Champagne - Viti and Viniculture Flashcards
Can you call a sparkling wine Champagne if its not from Champagne, France
No, if the wine isn’t made from Champagne, France it legally can’t be called Champagne. It can be called methode traditionalle or methode classique
Yeast goes dormant at what temp?
50 degrees Fahrenheit
What is the method of Champagne used to make sparkling wine from Champagne, France
Methode Champenoise
What are the two separate fermentations involved in Methode Champenoise?
- Create a still wine ( Vin Clair)
2. Prisse Demousse - In a bottle create and trap carbonation
What is the soil type of Champagne?
Chalk under tones of limestone, clay, sand and marl
What is assemblage?
Process of blending done by the cellar master to make a house blend
What are the two main rivers of Champagne?
Velse River - Montage de Reims
Marne River - Vallee de la Marne
What are the two main cities in the region of Champagne?
Reims
Epernay
What region in Champagne does the city of Reims reside in?
Montage de Reims
What region is closest to the city of Epernay?
Vallee de la Marne
If a Champagne is 100% Chardonnay which region was it probably produced in?
Côte de Blancs
If a Champagne is 100% Pinot Noir which region was it probably produced in?
Montage de Reims
What are the two forms of pressing Champagne grapes?
Cuvee - First Pressing
Taille - Second pressing, add with cuvee to make vintage or nonvintage champagne
What are the 5 regions of Champagne?
North to South
- Montage de Reims
- Vallee de la Marne
- Cote des Blancs
- Cote de Sezanne
- Cote des Bars (The Aube)
What is Remuage?
This is the process where the bottle is lightly shaken (either by hand or machine) in a way to gather the spent lees in the bottle towards the neck of the bottle
When no sugar is added and the wine is bone dry it is called?
Brut Nature
A minimal amount of sugar is added that is barely perceivable, causing the wine to be dry. This the most popular style of Champagne produced?
Brut
Some sugar is added, making the wine off dry. The second most popular style of Champagne?
Extra Sec or Extra Dry
What are Champagne vineyards called?
Houses
What grape is a clone of Pinot Noir
Pinot Meunier
What characteristic does Chardonnay have in sparkling wine?
Finesse
What characteristic does Meunier have in sparkling wine?
Fruit Character
What characteristic does Pinot Noir have in sparkling wine?
Body and Structure
The dead deposit of dead yeast or residual yeast and other particles that precipitate, or are carried by the action of “fining”, to the bottom of a vat of wine after fermentation and aging is called?
Lees
What is the most common champagne style?
Non Vintage
Expelling the sediments from the title after remuage is called?
Disgorgement
What grape accounts for the largest acreage in Champagne?
Pinot Noir
What is the southernly region in Champagne?
Cote des Bar (The Aube)
Which of the following methods involves a single fermentation that begins in the tank but concludes in the bottle
Methode Ancestrale
If a champagne is Blanc de Noir it is 100% what?
Black grapes but mainly Pinot Noir
If a champagne is blanc de blanc it is 100% what?
Chardonnay
True or False
Louis Roederer produces the prestige cuvee “Dom Perignon”
False - the prestige cuvee for Louis Roederer is Cristal
The number of grams of sugar added after disgorgement is called?
Liqueur D’ Expedition also known as dosage
What is another name for Dosage?
Liquer D’Expedition
What is liqueur de Tirage?
Before the second fermentation the addition of sugar, wine and yeast
What are the steps of Methode Champenoise?
Harvest
Pressing Grapes (Whole Cluster only)
Fermentation
Assemblage - Making still wine
Liqueur de Tirage
Second Fermentation
Riddling
Desgorgement
Liqueur D’Expedition (Dosage)
Recorking
Aging
How many bottles are on a Pupitre?
60 Bottles
How many bottles does a Gyropallate hold?
504 Bottles
What is the minimum aging for nonvintage wine?
15 months
What is the minimum aging for vintage wine?
36 months
What are some common Champagne aromas?
Apple
Toast
Citrus
Yeast
Hazelnuts / Walnuts
What is the oldest sparkling Champagne House?
Ruinart - established in 1729 as a sparkling wine house
Who developed the formula for secondary fermentation?
A pharmacist named Andre - Francois along with Jean - Antoine Chapal (chaptalization)
Who created the first brut champagne?
Pommery in 1874
What is special about Champagne labeling?
They are the only appellation that is not required to state AOP / AOC on the label
How and why was the CIVIC created?
It was formed during Nazi occupation in 1941 by Count Robert Jean de Vogue of Moet to protect the interest of the Champenois from the Nazis
What was the first vintage of Dom Perignon
1921 but was released in 1936
What is belemnite chalk?
Derived from cephalopods (ancient squid)
What is micraster chalk?
Derived from sea urchins - common in the valley
What are the pruning methods allowed in Champagne?
Cordon de Royat
Chablis
Vallee de la Marne
Guyot (single and double)
What grapes other than the three major grapes are permitted in Champagne? Also known as Heirloom grapes?
Arbane
Pinot Gris
Petit Meslier
Pinot Blanc Vrai
What is the pressing limit enforced by the CIVIC since 1993?
102 L per 160kg of grapes
2,500L per 4,000kg of grapes (size of a coequard press) also called a Marc
What does blocage and deblocage mean?
Blocage - the reserve of wine stock for use in future vintages
Deblocage - the release of those reserve wine stocks
What is a matriculation number?
A number assigned to each producer by the CIVIC
What does NM mean on a Champagne label?
Negoicant Manipulant
- a house that purchases grape or base wine.
- They may also own their own vineyards
What does RM mean on a bottle of champagne?
Recoltant Manipulant
- a grower producer who makes wine from estate fruit 96% must come from their own vineyards
What does CM mean on a bottle of champagne?
Cooperative Manipulant
- A grower cooperative that produces a wine under one brand
Where does RC mean on a bottle of champagne?
Recoltant Cooperateur
- A grower whose grapes are vinified at a co-operative but is labeled as their own brand
What does SR mean on a bottle of champagne?
Societe de Recoltants
- a firm, not a cooperative of growers often related who pool their resources to vinify their wines and market them under several brands
What does ND mean on a bottle of champagne?
Negociant Distributer
- a middleman company, that distributes Champagne that they did not make
Where was Dom Perignon cellar master?
The Abbey of Hautviller from 1668 til 1715
What does Petillant mean?
Semi Sparkling
What does Demi Mousseux mean?
Cremont
What is the oldest champagne house still in operation today?
Gosset - established in 1584, was founded as a still wine producer
Who is Madame Barbe - Nicole Ponsardin
The Veuve Cluquot
What did Madame Barbe Nicole Ponsardin pioneer once she took over the house of Clicquot
The development of the pupitre
What was the name of the first brut champagne produced by Pommery in 1874?
Pommery Nature
When was Champagne enshrined into the AOC / AOP
June 29, 1936
What is the Commission de Chalons
Founded in 1936 in Champagne as a consortium of growers and merchants to develop quality standards and regulate pricing
What are some of the wars that have taken place in or around Champagne?
Hundred Years War
16th Century Religious Conflicts
Thirty Years War
World War I
World War II
How many villages are authorized to grow grapes for Champagne
357
Pinot Noir is the prominent grapes in what districts in Champagne
Montage de Reims
Cote des Bars (The Aube)
Chardonnay is the dominant grape of what regions in Champagne
Cote Sezanne
Cote des Blancs
Pinot Meunier is the dominant grape for what region in Champagne
Vallee de la Marne
Who can receive Cru status in Champagne
Cru status is awarded to the entire village in Champagne, rather than an individual vineyard or house
How many Grand Cru villages are their in Champagne
17
How many Premier Cru villages are their in Champagne
42
What does the CIVIC regulate
- Size of Harvest
- Authorizes blocage and deblocage
- Safeguards the protected designation of Champagne
What is the percentile system by which villages or Crus of Champagne appellations are rated
Echelle de Crus
If a village achieved the maximum echelle (scale) of 100in Champagne what is it called
Grand Cru
If a village achieved an echelle of 99 to 90 they are classified as
Premier Cru
What are the only Premier Cru Villages with an 99% ranking
Tauxieres - Montage de Reims
Mareuil-sur-Ay - Vallee de la Marne
Villages in Champagne with a rating below 90 are classified as
Crus
Large Champagne houses such as:
Moet et Chandon
Louis Roederer
Vueve Cliqout Ponsardin
Tattinger
Pol Roger
Perrier - Jouet
GH Mumm
Laurent - Perrier
All fall under what type of champagne produced
Negociant Manipukant
What is a MA
Marque d’Acheteur - buyers own brand, often a large supermarket chain or restaurant that purchases Champagne and sells it under its own label
The vin de cuvee while pressing accounts for the first _________ liters of juice
2,050 liters
The vin de taille when pressing grapes for champagne accounts for following ______ liters, following the extraction of the vin de cuvee juices.
500 liters
During the primary fermentation of the still wine during the making of champagne, what type of barrels are used?
Stainless Steel
Oak - some used oak barrels are used but new oak barrels are common as well
What is the heart of the Methode Champenoise process
The second fermentation
What is Prise de Mousse
The prise de mousse is the operation during which the still wine, once placed in the bottle, turns into sparkling wine by a second fermentation.
What type of bottle cap is used during the second fermentation
A crown cap
What is a bidule
A plastic capsule that captures the sediment during Remuage
How long does the second fermentation process last
Up to 8 weeks
During the second fermentation the carbon dioxide creates a pressure inside the bottle of __________ to ________ atmosphere
5 to 6
What is it called when each bottle is briskly shaken in order to prevent the sediment from sticking to the side of the bottles
Pointage
What is degorgement a la grace
The dulling the neck of bottles into a freezing brine solution
What is degorgement a la volee
An older method of disgorgement
This method is done by hand. A person removes the crown cap with a opener to release sediment out of the bottle
What is the mixture of dosage
Sugar, syrup, and wine
What is the maximum amount of years harvest may be sold as vintage Champagne
80%
What are Coteaux Champenois and Rose de Riceys
The still wine appellations within Champagne
What type of wines are made in Coteaux Champenois
Red Wine
White Wine
What is the name of the still wine that makes champagne
Vin Clair
What does atmospheric pressure mean
A measure of atmospheric pressure:
1 atmosphere = 15 pounds per square inch
What are the 5 departments of Champagne
Aisne Aube Marne Haut Marne Seine et Marne
What department accounts for the most planting of vines in Champagne
Marne at 66%
How many villages make up champagne
330 villages
How many Grand Crus are there in Champagne
17
Before 1985 how many Grand Crus were their in Champagne
12
How many 1er Cru are their in Champagne
42
What directions do most slopes face in Champagne
Predominantly south, east and southeast - facing slopes
Pinot Noir is the dominant grape in what areas in Champagne
Montage Reims
The Aube (Cote des Bar)
Meunier is the dominant grape in what areas in Champagne
Vallee de la Marne
Chardonnay is the dominant grape in what area in Champagne
Cote Des Blancs
What percentage of Pinot Noir is grown in Champagne
Pinot Noir makes up 38%
What percentage of Meunier is grown in Champagne
Meunier makes up 32%
What percentage of Chardonnay is grown in Champagne
Chardonnay makes up 30%