Champagne - WIne Laws Flashcards
Champagne region is a large area, what is unusual about it
It falls under a single AOC , like Alsace
What is the échelle des crus created in the early 20th cent?
hierarchy of grape prices. The villages that became grand cru villages (17) had the highest rating and the highest grape prices
How many premier cru villages?
42 of them
How many villages were not grand or premier cru and attracted lower grape prices?
257 villages
How is the price for grapes now set?
The market and in reality , the largest negociant set the price trends as they have the greatest buying power and therefore influence over the market
What is the issue with grand cru and premier cru designations?
They refer to entire villages and not just vineyards. Some vineyards have better slope, aspect and care than others and some villages are much larger than others
What effect does this inequality within village grapes have on Village promotion on bottles?
Large champagne houses don’t promote the individual villages but blend from one than one to produce their grand cru or premier cru wines
How many growers in the champagne AOC and what % vineyards do they own?
16000 growers and 90% of vineyards
What do most growers do with their grapes?
Sell to champagne houses or cooperatives
What do brokers and co-operatives traditionally do?
go betweens for the champagne houses to source grapes and base wines from growers
What does NM mean on a label?
négociant manipulant -‘houses’ that buy grapes, must or base wine from growers to make into their own champagne released under their own label.
May be a giant like Moet and Chandon or a smaller enterprise
What does RM mean on a label?
récoltant manipulant - growers or grow, process and make their own wine under their own lobel
What does CM mean on a label?
coopérative de manipulation - they make and market wine from grapes grown by their members eg. Le Mesnil
How does Comité Champagne influence supply?
-annual yield targets set (the amount that can be made into current base wines for the coming year and reserve wine)
What three things influences supply decisions?
- current stock
- world demand
- season progress up to July
% of inexpensive wine (sub 12Euros) has steadily declined while more expensive wine (over 20Euros) has increased, why?
Probably the export market
which market buys the most inexpensive champagne?
the French domestic market
Which country buys the most champagne by volume but for the lowest price per bottle?
United Kingdom
Which countries pay the highest price per bottle of champagne?
As of 2018, it was the USA and Japan
What are the most important export markets in order of volume purchased (2018)
UK, USA, Japan, Germany, Belgium
How many kg of grapes go into the average bottle of champagne?
1.2 kg
What is the price of grapes per kg on average?
Euros 6.10
Name 4 factors that can add to production costs of a bottle fo champagne
- whether grapes are sourced from grand cru and premier cru vineyards
- vintage or non vintage. Vintage cannot be sold for 3 years and so there is a holding cost
- Rosé requires black grapes which are lower yield to provide the concentration and ripeness level required
- use of foudres (large oak casks) for primary fermentation is more expensive than stainless steel
In the big champagne houses, 50 % of the cost of a bottle of champagne is due to what, while 20% and 30% is due to what other factors?
Grapes costs (50%) Marketing (20%) Total Production (30%)
Whats the difference in the way that NMs and RMs distribute their wines?
- Large NMs own their own in-market distribution networks or join conglomerates that facilitate distributions of several large brands
- RMs sell to small distributors who champion grower champagnes and sell to restaurants, retails and individual consumers.
How do RMs market their wine?
Personal appearances in the market to which they hope to sell
Name 5 big trends in champagne?
Shady Bitches Closed Ranks Gleefully
S - Sweetness increase in Demi Sec wines to be consumed over ice or in cocktails (eg Moet Imperial Demi Sec)
B - Brut Nature and Extra Brut becoming more popular
C - Clos or Single Vineyard wines showing greater demand (Krug’s Clos de Mesnil launched in 1989)
R - Rosé shipments have increased 7% in 20 years
G - Grower champagne has increased in popularity and have successful RMs represented in every subregion ( Selosse in the Cote de Blanc, Jacquesson in Montagne de Reims and Drappier in Cote de Bars)
Comité Champagne manages the relationships between which entities?
growers , co-operatives and houses
