France & Spain Flashcards

1
Q

Five main growing areas for Cremant de Bourgnone

A
  1. The Macconais, especially for Chardonnay
  2. Beaujolais
  3. Areas around Chabilis, sandwiched between Champagne in the north
  4. Haut Cotes de Beau and the Hautes Cotes de Nuits
  5. Cote d’Or flatland
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2
Q

Common hazards affecting Burgundy Cremant growers are

A

Summer storms, hail, spring frost, fungal diseases and esca

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3
Q

Maximum yield for Cremant de Bourgnone

A

75 hL/ha

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4
Q

Seven grape varieties allowed in Cremant de Bourgnone

A
  1. Pinot Noir
  2. Chardonnay
  3. Gamay
  4. Pinot Gris
  5. Pinot Blanc
  6. Aligote
  7. Melon
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5
Q

Breakdown of Cremant de Bourgnone producers by type

A

66% Merchants
30% Co-op
2% Grower

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6
Q

Significant producers of Cremant de Bourgnone

A

Jean Charles Boisset, Louis Bouillot, Cave de Lugny

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7
Q

CIVC

A

Comite Interprofessionnel du Vin de Champagne, or Comite Champagne for short

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8
Q

Describe a typical Champagne

A

High acidity, med intensity, medium alcohol, aromas and flavours of apple, lemon with biscuit autolytic notes

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9
Q

Rose d’assemblage

A

Rose Champagne made by blending red wine with white

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10
Q

Rose de sanignee

A

Rose Champagne made through short skin maceration

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11
Q

Remuage

A

Riddling in French

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12
Q

Echelle des crus

A

Ladder of growths - Champagne’s idea ladder branding basically

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13
Q

Champagne’s climate

A
  • Cool continental
  • Oceanic influence of high moisture
  • Rains throughout the year, 700mm percipitation per year
  • Average annual temperature of 11°C
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14
Q

Five key regions in Champagne

A
  1. Vallee de la Marne
  2. Cote des Blancs
  3. Montagne de Reims
  4. Cote de Sezanne
  5. Cote des Bar
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15
Q

Montagne de Reims

A
  • Best known for Pinot Noir and Meunier
  • Grand cru villages: Mailly, Verzenay, Verzy, Ambonnay and Bouzy - famous for chalky soils
  • Prone to frost
  • Wines high acidity and austere in youth
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16
Q

Vallee de la Marne

A
  • Mostly Meunier
  • Its clay, marl and sand soils can produce v fruity Meunier
  • Prone to frost
  • Grand Cru village: Ay
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17
Q

Cote des Blancs

A
  • Exclusively white grapes, 95% Chardonnay
  • Has the purest form of chalk, giving great balance between water retention and drainage
  • Grand cur villages: Cramant, Avize, Pger and Le Menil-sur-Oger
  • Wines of great intensity and longevity, but austere in youth
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18
Q

Cote de Sezanne

A
  • Mostly Chardonnay
  • Planting on warmer south-east facign slopes
  • Fruitier and riper grapes = rated lower quality
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19
Q

Cote des Bar

A
  • Mainly Pinot Noir
  • Kimmeridgian Calcareous marls, like Chablis and Sancerre
  • Steep slopes
  • Full flavoured Pinots for NV blends
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20
Q

Breakdown of production by grape variety in Champagne

A

38% Pinot Noir
32% Meunier
30% Chardonnay

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21
Q

Four other varieties found in Champagne

A

Pinot blanc, Arbanne, Petit Meslier, Fromenteau

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22
Q

Four common pruning methods in Champagne

A
  1. Taille Chablis - Spur pruning
  2. Cordon du Royat - Spur punning
  3. Guyot - replacement cane with VSP
  4. Vallee de la Marne - replacement cane with VSP
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23
Q

Hazards in Champagne vineyards

A
  • Sever winter frost
  • Spring frot
  • Cold and rainy weather during flowering and fruit set in June
  • Summer storms
  • Summer hail
  • Hot and humid summer leading to fungal diseases
  • Mildew - downy and powdery
  • Dagger nematode
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24
Q

Harvest in Champagne

A
  • Hand harvest
  • Requires 100k people every year
  • Date set by Comite Champagne, on consideration of ripeness across the region
  • Yield also set by Comite Champagne, in order to control yield
  • Proportion of reserve wine also set by Comite Champagne
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25
Q

Methode Champenoise

A

Same as traditional method

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26
Q

Cuvee vs taille

A

Out of 4,000kg grapes (a marc), the first 2,050L is free run/cuvee and 500L of first pressing is taille

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27
Q

Assemblage

A

Blending in French

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28
Q

Chef de cave

A

Master blender

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29
Q

Colour pigments from wine would be absorbed by _______.

A

Yeast absorbs colour during each ferment.

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30
Q

Echelle de Crus was created to

A

Establish the prices to be paid for grapes

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31
Q

Price range by crus in Champagne

A

17 Grand Cru Villages - 100% of set price
42 Premier Cru Villages - 90-99% of set price
257 other villages - 80-89% of set price

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32
Q

Breakdown of Champagne producers by type

A

16,000 Growers owning 90% vineyards, selling the houses and coops
340 Champagne houses owning about 10% of vineyards

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33
Q

NM

A

Negociant manipulant
Code on Champagne bottles denoting “houses”
Eg. Moet & Chandon, Pommery

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34
Q

RM

A

Recoltant manipulant
Code on Champagne bottles denoting “growers”
Eg. Jacque Selosse, Egly-Ouriet

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35
Q

CM

A

Cooperative de manipulation
Code on Champagne bottles for coops who make wine from grapes of their members
Eg. Mailly, Nicolas Feuillatte

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36
Q

Export by volume for Champagne

A

87% Houses
5% Coops
8% Growers

37
Q

Describe a typical Pinot Blanc-based Cremant d’Alsace

A
  • Medium intensity of apple and pear fruit, with biscuit like autolytic notes
  • Medium (+) to high acidity, light to medium body
  • Mostly Brut
38
Q

Moderating factors for Alsace

A
  • Mt Vosges rainshadow
  • High altitude of 200-400m, but lower elevations side for Pinot Blanc
  • Moderate to hot continental climate and dry summers help grapes to ripen
39
Q

Hazards in Alsace

A
  • Spring frost causing reduction in yield
40
Q

A famous subregion for Alsatian Pinot Blanc Cremant

A

Munster Valley - cool airflows retaining acidity in the grapes

41
Q

____% total Alsace vineyard area is Pinot Blanc

A

20%

42
Q

Six varieties permitted in Cremant d’Alsace

A
  1. Pinot Blanc
  2. Auxerrois
  3. Chardonnay
  4. Riesling
  5. Pinot Gris
  6. Pinot Noir
43
Q

Grapes of Cremant d’Alsace is pruned to…

A

Give a greater yield than high concentration of flavours

44
Q

Maximum yield for Cremant d’Alsace is ______hL/ha

A

80 hL/ha

45
Q

Harvest time for Cremant d’Alsace is ______.

A

Early - last days to August to September, because the vineyards need to pick for the other Alsace styles

46
Q

_____ harvest and _______ pressings mandatory.

A

Hand harvest, whole bunch pressing

47
Q

Name some top co-ops producing Cremant in Alsace.

A

Cave de Turckheim, Maison Bestheim

48
Q

Rose Cremant d’Alsace are usually made by….

A

Macerating on the skins for 12-24 hours

49
Q

Breakdown of production by region

A

43% Coops
37% Merchants
20% Growers

50
Q

_____ of Cremants d’Alsace is consumed in France.

A

80%

51
Q

There are ______ sparkling wine appellations in the Loire.

A

Seven

52
Q

Sparkling wines account for ____ per cent of all Loire wine production.

A

13%

53
Q

Name some Cremant de Loire producers with ties to Champagne

A

Bouvet-Ladubay <-> Taittinger
Gratien & Meyer <-> Alfred Gratien
Langlois-Chateau <-> Bollinger

54
Q

Describe a typical Chenin Blanc-dominant Loire Cremant

A
  • High acidity, mostly Brut but can be Demi-Sec
  • Medium intensity of apple, citrus and light toasty autolytic notes
  • Can become honeyed aromas with age
55
Q

Two key regions providing fruits for Cremant de Loire

A
  • Anjou Saumur
  • Touraine
    Both middle Loire
56
Q

Climate of the Loire

A
  • Cool maritime with Atlantic influences
  • High moisture level heightens fungal diseases
  • Untimely rain during flowering, fruit set and at harvest can cause problems
57
Q

Main soil types for key Cremant regions in the Loire

A

Anjou - Schist and limestone
Touraine - chalk
Limestone is good for drainage and water retention

58
Q

Eight grape varieties allowed for Cremant de Loire

A
  1. Chenin Blanc (vast majority)
  2. Cabernet Franc
  3. Cabernet Sauvignon
  4. Grolleau Noir
  5. Gris
  6. Pineau d’Aunis
  7. Pinot Noir
  8. Chardonnay
59
Q

Maximum yield for Cremant de Loire allowed is ____hL/ha.

A

74 hL/ha for Cremant de Loire, as concentration not needed

60
Q

Next level up for Loire sparkling wines

A

Prestige de Loire
- Min 10 euros in France
- Must be single varietal or blend of Chenin, Cab Franc, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir
- 24mo on lees
- Must be vintage-dated and in Brut, Brut Nature or Extra Brut
- Must come from vineyards that practice sustainable viticulture

61
Q

Breakdown of Cremant de Loire producers by type

A

19 Houses
10 Coops
400 Producers

62
Q

Some key producers of Cremant de Loire

A

Ackerman
Bouvet-Ladubay
Gratien & Meyer
Veuve-Amiot
Langlois-Chateau

63
Q

Saumur Mousseux and Vouvray Mousseux need be bottle fermented and spend a minimum of ____ months between tirage and release.

A

12 months

64
Q

_____ harvest is allowed for Saumur Mousseux.

A

Mechanical

65
Q

The white variety local to the Loire, ______, is allowed for Vouvray Mousseux.

A

Orbois

66
Q

Maximum yields allowed in Saumur and Vouvray for sparkling wines

A

65 hL/ha in Vouvray
67 hL/ha in Saumur

67
Q

Name a second fermentation and bottling specialist for sparkling wines in Saumur and Vouvray

A

Berger Elaborateur in Saint-Martin-le-Beau

68
Q

Name the founding houses of the Cava category

A
  1. Freixenet
  2. Codorniu
69
Q

Consejo Regulador del Cava

A

Governing body for Cava, a style of traditional method sparkling wine from several unconnected regions in Catalonia

70
Q

Four grape varieties used for Cava

A
  1. Macabeo
  2. Xarel-lo
  3. Parellada
  4. Chardonnay
71
Q

95% of Cava grown and made in…

A

Penedes in Cataluña

72
Q

Three key regions for Cava production

A
  1. Penedes
  2. Lleida province
  3. Tarragona province
73
Q

Climate of the Penedes region in Cataluna

A
  • Warm Mediterranean with bright sunny summers & mild winters
  • Moderate rainfall of 540mm spread through the year
  • High altitude vineyards available
  • Best grapes has ageing ability
74
Q

Principle town in the Penedes region

A

San Sadurní d’Anoia

75
Q

Climate of Lleida province/Lerida

A
  • Mediterranean at lower levels; continental at higher altitudes
  • Rises up to high plains = slopes 100-700m
76
Q

Climate of Tarragona province

A
  • Mediterranean
  • Low lying or undulating hills
  • Macabeo-dominated and for early drinking
77
Q

Breakdown of Cava vineyard planting by white grape variety

A

36% Macabeo (Viura in Rioja)
25% Xarel-lo
20% Parellada
9% Chardonnay

78
Q

Four permitted black grapes alloed for Cava Rosado

A
  1. Garnacha Tinta
  2. Trepat
  3. Pinot Noir
  4. Monastrell
79
Q

Cava Rosado must be made with a minimum of ___ % black grapes and using the _____ method

A

With 25% of black grapes using the short maceration method

80
Q

Cava is typically a ______ product

A

Vintage, whether indicated or not

81
Q

Describe a typical Cava

A
  • Light-medium intensity lemon, apple and herbal notes
  • Autolytic notes of biscuit
  • Medim (+) acidity
  • Acceptable to good quality
  • Inexpensive to mid-priced
82
Q

Minimum lees ageing for Cava

A

9mo from tirage to disgorgement

83
Q

Minimum lees ageing for Cava Reserva

A

15mo from tirage to disgorgement

84
Q

Minimum lees ageing for Cava Gran Reserva

A

30mo from tirage to disgorgement

85
Q

Freixenet and Codorniu produces _____% of all finished Cava

A

75%

86
Q

Name an important coop for making the base wine for Cava

A

Cevipe

87
Q

Cava de Paraje Calificado

A
  • Single estate or single vineyard Cava
  • Cannot be acidified
  • Vines min 10yo
  • Max yield at 48hL/ha after pressing
  • Minimum ageing at the estate for 36mo
  • Brut and below
88
Q

Corpinnat

A
  • Founded by high quality producers such as Gramona & Recaredo
  • A new category
  • Rebels from the Cava DO
  • 100% organic grapes from traditional method
  • Must be from Penedes
  • Hand harvested
  • Vinified entirely on estate
  • 90% of the wine from local varieites
  • Minimum age of 18mo, 30mo and 60mo perspectively