
Who produces Femme de Champagne
Duval Leroy
Who produces Celebris
Gosset
Who produces Cuvee Paradis
Alfred Gratien
Who produces Blanc de Millénaires
Charles Heidsieck
Who produces Cuvée des Enchanteurs
Henriot
Who produces Grand Siècle
Laurent Perrier
What was the first vintage of Dom Perignon
1921
Who produces Nec-Plus-Ultra
Also known as “N.P.U” on the bottle, this wine is made by Bruno Paillard. It is a blend of Chard and Pinot and the first vintage was 1990
Who produces Liesse ‘d’Harbonville
Ployez-Jaquemart. Mostly chard with pinot
Who produces Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill
Pol Roger
Who produces Cuvée Louise
Pommery
What was the first vintage of Dom Ruinart
1959
What was the first vintage of La Grande Dame
1969
Who produces Cuvé Laetitia
Henri Billiot
Who producers Coeur de Cuvée
Vilmart & Cie
Who produces Clos St-Hillaire
Billecart-Salmon
Who produces Grande Sendrée
Drappier
Who produces Clos des Bouveries
Duval-Leroy
Who produces La Crayères
Egly-Ouriet
First vintage of Clos du Mesnil
1979
First vintage of Clos d’Ambonnay
1995
Who produces Les Chétillons
Pierre Peters
Who produces Clos des Goisses
Philipponnant, coming from Mareuil-sur-Ay a blend of mostly Pinot Noir with Chardonnay. The first vintage was 1935
