D4 Sparkling Wines Flashcards
Why are cool climates ideal for sparkling wines?
- Grapes are just-ripe in flavour but retain acidity required for high quality sparkling
- Sugar accumulates slowly, giving base wines with low alcohol
What is the typical abv of base wines?
9-11%
What additional abv does the second fermentation produce?
1-2%
What 2 growing environments usually give cooler climates suitable for quality sparkling wines?
- Higher latitudes (Champagne, England, Tasmania)
- Cooling influences of ocean (Sonoma)
- Cooling influence of altitude (Trentodoc)
Advantage of warmer sites?
Fruit has riper flavours which is suitable for short term aging (e.g. tank method or short time on Lee’s in transfer or traditional method) as fruit provides the only dominant flavours.
Why are grapes for cheaper wines grown on flat, fertile plains?
Land is cheaper and easier to cultivate. Warmer sites not an issue for flavour as fruit will be the only dominant flavour in these cheap wines.
What are the 2 most commonly used grape varieties for making premium sparkling wines? What flavours and characteristics do they bring to the wine?
Chardonnay : apple and citrus flavours and acidity.
Pinot Noir: body
What are the advantages and disadvantages of Chardonnay?
Advantages:
- well suited to autolytic styles (subtle apple and citrus flavours complement rather than compete with biscuits/pastry flavours)
- early ripening of flavours is asset in cool conditions
- retains high acid and low sugar needed in sparkling while avoiding under-ripe flavours
- yields can be high in best years without loss of quality (attractive option for growers)
Disadvantages:
- early budding so prone to frost
- prone to coulure and millerandage
- more disease resistance than PN but susceptible to powdery mildew, grapevine yellows and botrytis (in wet periods before harvest)
What are the advantages and disadvantages of Pinot Noir?
Advantages:
-early budding and early ripening do suited to cool climate
Disadvantages:
- early budding so prone to spring frost
- prone to coulure
- yields more moderate than Chardonnay and quality drops if yields too high
- thin skinned and more disease prone (downy mildew especially, powdery mildew, botrytis, fan leaf, leaf roll)
What are factors within the grape variety that can influence the style of wine?
- intensity of aromas (aromatic vs neutral variety)
- ability to retain acidity while ripening
- how the base wines responds to autolysis (Chardonnay becomes creamy, Xarel-lo becomes toasty and smoky)
Why are grapes for sparkling wines often grown at higher yields?
High acid levels, low potential alcohol levels, delicate flavours are desirable and these characteristics are better achieved by high yields.
Why is it a priority to obtain clean, healthy fruit?
The perception of any off flavours from diseased fruit can be enhanced by the effects of effervescence.
The enzyme laccase released by botrytis-infected grapes can cause oxydation
Advantages and disadvantages of hand harvesting?
Advantages:
- permits sorting at picking and post harvest (to exclude diseased fruit)
- small crates minimise the splitting and crushing of grapes, and therefore oxidation and phenolic extraction
Disadvantages:
- slow
- labour intensive
- can be expensive
Advantages and disadvantages of machine harvesting?
Advantages:
- faster (for large estates, fruit more likely to all be picked at desired ripeness)
- cheaper
- night time harvesting (cooler grapes, oxidation slowed, fresher wines)
Disadvantages:
- can rupture the skin of the grape leading to oxidation and phenolic extraction
- sorting in the vineyard before harvesting is possible, but adds to cost
Why is whole bunch pressing often used for premium traditional method sparkling wines?
- One of the gentlest forms of pressing, providing a delicate juice that is low in solids and phenolics.
- Stems help you create a network of channels through which the juice can flow easily, minimizing pressure required.
- disadvantage: more time consuming (fewer bunches can be loaded in the press)
Which 2 types of presses are often used? Why?
- pneumatic and basket presses
- their ability to press very gently, which helps avoid phenolic extraction
Why should phenolic extraction be avoided? How is it avoided?
- reduce risk of unwanted colour in black grapes
- phenolic compounds can make wines taste bitter and coarse
- pressing as quickly and as gently as possible
- keeping the grapes and any juice cool
Why can the juice from different press fractions be useful blending options?
- juice is higher in phenolics, solids and pH than free run juice
- tend to be faster maturing so can be useful in wines with short maturation made for immediate consumption
What are typical fermentation temperatures for the base wines?
14-20 C
Retain fruit flavours but ensure not to cold for the yeast (low pH already stressful for the yeast)
Most common vessels for primary fermentation? Why?
-Stainless steel tanks
- Allow large volumes to be fermented at once with temperature control
- ease of cleaning the tanks
What type of yeast is commonly used for the primary fermentation? Why?
- cultures neutral yeasts
- are able to ferment reliably to dryness in high acid and low pH
- not adding any flavours or enhancing primary fruit flavours (not generally wanted in automotive styles, might be in tank method though)
(Side note: often use same yeast for primary and secondary fermentation, so need to consider difficult conditions of secondary fermentation when choosing yeast)
What is one of the most common cultured yeasts used in sparkling wine production?
Prise de Mousse (EC1118)
What conditions during the second fermentation make it difficult for some yeast strains?
- must be able to start fermentation in alcoholic conditions (10% abv often too high for most yeasts)
- low pH environment
- high pressure environment
- poor availability of nutrients
- rapid autolysis and floculation are desirable in traditional method
Why are buttery flavours from malolactic conversion not usually found in sparkling wines?
Diacetyl is metabolised by the yeast during the second fermentation.
Why is malolactic conversion common in base wines for sparkling wines?
- reduces acid
- Enhanced texture
- lactic acidosis is perceived as creamier than other acids
- if it doesn’t take place during first fermentation, there is a risk it will take place during the second fermentation (problematic for traditional wines. Can turn hazy, which is difficult to rectify in bottle.
What will be done after the primary fermentation if malolactic conversion is not desired?
The wine will be sterile filtered.
Give an example of a company producing a commercial yeast for sparkling wine.
Name of the yeast?
Why is it suited to sparkling wine production?
Lallemand
LALVIN DV10
Ability to work in low pH, high total SO2 and low temperatures + it has a neutral character
What are options available for refining and modifying the base wine?
Mature in oak
Leave wind on lees
Why are seasoned barrels mostly used for the base wines (and not new oak)?
Aromas and flavors of oak are magnified in sparkling wine
Define assemblage
The blending of wines, from different vineyard sites, grape varieties, vintages and wines that have undergone different winemaking techniques. This blending happens before the secondary fermentation. It is one if the hallmarks of sparkling wind production.
What is the purpose of blending/assemblage?
- Balance (different varieties bring different characters/body/acid. Blending warmer and cooler sites can help with balance)
- Consistency (NV blends)
- Style (least expensive wind might be made in early drinking/approachable style for example)
- Rosé wine
- Complexity (greater range of flavours achieved by blending wines with different treatments. Older wines added to blend.)
- Minimisation of faults
- Volume (small vineyard holdings, blending for viable volume)
- Price (blending in cheaper varieties like Meunier. More press wines in cheaper wines)
What happens to the final blend (base wine) before second fermentation?
For all sparkling production methods, the base wines should be clarified before second fermentation.
For traditional method, the final blend should be stabilized for tartrates and proteins before being bottled for second fermentation.
What is added to the base wine in the fermentation bottle to achieve a second fermentation? What is it called?
Liqueur de tirage.
A mixture of:
- wine and/or must
- sugar
- cultured yeasts
- yeast nutrients
- a clarifying agent (bentonite and/or alginate)
What does the amount of sugar added in the liqueur de tirage depend on?
The degree of effervescence required in the final wine.
How many grams of sugar per litre added in the liqueur de tirage for a fully sparkling wine?
24 grams of sucrose per litre
What pressure is produced during the second fermentation in traditional wines?
6 atmospheres (also known as ‘bar’)
Does the sugar added in the liqueur de tirage affect the final sweetness of the wine? Why or why not?
No. The yeast in the liqueur de tirage ferments the wine to dryness.
What is the second fermentation called in traditional method? What does it mean?
Prise de mousse (capturing the sparkle)
What are the main properties of the yeast strains used during the second fermentation?
- ability to commence fermentation in high alcohol (9.5-11% abv)
- a moderate temperature (around 16 degrees)
- pH values often below 3
- and later withstand high pressure
- yeast cells must floculante readily (to be efficiently removed by riddling)
After the addition of the liqueur de tirage, how is the wine sealed? How is it stored?
With a crown seal that holds a small plastic pot in the bottle to catch the sediment.
Bottles stored horizontally ‘sur lattes’
At a constant temperature (10-12 degrees)
What does the length of the second fermentation primarily depend on?
The temperature.
Cooler temperature = slower fermentation.
Some claim this produces a more complex finished wine
His long does the second fermentation (traditional method) typically last?
4-6 weeks
Why is stable temperature important during the second fermentation (traditional method)?
To maintain yeast viability under difficult fermentation conditions
After what period of aging on lees (post second fermentation) do the effects of autolysis become detectable?
15-18 months
The lengths of time on lees before riddling depends on what?
- The style of wine sought (fresh fruit vs yeast characters)
- The price that can be attained for the wine
- the financial ability to invest in longer periods of ageing
Define autolysis.
The enzymatic breakdown of dead yeast cells. It’s best know for producing compounds that add a biscuit complexity.
How long does autolysis continue for?
4-5 years, but had been known to last for ten years.
Why are some wines kept on lees after autolysis has finished?
The anti-oxidative qualities of yeast cells protect the wine from oxidation, in comparison to a disgorged wine off the same age. (But the longer it’s kept on its less, the faster it’s evolution post disgorgement. (Bollinger R.D., made you BR drunk soon after release)
What are the names of the different riddling contraptions?
Pupitres
Gyropalettes
What is the French work riddling?
Remuage
What is riddling?
The process of gradually twisting or rotating the bottles while bringing them from a horizontal to a vertical position (cap down) which allows the lees to floculante and slowly move towards the neck if the bottle.
How long does riddling take (both methods)?
Manual=up to eight weeks
Gyropalettes=3-4 days
How are wines stored after riddling and before disgorging?
Sur pointe (upside down on their necks, so the lees remain in the neck of the bottle).
Define and describe disgorgement .
The process by which lees are removed from the bottle after the second fermentation (and after riddling).
Bottles are cooled to 7 degrees and the necks are immersed in bath of frozen brine (quickly freezing the yeast, helping with its extraction and stopping it from mixing back into the wind when the bottle is turned upright). Cooling bottles increases solubility of CO2 and reduced likelihood of wine gushing. Bottle is inverted to upright position and crown seal removed. Pressure inside bottle propels the frozen yeast plug out. Liqueur d’expédition added before the bottle is fitted with a cork, wire muzzle and metal capsule.
What is the liqueur d’expédition? What is it’s purpose?
A mixture of wine and sugar or RCGM.
It tops up the bottle where some wine may have been lost during disgorgement and determines the sweetness of the final wine.
What is the role of the dosage?
- To balance the acidity (especially important in young wines. The perception of acidity rounds out with age. The older the wind at disgorgement, the smaller the dosage required).
- to encourage the development of post-disgorgement aromas (Maillard reaction)
What is the Maillard reaction?
The sugar in the liqueur d’expédition reacts with compounds formed during yeast autolysis. This encourages the development of roasted, toasted vanilla aromas.
The cork sealed wine may be stored for an extra few months before release to allow the development of these flavours.
When was the transfer method developed? Why?
In the 1940s.
To avoid the cost of manual riddling while retaining the bready, biscuit notes from autolysis.
What are the advantages of the transfer method?
ADVANTAGES
- avoids the cost of riddling
- still benefits from autolysis
- reduces bottle to bottle variation (wine from individual bottles blended together in tank before bottling)
- easier to make final adjustments to the wine
- can deliver some cost and time saving for high volume producers by removing need for riddling
-with advancements in riddling, many of the key advantages have become less significant
When is the transfer method used in Champagne?
To fill bottles smaller than 375ml and larger than 3L (these are hard to riddle)
What are the differences between the process of Traditional Method and transfer method?
- The process is the same up to riddling.
- Fining agents to aid floculation don’t need to be added with the liqueur de tirage
- after lees aging, bottles are chilled to 0 degrees, opened by a transfer machine and the wine is poured into pressurized tanks
- wine is sweetened and SO2 added
- sterile filtering just before bottling to remove yeast
What do the back labels of transfer method wines usually say?
Fermented in bottle (instead of fermented in this bottle)
What are advantages and disadvantages of the ancestral method?
ADVANTAGES
- lower cost
- less time consuming
- simple process (partly fermented wine placed in sealed bottle to complete fermentation and capture CO2)
- no riddling or disgorgement and no dosage required
DISADVANTAGES
- no intervention in fermentation process once bottle is sealed means the outcome can vary
- yeast will often stop fermenting altogether after a few months, making an off dry wine (risk of fermentation starting up again later, resulting in those bottles having higher pressure and lower sugar)
- no set regulations
What are some of the different names for the tank method?
- Cuve Close
- Charmat
- Martinotti
What are the advantages and disadvantages of the tank method?
ADVANTAGES
- enables large volumes to be made in expensively and quickly and with significantly reduced labour costs (comparison to TM)
- wines can be made and released quickly
- preserves primary aromas and flavours of the grapes
- no autolytic characters
DISADVANTAGES
-often seen as inferior method (partly because traditional method is seen as so prestigious, and because tank is cheaper, fruit quality used often lower)
What is the first fermentation temperature for the tank method? Why?
16-18 degrees.
Retain fresh floral and fruit aromas but avoid flavours associated with very low fermentation temperatures.
How does the second fermentation take place for the tank method?
Sugar and yeast added to the base wine in the tank and a rapid second fermentation takes place in pressurized tanks (aka reinforced tanks).
How is the second fermentation typically arrested in the tank method?
By cooling the wine to 2-4 degrees when the desired pressure and residual sugar is achieved.
Are tank method wines typically aged in lees?
They can be, but it’s rare because this takes up valuable tank space and the expensive pressurized tanks are tied up for lees aging and unable to be used to ferment.
What is done the wine after the second fermentation (or lees aging) has occurred in the tank method?
- wine is cold stabiliser to precipitate tartrates
- sugar levels may be adjusted
- SO2 levels are checked and adjusted
- sterile filtered before bottling
- wind chilled to -2 degrees to reduce effervescence and bottled with counter pressure filler
What is a counter-pressure filler?
Filling method used at bottling for tank method wines. bottle first filled with CO2 under pressure then chilled wine is added, replacing the CO2. Prevents entrance of oxygen and loss of CO2.
What is the Asti method?
A variation of the Tank method that produces a sparkling wine in a single fermentation. During the first stage of fermentation, the CO2 is allowed to escape through a valves. Partway through the fermentation, the valve is closed and the CO2 is retained. Once the desired pressure and residual sugar is obtained, the fermentation is stopped by rapidly chilling the wine and filtering it under pressure to remove the yeast.
Why is there no liqueur de tirage in the Asti method?
It’s a single fermentation. The sugar which is converted into CO2 and gives the bubbles comes from the original sugar in the must.
What is a wine described as pétillant?
A lower pressure sparkling wine.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of the carbonation method?
ADVANTAGES
- can be used successfully for lower pressure wines
- leaves the aromas and flavour characteristics of the base wind intact (suitable for aromatic or fruity sparkling wines)
DISADVANTAGES
- bubbles die quickly in a fully sparkling wine
- any faults will be accentuated by the bubbles (so although it’s a cheap method, base wind needs to be of good quality)
What is the level of residual sugar for all wine labelling terms?
- Brut Nature/Bruto Natural/Naturherb/Zéro dosage? 0-3 g/L*
- Extra Brut/Extra Bruto/Extra Herb? 0-6 g/L
- Brut/Bruto/Herb? 0-12 g/L
- Extra-Sec/Extra-Dry/Extra Trocken? 12-17 g/L
- Sec/Secco/Seco /Dry/Trocken? 17-32 g/L
- Demi-Sec/Semi-Seco/Medium-Dry/Abboccato/Halbtrocken? 32-50 g/L
- Doux/Dulce/Sweet/Mild? 50+ g/L
- dosage can’t be added. Any slight residual sugar present remains naturally after fermentation.
ALSO! There is a tolerance of +/- 3 g/L
What is the traditional diameter of a sparkling wind cork? How are they made? Why?
- 31 mm
- commonly composed of agglomerate cork with two disks of natural cork glued on
- it’s virtually impossible to cut a cork of this width from a cork tree at the appropriate age
Why does a sparkling wine cork have a mushroom shape?
The cork is 31 mm in diameter and compressed to fit inside the neck diameter which is 18-21 mm. This way, the cork adheres tightly to the glass, preventing the wind from leaking.
What closures other than cork are used? Give an example.
Crown seal for Pet Nat (fits the informal styling of the wines.
Lots of DIAM now being used.
Synthetic closure with a resealing mechanism has been trialed by a few mass-market sparkling brands (like Yellow Tail)
What affects the mousse of a wine (the formation and size of bubbles, the transit of the bubbles through the wine, and the way the bubbles collect at the top of the liquid)?
- amount of sugar available to be turned into alcohol and CO2
- Capacity if CO2 to be dissolved in the wine (can be affected by grape variety, health of grapes -botrytis!, winemaking process)
- length of time in lees (some CO2 lost as time on lees lengthens, but longer time on lees produces longer lasting foam)
- how well disgorgement process carried out (leading to loss of CO2)
- time in bottle and closure
- size and shape of glasses, way they are cleaned, serving temperature, how wine is served
What is the name of the professional body which oversees Champagne regulations?
CIVC
Commité Interprofessionel du Vin de Champagne
Now known as Comité Champagne
Why is blending of different parcels of base wines with some wines from earlier vintage practiced in NV Champagne?
can create a product with same profile every year (smooths our vintage variations)
By law, how much of the wine in a vintage Champagne must come from the year indicated?
100%
When are vintage Champagnes usually produced?
Theoretically only in the best vintages. There is often some variance as some producers rate some vintages higher than others.
Examples of vintages which were almost universally declared in Champagne?
2002 and 2008
What is Rosé d’assemblage?
A rosé Champagne made by blending red wine with white wine. This is the most common method of producing rosé Champagne.
What is Rosé de saignée?
A rosé Champagne made by skin macération of black grapes. The wine is “bled off” (drawn off the skins).
What is the difference in style between a Blanc de Blancs and Blanc de Noirs?
BdB is made exclusively from white grapes. Can be austere in youth but has unmatched aging potential.
BdN is a white made from black grapes only. The wines are fuller bodied than BdB but generally age more rapidly.
What does the term Grand Cru indicate on a Champagne label?
Used as a quality statement. All grapes must have been grown within vineyards of GC villages.
What does the term Premier Cru indicate on a Champagne label?
Used as a quality statement. All grapes must have been grown within vineyards of PC and/or GC villages.
What is Prestige Cuvée?
Usually the top wine in a Champagne producer’s range. Should be the product of a strict selection of the best grapes with meticulous winemaking techniques. Can be NV or Vintage.
Some houses like Krug spécialisé in making a range of Prestige Cuvées.
Describe and account for the style of late release or recently disgorged Champagne. Give examples.
The wines have a different flavour profile from wines of the same vintage that were disgorged earlier. This is because they have had extended aging on lees. They are designed to be consumed upon immediately upon release as they age more rapidly than standard vintage wines after their disgorgement (it’s thought that the impact of disgorgement/the ingress of oxygen is greater in older wines).
Bollinger’s R.D.
Dom Pérignon P2
What are the names of the 2 appellations in the Champagne region for still wines? What wines do they produce?
AOC Rosé de Riceys
(A tiny appellation in the Côté des Bars for still rosé made from Pinot Noir)
AOC Coteaux Champenois
(Can be red, white or rosé, but in practice is mainly a light-bodied, high acidity, pale ruby Pinot Noir)
What kind of wine was originally/historically produced in Champagne?
Pink and still, made from Pinot Noir.
Why were the original/historical wines in Champagne sometimes sparkling?
In cold winters of the northerly region, fermentation would stop but it could sometimes start again in the bottle.
These slightly fizzy wines became fashionable in the English market.
When, where and how were glass bottles produced which could withstand the pressure of sparkling wines reliably?
Mid 17th Century
In England
In coal-fired ovens
Who was pivotal in the development of Champagne? What developments is he known for?
Dom Pierre Pérignon (died 1715).
- produced the first white wine from black grapes
- invented the Coquard press
- blending wines (assemblage) to make superior wines from grapes from different areas
- thought you have re-introduced the cork stopper into France
- pioneered the use of stronger, English glass
What style of wines were produced during the period of Dom Pérignon?
Still only slightly fizzy. He regarded dizziness as a fault.
What developments occurred in the 19th Century in Champagne?
- controlled second fermentation in bottle using measured amount of added sugar and yeast to produce known pressure
- riddling using pupitres
Who is responsible for developing remuage using pupitres?
Madame Clicquot
What next step did the development of riddling allow? What type of wine did it allow to produce?
Disgorgement (following dipping of the neck in an ice cold bath of salty water.
Enabled the rapid production of clear wine on a large scale.
Les to the creation of dry style of Champagne in last quarter of 19th Century.
When was the current Champagne AOC vineyard boundary set?
It was critical to what?
1927
Critical to the later defense of the Geographical Indication
“Champagne only comes from Champagne, France”, Comité Champagne
What is the échelle des crus?
- literally “ladder of growths”
- a rating system used to determine grape prices*
- the ratings were used to define the grand cru and premier cru villages
*side note: the market now determines the prices
What is the blocage system?
How has it contributed to higher overall quality?
- system in Champagne where some of the wines are set aside for future use
- Initially, a portion of the young wines was set aside as an insurance policy against future disasters that might reduce yields
- Became a system of storing reserve wines to enable vintage variation to be reduced and quality raised by blending for NV wines
- later called reserve wines
-enhances quality by adding depth and complexity to NV Champagnes
Where is Champagne located?
North-East France, just south of the 50th parallel, directly east of Paris.
How big is the geographical area of Champagne?
Extends 150km from north to south and nearly 120km from East to west.
How many sub-regions in Champagne? Name them.
5
3 around Epernay:
- Montagne de Reims
- Vallée de la Marne
- Côte des Blancs
- Côte de Sézanne (south of CdB)
- Côte des Bars (100km south and closer to Chablis than Epernay)
What is the climate in Champagne? Rainfall?
Cool continental, with some oceanic influences
700mm of rainfall, spread throughout the year
What are the 2 main climatic factors affecting quality in Champagne?
rain spread throughout the year:
- If during flowering or fruit set, can reduce yields.
- Can also be a problem during harvest due to spread of fungal disease and dilution
global warming:
- climate has warmed in last 30 years.
- Harvest dates have moved forward on average 18 days
- avg acidity has dropped
- potential alcohol has risen by 0.7%
- because the climate is cool, this has been a positive and conditions have allowed to produce more consistently ripe grapes and fewer bad vintages
Overview of topography and soils in Champagne?
- 90-300m above sea level
- well drained soils and planting on slopes (avoid water logging)
- most common are chalky soils with limestone subsoil and chalk itself
- chalk is highly porous and stores water=steady supply of water, even in dry periods)
Main varieties planted in Champagne and percentages?
Pinot Noir (38%) Meunier (32%) Chardonnay (30%)
99% of total plantings
Why is Chardonnay increasingly being planted?
- Demand from big Champagne houses
- Commands a slightly higher price per kilo for growers
- produces larger yields
What are the other permitted grape varieties in Champagne?
Pinot Blanc
Arbanne
Petit Messier
Fromenteau
Name the Champagne made with all 7 permitted grape varieties.
Champagne Laherte’s Les 7
What are the advantages and disadvantages of Meunier?
ADVANTAGES
- Buds later than Pinot Noir and Chardonnay = less prone to spring frost in cool VdlM
- Does well on heavier soils (more clay)where other varieties wouldn’t succeed
- ripens earlier than Pinot Noir so can be helpful in seasons where harvest is interrupted by rain
DISADVANTAGES
-particularly sensitive to botrytis
What style if wine does Meunier produce/what does it bring to the blend? What type of wines is it used for typically? Exceptions?
Typically fruity wine. Contributes softness to the blend.
Particularly important for NV wines which are often aged on lees for shorter times. Often drunk on release rather than bottle aged.
Typically not for wines with long aging, but Krug and some growers like Egly-Ouriet which champion it.
What are the planting regulations in Champagne?
Max inter-row spacing: 1.5m Max intra-row spacing: 0.9-1.5m Total spacing (combination of those two figures): not more than 2.5m
What is the average planting density in Champagne?
8000 vines per hectare
Why can grapes for sparkling wines generally be grown at higher yields?
- Don’t need tannins to be ripe
- Dong need flavours and colour to be concentrated
Since what year has the training, pruning and trellising of the vines been regulated in Champagne?
1938
What are the 4 training systems in Champagne?
- Taille Chablis
- Cordon du Royat
- Guyot
- Vallée de la Marne
What is the maximum permitted number of fruiting buds per vine in Champagne?
18
Which vine training and pruning technique is widely recognized as the best for Chardonnay in Champagne? Name it and describe it.
- Taille Chablis
- Form if spur pruning, retaining a large proportion of permanent wood, which can protect against frost. It usually has 3-4 cordons but may have up to 5. At the end of each cordon is a spur with up to 5 buds. Spurs must be trained to a max of 0.6m above ground to ensure ripening fruit gets the benefit of solar energy reflected from the soil (especially on chalk).
Which training and pruning system is used for Pinot Noir and Meunier in Champagne? Name it and describe it.
- Cordon du Royat
- Single cordon that is spur pruned and the shoots are vertically positioned.
What training and pruning system is used/permitted in lesser rated vineyards for all 3 varieties? Name it and describe it.
- Guyot
- Replacement cane system with vertical shoot positioning. Either single or double Guyot are permitted.
Describe the Vallée de la Marne training and pruning system.
- Similar to Guyot (replacement cane, vertical shoot positioning) but with a higher number of buds.
- bring used less and less now.
What are the main climatic dangers in Champagne?
- occasional severe winter frost
- spring frost
- cold and rainy weather in June
- violent storms and hail in summer
- hot and humid weather in summer (especially after rainfall)…botrytis
What are common vine diseases in Champagne?
- Downy mildew
- Powdery mildew
- Fanleaf virus (dagger nematodes)
What techniques have been used in the vineyards and wineries of Champagne to achieve a more sustainable approach?
- sexual confusion instead of pesticides
- management of groundwater on slopes
- increased use of cover crops to enhance biodiversity
- water management schemes often put in place in winery
- recycling of waste and bi-products of winemaking
- introduction in 2010 by the Comité Champagne of a lighter bottle for NV (nearly 60g lighter. Huge annual reduction in CO2 output)
Describe how the harvest dates are set in Champagne.
- The Comité Champagne sets the harvest dates.
- does this by taking grape samples from approximately 450 control plots from the time of véraison
- measure the rate if colour change, average weight, sugar concentration, acidity and incidence of botrytis
- these findings also determine the permitted yields and minimum potential alcohol.
Do growers in Champagne have to start picking on the wet harvest date?
- No, it’s only a start date. They can choose to pick a day or several days later
- they can apply to the INAO if they want to pick earlier than the official opening date for their village (for example, if botrytis is threatening)
What does the setting of yields by the Comité Champagne seek to protect? How?
- the quality of wine, by avoiding over-cropping, which could result in solution of fruit flavours
- the price of Champagne, by regulating supply and demand
What are the Champagne AOC regulations around harvest?
- hand picked
- whole bunches
- bins of max 50kg capacity
How is transportation time kept to a minimum in Champagne at harvest?
There are over 1900 pressing centers located throughout the Champagne region
What are the yields of juice permitted in Champagne?
79 hL/ha
Can be raised to 98 hL/ha and surplus put into reserve if agreed by the Comité Champagne
