Champane General Flashcards
Name the grand cru of the Côtes des Blancs
Avize, Oger, Mesnil sur Oger, Chouilly, Cramant, Oiry
Which of the following is not a premier cru village: Vertus, Cuis, Urville, Hautvillers
Urville (home of Drappier in the Aube)
Which of the following is not an NM: Pommery, Taittinger, Pierre Peters, Veuve Clicquot
Pierre Peters
Why is Pinot Meunier considered the preferential grape to plant in the Vallée de la Marne
The Vallee has a compressed growing season with a shorter summer. Pinot Meunier buds later
making it less susceptible to frost, and ripens better on the clay dominant soils.
Name three requirements to produce a champagne under the Club Tresors label
The producer must be an RM
• The producer must perform all steps of the production process on his or her domaine
• The wines are subject to a tasting both as vin clair and after 3 years in the bottle
• The wine is a single vintage wine, only to be made in outstanding years
• The wines must be bottled in the approved special club bottle emblazoned with the special
club logo
• It must be the producer’s tete de cuvee
Name 3 special club Producers
1 Champagne PAUL BARA 2 Champagne ROLAND CHAMPION 3 Champagne CHARLIER ET FILS 4 Champagne GASTON CHIQUET 5 Champagne DUMÉNIL 6 Champagne FORGET-CHEMIN 7 Champagne FRESNET-JUILLET 8 Champagne PIERRE GIMONNET ET FILS 9 Champagne J.M. GOULARD 10 Champagne HENRI GOUTORBE 11 Champagne GRONGNET 12 Champagne MARC HÉBRART 13 Champagne HERVIEUX DUMEZ 14 Champagne VINCENT JOUDART 15 Champagne JUILLET-LALLEMENT 16 Champagne LARMANDIER PÈRE ET FILS 17 Champagne J. LASSALLE 19 Champagne JOSEPH LORIOT-PAGEL 20 Champagne A. MARGAINE 21 Champagne RÉMY MASSIN ET FILS 22 Champagne JOSÉ MICHEL ET FILS 23 Champagne MOUSSÉ FILS 24 Champagne MOUZON-LEROUX ET FILS 25 Champagne NOMINÉ-RENARD 26 Champagne SALMON 27 Champagne SANCHEZ-LE GUÉDARD 28 Champagne VAZART-COQUART ET FILS 29 Champagne PERTOIS MORISET
What is a bidule
A plastic insert within the crown cap used to catch yeast as the wines are riddled while under
tirage
How long must vintage champagne spend en tirage on its lees
12 months, the same as non-vintage champagne
True or False: Rose de Riceys may be produced from a blend of red and white grapes
False, it is made from exclusively pinot noir
Which grapes may be used for the production of Champagne AOP
Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, Pinot Blanc (vrai), Pinot Gris (aka Fromonteau), Arbane,
Petit Meslier
What is the difference between a wine labelled “Extra Brut” and a wine labelled “Brut Nature”
Extra Brut may receive dosage and produce finished wines with a maximum 6 g/l of residual
sugar, while a Brut Nature may not receive dosage and must produce finished wines with a
maximum of 3 g/l of residual sugar.
What is the allowed residual sugar content for Demi Sec champagne
32-50 grams/l
What is NM?
Négociant Manipulant: A house that purchases grapes and or base wines from growers and other smaller houses. Some NM houses own a significant portion of their own vineyards; others own none at all. Large Champagne houses with the most international presence are invariably in this category: Moët et Chandon, Louis Roederer, Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin, Billecart-Salmon, Lanson, Taittinger, Pol Roger, Perrier-Jouët, Mumm, and Laurent-Perrier. Quality varies widely, although prices are uniformly high. Many houses often fall under the same corporate parentage; for example, Moët et Chandon, Krug, Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin, and Mercier fall under the umbrella of the luxury conglomerate LVMH.
What is RM?
(Récoltant Manipulant): A grower-producer who makes Champagne from estate-grown fruit. 95% of the grapes must originate in the producer’s own vineyards.
What is CM?
(Coopérative Manipulant): A growers’ co-operative that produces the wine under a single brand.
What is RC?
(Récoltant Coopérateur): A grower whose grapes are vinified at a co-operative, but sells the wine under his own label.
What is SR?
(Société de Récoltants): A firm, not a co-operative, set up by a union of often related growers, who share resources to make their wines and collectively market several brands
What is ND?
(Négociant Distributeur): A middleman company that distributes Champagne it did not make.
What is MA?
(Marque d’Acheteur):A buyer’s own brand, often a large supermarket chain or restaurant, that purchases Champagne and sells it under its own label.
What is the sweetness level of Brut Nature?
0-3 grams per liter, no added dosage
What is the sweetness level of Extra Brut?
0-6 grams per liter
What is the sweetness level of Brut?
0-12 grams per liter
What is the sweetness level of Extra Dry?
12-17 grams per liter
What is the sweetness level of Sec?
17-32 grams per liter
What is the sweetness level of Demi Sec?
32-50 grams per liter
What is the sweetness level of Doux?
50+ grams per liter
What is the size of a Jeroboam?
3 L (4 bottles)
What is the size of a Rehoboam? (discontinued in 1989)
4.5 L (6 bottles)
What is the size of a Methuselah?
6 L (8 bottles)
What is the size of a Salmanazar?
9 L (12 bottles)
What is the size of a Balthazar?
12 L (16 bottles)
What is the size of a Nebuchadnezzar?
15 L (20 bottles)
What is the size of a Solomon?
Solomon 18 L (24 bottles)
What is Batonnage?
Lee’s stirring
What is Cepage?
Literally grape variety. Can refer to the ‘recipe’ of grapes that make a particular champagne
What is Debourbage?
The settling process that removesbits of skin, pips and other flotsam and jetsam from the pressed juice
What is Dosage?
Sugar added to the sparkling wine after disgorgement via the liqueur d’expedition
What is Grand Marque?
literally means great brand. Referred to a members of a club until 1997 when it disbanded over disagrreements about what constitutes quality
What is liqueur de Tirage?
The bottling liqueur. Wine, sugar, yeast, and yeast nutrients added to still champagne to induce the mousse
What is the Maillard reaction?
Chemical interactions between amino acids created during autolysis and residual sugar added by dosage. Responsible for many desirable aromas adored by drinkers of mature champagne
Describe the Tank method
A bulk method where secondary fermentation occurs in tank invented by Eugene Charmat
What is Tete de Cuvee?
The first flow of juice during the pressing. The cream of the cuvee. Best balance of acids, sugars and minerals.
What is Remuage?
The process whereby the sediment is encouraged down to the neck of the bottle in preparation for disgorgement
What is the oldest Champagne house?
Gosset founded in 1854 as a still wine producer
Ruinart established in 1729 can claim to be the oldest sparkling house
Who pioneered the process of remuage (riddling)
Madame Barbe-Nicole Ponsardin
When was the AOC system first introduced in France?
1936
In what year did the boundaries of Champagne broaden to meet the burden of demand
- The first major change since 1927. Villages that can grow grapes increased from 319 - 357
At what latitude is champagne located?
between the 48th and 49th paralells
What is the soil type in Champagen?
Porous Belemnite chalk derived from the fossilized remains of millions of extinct cephalopods, has a high limestone content, which allows vine roots to dig deeply and is linked to increased acidity.
A second layer of micraster chalk, named for an extinct sea urchin, characterizes the valley vineyards
A thin layer of clay and sand covers much of the chalk in Champagne; in the Aube to the south clay is the dominant soil type.
What are the authorised grape varieties of Champagne?
Chardonnay Pinot Noir Meunier Pinot Blanc Vrai Arbane Pinot Gris Petit Mesler
What is the most planted grape variety in Champagne
Pinot Noir (38% of total plantings)
What limit did the CIVIC set for juice extraction in champagne in 1992
102 liters of must for every 160 kg of grapes or 2550 litres from 4000kg
Name the pruning methods allowed in champagne
Cordon de Royat
Chablis
Vallée de la Marne
Guyot (double and simple).
How many villages are authorised to grow grapes in CHampagne?
357
Name the 5 districts of champagne
Valle de la Marne Montagne de Reims Cote de Blancs Cote de Sezanne Cote de Bar (Aube)
How many villages in Champagne have grand cru status?
17
How many villages in Champagne have premier cru status?
42
What is the Echelle de Cru?
A percentile system by which the villages, or crus, of the Champagne appellation are rated. Villages that achieved the maximum échelle (“scale”) of 100 were classified as grands crus; villages that achieved an échelle of 90 through 99 were classified as premier cru. Villages with a rating below 90 were simply crus. Originally, the Échelle de Crus was a true percentile system; in 1985 a revision set the minimum rating of the scale at 80.
Which 2 villages had a 99% ranking in the Echelles de Cru
Mareuil-sur-Ay in the Vallée de la Marne and Tauxières in Montagne de Reims
When was the Echelle de Cru abolished entirely?
Early 2000s
What are the 3 extractions of juice called in Champagne
Vin de cuvee
Vin de Taille
rebeche
In Champagne how much extarcted juice is Vin de Cuvee?
The first 2050 litres
In Champagne how much extarcted juice is Vin de Taille?
The following 500 litres after the first 2500 for the Vin de Cuvee
What is Rebeche?
A third extraction required by law that must be 1 - 10% of the total extraction. The rebeche is used for distillate
What is the name of the traditional structure used for riddling?
pupitre
Which piece of equipment has replaced the pupitre ifor riddling in many champagne houses?
Gyropallate
How many kilos of grapes fit in a traditional coquard press?
4000 kilos
What are the lees ageing requirements for non vintage champagne?
must be aged for at least 15 months with a minimum 12 months on lees
What are the ageing requirements for vintage champagne?
must be aged for a minimum 36 months
What % of grapes must come from the stated vintage in vintage champagne?
100%
What % of a champagne houses total output can be sold as vintage champagne?
85%
How many Grand Cru villages are there in the Montagne de Reims?
9
Name the Grand Cru villages of the Montagne de Reims
Sillery Puisieulx Beaumont - Sur -Vesle Verzanay Mailly-Champagne Verzy Louvois Bouzy Ambonnais
Name the Grand Cru Villages of the Valle de la Marne
Ay
Tours-sur-Marne
Name the Grand Cru Villages of the Cotes des Blanc
Chouilly Oiry Cramant Avize Oger Mesnil-sur-Oger
How many Premier Cru villages are there in the Valle de la Marne?
26
How many Premier Cru Villages are there in the Montagne de Reims?
7
How many Grand Cru villages are there in the Cote de Blancs?
9
Name 5 Premier Cru Vineyards of the Valle de la Marne
Avenay-Val-d'Or Bezannes Billy-le-Grand Chamery Chigny-les-Roses Cormontreuil Coulommes-la-Montagne Écueil Jouy-lès-Reims Ludes Les Mesneux Montbré Pargny-lès-Reims Rilly-la-Montagne Sacy Sermiers Taissy Tauxières-Mutry Trépail Trois-Puits Vaudemange Villers-Allerand Villers-aux-Nœuds Ville-Dommange Villers-Marmery Vrigny
Name the Premier Cru Villages of the Montagne de Reims
Bergères-lès-Vertus Cuis Étréchy Grauves Pierry Val-des-Marais (Coligny) Vertus Villeneuve-Renneville-Chevigny Voipreux
Name the Premier Cru Vineyards of the Cotes de Blanc
Bergères-lès-Vertus Cuis Étréchy Grauves Pierry Val-des-Marais (Coligny) Vertus Villeneuve-Renneville-Chevigny Voipreux
what wine styles and grape varieties are permitted in the Coteaux Champenois AOP?
Blanc
Rose
Rouge
Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Meunier, Arbane, Petit Meslier, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris
What wine styles and grape varieties are permitted in the Rose des Riceys AOP?
Rose from 100% Pinot Noir
In which district of Champagne does Salon produce wine?
Cote de Blancs. From Le Mesnil sur Oger
Rose de Riceys is produced in which region of Champagne?
Cotes des Bars
What is the CIVC?
Comite Interproffesional du vin de Champagne
When was the CIVC established?
1941
Name the only Grand Cru in the Valle de la Marne that has the most area planted to Chardonnay
Sillery
Name the Grand Cru in Champagne that has status for red wine only
Tours - sur - Marne
Name the Grand Cru in Champagne that has status for white wine only?
Chouilly
Name the Grand Cru villages of Champagne that were added after 1985
Chouilly Oiry Oger Le-mesnil-sur-Oger Verzy
