Champagne & Sparkling Wines

Question 1

Methods of Sparkling Wine

Answer 1

Traditional Method

Charmat or Tank Method

Transfer Method

Methode Ancestrale

Question 2

Champagne

Answer 2

Location: NE France
City: Paris, Reims
Climate: Continental cool, 49oN parallel, Threat of rain, frost, hail
Soil: Limestone, chalk
Grapes: Chardonnay (30%), Pinot Noir (38%), Meunier (32%)
Viticulture: blends of grapes, regions/ vineyards, vintages
Method: Traditional
Major Brands: Krug, Louis Roederer, Veuve Clicquot, Dom Perignon
Top vintages: ???

Question 3

Levels of Sweetness of Champagne

Answer 3

Brut Nature - No Dose - Bone Dry
Extra Brut - Very Dry
Brut - Dry (most common)
Extra Dry - Off-Dry
Sec - Semi Sweet
Demi Sec - Sweet
Doux - Very Sweet

Question 4

Champagne Wine Law & Champagne AOP

Answer 4

Lots of wine laws: Sparkling wine made via the traditional method / méthode traditionelle, 7 types of grape varietals allowed, harvest by hand, vintage declared, req’d aging

Champagne Sub-Regions
Vallée de la Marne, Côte des Blancs, Montagne de Reims

Question 5

Champagne Aging Requirements

Answer 5

Non-Vintage (NV) - Lees (min 12mo), Total Age (min 15mo)

Vintage - Total Age (min 36mo), Many producers far exceed the minimum

Question 6

Champagne Label Info

Answer 6

Styles: Rosé, Blanc de blancs, Blanc de noirs

Cuvées: Single vineyard “mono-parcelle”, Single village “monocru”, Cuvée de prestige or tête de cuvée, self-designated best

Producers: Négociant (buys grapes), Grower

Vintage or non-vintage

Question 7

Traditional Method or Méthode Traditionnelle or Méthode Champenoise

Answer 7

1. Make Base Still Wine: Grapes pressed quickly & gently to avoid color from skins and oxidation, Base wine: light color, low alcohol, high acid, Fermentation in stainless steel or wood
2. Assemblage of “Cuvée” Blend: Grapes, Regions / villages / vineyards, Vintages (non-vintage)
3. Secondary Fermentation to Create Bubbles: Liqueur de tirage added, Bottle sealed with crown cap, Yeast metabolizes sugar, CO2 gas is trapped in bottle
4. Sur Lie Aging: Gradual breakdown of yeast cells “autolysis”, Wine on lees (min 12mo), Total aging (min 15mo)
5. Riddling “Remuage”: Gradual movement of lees to neck of bottle by slowly inverting bottle, Done by hand or (mostly) machine
   * Pupitre by hand - 60 bottle capacity, 8wk
   * Gyropalette - 504 bottle capacity, 8 days
6. Disgorging “dégorgement”: Removing yeast from bottle, Neck of bottle frozen with collected sediment, Frozen “puck” ejected, Done by hand and (mostly) machine
7. Dosage: Liqueur d’expédition, Sugar and wine mixture, Added after disgorgement, Amount of sugar added determines style category & sweetness level

Question 8

Transfer Method

Answer 8

Bottles disgorged under pressure into large tanks then filtered and rebottled

Advantages: Lees contact, Eliminates riddling, Used for large and extra small bottles, sometimes used in Champagne AOP

Question 9

Charmat Method or Cuve Close

Answer 9

Secondary fermentation in pressurized tanks (4-5 days), Wine filtered then bottled

Advantages: Saves time, Less costly: No riddling or disgorging, Best process for aromatic varieties/ no lees flavors retained

Ex Prosecco (Glera), Moscato d’Asti (Moscato Bianco)

Question 10

Méthode Ancestrale or Pétillant Naturel

Answer 10

Fermentation is paused mid-way, Wines are bottled and the
fermentation finishes, CO2 is trapped in the bottle, When the desired level of CO2 is reached, wines are chilled again, riddled and disgorged just like the traditional method

Question 11

French Sparkling Wine

Answer 11

Crémant: Non-Champagne sparkling wine, Produced by méthode traditionnelle/ méthode classique

Ex Crémant de Bourgogne, Crémant d’Alsace, Crémant de Loire

Question 12

Italian Sparking Wine

Answer 12

Asti DOCG (Piedmont) & Moscato d’Asti DOCG (Piedmont)
* Charmat Method

Prosecco (Veneto)
* Charmat Method

Lambrusco (Emilia-Romagna) - red sparkling
* Charmat Method

Franciacorta DOCG (Lombardy)
* Classic Method/ Metodo Classico/ Metodo Tradizionale

Grapes: Chardonnay, Pinot Bianco (Pinot Blanc), Pinot Noir

Question 13

Spanish Sparkling Wine

Answer 13

More sparkling wine made than any other country, mainly in Catalonia

Cava
* Traditional Method

Grapes: Xarel-lo, Parellada, Macabeo

Question 14

En tirage

Answer 14

On yeast, secondary fermentation step in sparking

Question 15

Autolysis

Answer 15

Dead yeast cells break down and their amino acids are absorbed into the wine

Question 16

Remuage

Answer 16

Riddling, gradual movement of lees to neck of bottle by slowly inverting bottle, Done by hand or (mostly) machine

Question 17

Dégorgement

Answer 17

Yeast and sediment removal in methode champenoise

RD, late disgorged

Question 18

Liqueur d’expédition

Answer 18

Dosage, Sugar and wine mixture, Added after disgorgement, Amount of sugar added determines style category & sweetness level

Question 19

Frizzante and Spumante

Answer 19

Light and full sparkling (Italian)