France - Champagne Flashcards
Describe the climate in Champagne
Atlantic influenced climate.
Very unstable, with frosts, rains, hail and fungal disease, which is why the majority of the wines are a vintage blend.
Between 48th and 49th parallel.
Annual temperature of 10C
Which is the predominant subsoil?
Belemnite and Micraster chalk, with limestone, sandstone and marl.
Chalk more present in ‘Montagne de Reims’ and ‘Cote des Blancs’.
Marl and sandstone more present in ‘Vallee de la Marne’ and ‘Cote de Sezanne’
Which are the 5 main region in Champagne?
Montagne de Reims
Vallee de la Marne
Cote des Blancs
Cote de Sezanne
Cote des Bars (Aube)
Describe Montagne de Reims area
South-West of Reims, until East of Epernay.
Vineyards face South and South-East on limestone and marl soil.
Pinot Noir most planted grape
9 (+1) Grand Crus Villages
Which are all the Grand Crus of Montagne de Reims?
Sillery
Puisueilx
Beaumont-sur-Vesle
Verzenay
Mailly-Champagne
Verzy
Louvois
Bouzy
Ambonnay
Tour-sur-Marne (For reds only)
Describe Vallee de la Marne
Follows the Marne river West of Epernay.
Subsoil of limestone, but with more clay and sandstone.
Pinot Meunier Noir is the most planted grape.
1 Grand Cru
Which is the only Grand Cru of Vallee de la Marne?
Ay-Champagne
Describe Meunier Noir and what it gives to the wine in the blend
Flowers late but ripens early.
Adds fruit character and makes the wine more approachable
Describe Cote des Blancs
20km South of Epernay.
Rich in Belemnite or Campanian chalk soil, very rich in mineral.
Chardonnay is the most planted grape.
6 Grand Crus
List the 6 Grand Crus of Cote des Blancs
Chouilly
Oiry
Cramant
Avize
Oger
Les-Mesnil-sur-Oger
Describe the Cote de Sezanne
Few km down from Cote des Blancs.
Marl mixed with limestone, over limestone soil.
Chardonnay is the most planted grape.
No Grand or Premiere Cru
Describe the Cote des Bars
Most Southern region, located in Aube.
Kimmeridgian soil, loke Chablis.
Pinot Noir is the most planted grape.
Comprises 25% of Champagne Vineyards
What is Rose de Riceys AOC?
Still rose wine from Cote des Bars, produced from 100% Pinot Noir
Which are the main grapes for Champagne?
Pinot Noir
Chardonnay
Pinot Meunier
Which are the 4 additional permitted grapes?
Pinot Blanc
Pinot Gris
Arbane
Petit Meslier
Which are the 4 permitted pruning techniques for Champagne?
Guyot (single or double)
Chablis
Cordon de Royat
La Taille Vallee de la Marne
What is the ‘Echelle-des-Crus Champagne’?
Classification system in order to set prices for the grapes of each village. (until 1990)
100 (Grand Cru Classse)
90-99 (Premiere Cru Classe)
80-89 (Cru Classe)
What does ‘CM’ means?
Cooperative de Manipulant
Wine has been made by a cooperative
What does ‘NM’ means?
Negotiant-Manipulant
House that produced grapes from growers or smaller houses
What does ‘RM’ means?
Recoltant-Manipulant
Produced from a grower, from their own grapes
What does ‘RC’ means?
Recoltant-Cooperateur
Grower selling their wines from its own grapes, but produced by a cooperative
What does ‘MA’ means?
Marque d’Acheteur
Wine bought from a producer and sold under an other name
What does ‘SR’ means?
Societe de Recoltant
Sold under company of growers from the same family
What does ‘ND’ means?
Negotiant-Distributeur
Company that buys, rebrands and distributes the wine
Describe the ‘Methode Champenoise’
September picking
4.000kg press
Steel vat
1st fermentation
Feb/March Assemblage
Liqueur de Tirage
April/May Bottling (crown top)
Cellaring
Remuage
Bottle neck Freezing
Desgorgement
Dosage
Bottle
What are the permitted yields and extraction amount?
2.550 Lt from 4.000 Kg of grapes
100 Lt from 157 Kg of grapes
What is the standard press capacity in Champagne?
4.000 Kg
What are the 2 main parts of pressing?
First 2.050 Lt is called ‘Vin de Cuvee’
Last 500 Lt is called ‘Vin de Taille’
What is ‘Vin Clair’?
High acid wine resulting from the first fermentation
What is included in the ‘Liqueur de Tirage’?
Liquid sugar
Yeast
Little Tannins
Finings
What’s the name of the plastic cup fitted on the neck of the bottle with the crown cap?
Bidule
How long do bottles have to be stored ‘Sur Latte’?
15 months for NV
3 years for Vintage
What is ‘Autolysis’?
Gradual breakdown of the yeast
What is ‘Remuage’ and what are the 2 techniques used?
Movement of the bottles to push sediment onto the neck
-Traditional, by hand with ‘Pupitres’
-Modern, with Gyropallette
How many Bottles does a Gyropallette holds?
504
Describe the 2 Degorgement methods
-Traditional ‘A la Volee’, manually opening the crown cap while twisting the bottle up right.
-Modern ‘A la Glace’, icing the neck in a brine, then opening mechanically
What is ‘Vin de Dosage’?
Sweetened wine added before sealing the bottle.
Will determine the style depending on he sugar content.
List the amount of sugar in dosage of:
Brut Naturelle
Brut
Extra Sec
Sec
Demi-Sec
Doux
0-3 g/L But Naturelle
0-12 g/L Brut
12-17 g/L Extra Sec
17-32 g/L Sec
32-50 g/L Demi-Sec
50- g/L Doux
List all bottle sizes and their capacity
-Quarter bottle (185ml)
-Half bottle (375ml)
-Bottle (750ml)
-Magnum (1,5lt/2btl)
-Jereboam (3lt/4btl)
-Methuselah (6lt/8btl)
-Salamanazar (9lt/12btl)
-Balthazar (12lt/16btl)
-Nebuchadnezzar (15lt/20btl)
-Solomon (18lt/24btl)
-Primat (27lt/36btl)
Describe Blanc des Blancs style
Made only form Chardonnay, usually from Cote des Blancs.
Chardonnay bouquet and lighter style
Describe Blanc des Noirs style
Made only from black grapes.
Strong flavor, rich, intense and darker color
Describe Rose Champagne Style
Blend of 8/9% of Coteaux Champenoise Rouge prior to bottling.
Strong strawberries bouquet.
Only AOC where blending is permitted to make a rose wine
List some Cuvee de Prestige
-Bollinger (La Grand Annee)
-Louis Roederer (Crystal Brut)
-Moet & Chandon (Dom Perignon)
-Philipponnat (Clos des Goisses)
-Ruinart (Dom Ruinart)
Describe single vineyard style
Exception to the rule as they are not a blend from different sites.
Ex. Philipponnat Clos des Goisses
Describe Coteaux Champenoise wines
Still wines from Champagne.
Depends on the year ‘rendement’ set from CIVC it’s determined how many grapes can be used for it.
Can be white and red
What is Ratafia de Champagne?
VDN made adding neutral spirit to unfermented grape juice
What is Marc de Champagne?
Brandy, made distilling the marc (skins, pips and stalks) left after pressing
What is ‘Blocage’?
Put some wine in reserve to be used in poor vintages
List 3 country where is produced wine with Methode Traditionelle
-USA, California (Napa & Sonoma)
-SPAIN, Cava wines (if cuve close or carbonation is used they’ll be called ‘Vinos Espumosos’)
-ITALY, Franciacorta in Lombardia (Moscato and Prosecco are made with Cuve Method)
What is ‘Cuve Close’ or ‘Charmat’ process?
Still wines into tanks with mesured quantity of sugar and yeast. Temperature controlled to help second fermentation.
Wine is circulated by propellers. Filtered and bottled.
Bigger bubbles than Methode Traditionelle.
Ex.
Qualitatswein (Germany) Henkel Trocken Sekt
Asti (Italy)
What is the ‘Transversage Methode’ and when is it used?
Second fermentation and degorgement done in bottle.
Filtered and rebottled under pressure.
Usually used for quarter-bottles and big formats
Describe the ‘Methode Dioise Ancestrale’
Made by bottling the wine before it has finished the first fermentation. No dosage needed as the wine still has natural sugar.
Usually cloudy
Describe ‘Carbonation’ method
The wine is chilled in large tanks and CO2 is pumped in.
Then bottled under pressure.
Big bubbles not integrated and not lasting
What does ‘Petillant’ means?
French term for slightly sparkling
What does ‘Sekt’ means?
German term for sparkling
List Champagne classic vintages
1949, 1953, 1959, 1961, 1964, 1971, 1973, 1982, 1985, 1988, 1990, 1996, 2008, 2012, 2015, 2016
Which grapes are permitted for ‘Franciacorta’?
Chardonnay
Pinot Bianco
Pinot Nero
Erbamat (From 2019)
What are the grapes used for ‘Cava’ wines?
Parellada
Xarel-lo
Macabeo
Which grapes are used in ‘Sekt’?
Riesling
Pinot Blanc
Chardonnay
Pinot Gris
Elbling
Which grapes are mostly used for sparkling wines in Australia?
Shiraz
Chardonnay
Pinot Noir
Where is sparkling wine produced in New Zealand?
Marlborough
Central Otago
Hawke’s Bay
Gisborne
Where is English sparkling produced and which are the grapes used?
Sussex (same Champagne chalk soil)
Pinot Noir
Chardonnay
Pinot Meunier
