Champagne Study Guide Flashcards
What two terms may be indicated on a bottle of sparkling wine produced in the method of Champagne but outside Champagne proper? (not Crémant)
méthode traditionnelle (traditional method)
méthode classique (classic method)
Can wines me labeled Champagne outside of the EU?
Yes but they are banned from export to the EU.
When did the English begin bottling casks of Champagne in their superior coal-fired English glass for bottling?
late 17th century (late 1600s) making them likely the first to enjoy proper Champagne
What house can claim itself as the oldest Champagne house still in operation today? Which house can claim that it’s the oldest house that was founded for the intentional production of sparkling wine?
Gosset (1584)
Ruinart (1729)
What was André François’s contribution to Champagne?
He identified the measurement of the precise amount of sugar required to induce secondary fermentation without breaking a bottle.
What was Veuve Clicquot’s major contribution to Champagne?
Their cellar master pioneered the practice of remuage (riddling)
Who produced Champagne’s first commercially successful dry Champagne? When was this and what was it called?
Pommery (1874)
Pommery “Nature”
What is unique to Champagne in regards to AOC/AOP labeling?
Champagne AOP is the only AOC/AOP that does not need to include Appellation Contrôlée (or Protégée) on the label
What stimulated widespread fraud in Champagne in regards to production in the late 19th century?
The arrival of phylloxera caused unscrupulous producers to import sparkling wine from outside the region and they would attempt to pass the wine off as Champagne.
What caused growers in Champagne to revolt in 1911?
Merchant houses were colluding to drive the price of grower’s grapes down while in the meantime were importing fruit from outside the region for production.
What vintage during WWI was considered one of the finest vintages of the 20th century?
1914
What is the CIVC, who created it, when and why? What is its role today?
Comité Interprofessionnel du Vin de Champagne is a consortium of growers, producers, and shippers.
Created by Count Robert-Jean de Vogüé of Moët et Chandon in 1941 to represent the Champagne industry and protect its interests in the face of Nazi occupation
Today, remains a powerful force in the complex mediation between the large Champagne houses and the numerous smaller growers from who they source.
What does the Contrôle des Structures prohibit in regards to vineyard ownership of large houses? What does this provide for the growers?
They may not own more than fifteen owned or rented ha.
This provides the growers with a strong voice despite selling under a quarter of all wine produced
What was the inaugural vintage of Dom Pérignon? What trend did this start?
1921
Starts the trend of houses making a tête de cuvée, or prestige cuvée- a premier bottling often carrying a vintage date.
What trend started in the 1970s as vineyard capacity topped out for production in Champagne?
Champagne’s biggest names began establishing sparkling winemaking operations in other countries
What did the INAO decide to do in 2009 regarding villages for Champagne production?
They increased the number of eligible villages from 319 to 357
The region of Champagne is located along what parallel?
48th
What is the mean annual temperature in Champagne? Because of this what is variable and what practice in regards to production does this facilitate?
50F
Due to this the climate is quite variable from year to year requiring houses of Champagne to blend between vintages to achieve a consistency in their house styles.
What are the major concerns in the vineyard year in and year out in Champagne’s Atlantic influenced climate?
Frost, rain, fungal disease and hail.
What is rains biggest threat at the beginning of the growing season other than frost?
Other than frost rain often interrupts flowering, resulting in a bouvreaux, or second crop, that rarely ripens and is left on the vine
What is a bouvreaux?
A second crop on the vine resulting from interrupted flowering. It is left on the vine but rarely ripens
What is the dominant soil type of Champagne’s slopes? What is the most dominant soil type in Champagne’s valleys?
Belemnite Chalk on the slopes
Micraster chalk in the valley vineyards
What is Belemnite Chalk and what benefits does it provide for the vineyards?
Porous subsoil high in limestone content located in the vineyards on the slopes of Champagne derived from fossilized remains of millions of extinct cephalopods
Allows vine roots to dig deeply and is linked to increased acidity. It also absorbs heat to protect the vines at night and provides excellent drainage in the wet climate.
What is the dominant soil type of the Aube region?
Clay
What two soil types are commonly topsoils over the much desired chalk soils in Champagne?
Sand and Clay
What are the three principal grapes for Champagne production?
Chardonnay
Pinot Noir
Meunier (formerly Pinot Meunier)
What is the most planted grape in Champagne?
Pinot Noir (38%) Chardonnay and Meunier (31%)
Which grapes are the most commonly used in a producer’s NV house style?
Usually a blend of all three of the principal grapes .
What does Pinot Noir contribute to a Champagne blend?
Supports the wine’s structure, richness, and body
What does Chardonnay contribute to a Champagne blend?
Provides elegance and longevity
What does Meunier contribute to a Champagne blend?
Youthful fruitiness, early maturing richness and approachability
Other than the three principal grapes, which other grapes are permitted in select areas?
Pinot Blanc Vrai
Arbane
Pinot Gris
Petit Meslier
What are the four permitted pruning methods in Champagne?
Cordon de Royat
Chablis
Vallée de la Marne
Guyot (double and simple)
On average what is the average age of vines in Champagne? Why?
20 years because the productivity of old vines is undesirable to most houses in Champagne.
What max yield of juice was set by the CIVC in 1992 for Champagne pressings?
102L of must for every 160kg of grapes or 2550L/4,000kg (a marc of grapes)
Why is the max yield for a Champagne pressing for 4,000kg?
This is the amount held in a traditional Coquard basket press.
A majority of Champagne houses are located in which three cities?
Reims
Épernay
Aÿ
What are the five districts of Champagne? Main grape in each?
Montagne de Reims (Pinot Noir) Vallée de la Marne (Meunier) Côte des Blancs (Chardonnay) Côte de Sézanne (Chardonnay) Côte des Bars /the Aube (Pinot Noir)
Why is Meunier heavily planted in the Vallée de la Marne?
Because it is late budding and early ripening, Meunier is planted heavily in the frost-prone region.
The slopes of the Montagne de Reims face mostly in what directions?
North and South, though the lower plains of the north are too cold for viticulture.
How does cru status in Champagne differ from that in Burgundy?
Cru refers to the entire village rather than a specific vineyard or plot of land
How many Grand Cru villages are there in Champagne? Premier Cru villages?
17 Grand Cru
42 Premier Cru
What are the CIVC’s main responsibilities today? (4)
mediates relations between growers and producers and oversees the production methods and promotion of Champagne.
regulates the size of harvest
authorizes blocage and deblocage (respectively the reserve and release of wine stocks for use in future vintages)
safeguards the protected designation of Champagne
Up until 1990, the CIVC set the price of grapes through the Échelle des Crus, a percentile system by which the villages, or crus, of the Champagne appellation are rated. What were the corresponding Echelle des Crus value ranges for each cru level? What did this mean?
Grand Cru (100) Premier Cru (90-99) Cru (below 90)
The value would indicate the percent of a set price for grapes sold in Champagne for that harvest the producer would be able to sell their grapes for.
Which two premiers crus were the only to receive a score of 99 on the Echelle des Crus scale?
Mareuil-sur-Aÿ (Vallée de la Marne)
Tauxières (Montagne de Reims)
As of 1990, in regards to pricing for Champagne grapes, what does the CIVC use that departs from the original Echelles des Crus system?
They recommends, rather than regulates pricing, and supervises the exchange between growers and Champagne houses in order to promote fairness.
When did the CIVS entirely abolish the Echelles des Crus?
Early 2000s
What are the 7 different types of Champagne producers and their initials that are listed on the labels of Champagne they produce?
Négociant Manipulant (NM) Récoltant Manipulant (RM) Coopérative Manipulant (CM) Récoltant Coopérateur (RC) Société de Récoltants (SR) Négociant Distributeur (ND) Marque d'Acheteur (MA)
What is a Négociant Manipulant? What are 5 examples of this kind of producer?
House that purchases grapes and/or base wines from growers and other smaller houses.
Some NMs own portions of their own vineyards; others own none at all.
Moët et Chandon, Louis Roederer, Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin, Billecart-Salmon, Perrier-Jouët, Taittinger, Pol Roger, Mumm, Lanzen, Laurent-Perrier are all examples of this kind of producer.
What is a Récoltant Manipulant?
Grower-producer who makes Champagne from estate-grown fruit. 95% of the grapes must originate in the producer’s own vineyards.
What is the min % of grapes used in production of Champagne that must come from an RM’s vineyards in order to qualify for this distinction?
min 95%
What is a Coopérative Manipulant?
A grower’s co-operative that produces the wine under a single brand.
What is a Récoltant Coopérateur?
A grower whose grapes are vinified at a co-operative, but sells the wine under his own label.
What is a Société de Récoltants?
A firm, not a cooperative set up by a union of often related growers, who share resources to make their wines and collectively market several brands.