History and winemaking

Question 1

When was Spécial Club started?

Answer 1

1971

Question 2

List 5 producers that make a special club bottling

Answer 2

Paul Bara
Pierre Gimonnet
Gaston Chiquet
J.Lassalle
A. Margaine

Question 3

What are the rules for Special Club wines?

Answer 3

Viticulture, vinification, and bottling must occur on the estate
A vintage must be declared worthy of a special club bottling
All base wine and finished wine must undergo tasting analysis
Must be bottled in a Spécial Club bottle

Question 4

What is the name of the organisation that regulates Special Club bottlings?

Answer 4

Club Trésors de Champagne

Question 5

Who started the Terres et Vins de Champagne?

Answer 5

Raphaël Bérêche and Aurélien Laherte

Question 6

Who was Dom Perignon and what were his contributions to Champagne?

Answer 6

The cellarmaster at the Abbey of Hautvillers from 1668-1715, and a master of assemblage.

Question 7

What is the oldest still operating Champagne house?

Answer 7

Gosset, 1584

Question 8

Who developed the first brut Champagne?

Answer 8

Pommery, in 1874, called “Nature”

Question 9

When was Champagne first delimited, and what was controversial about the decision?

Answer 9

1908. It excluded the Aube.

Question 10

When was the Aube added to Champagne?

Answer 10

1927

Question 11

How is saignée rosé Champagne made?

Answer 11

Color is derived by maceration on the skins rather then by blending of a red wine

Question 12

What is blocage?

Answer 12

The reserve of wine stocks

Question 13

What is transvasage?

Answer 13

The transfer, or Kriter method: The wine undergoes secondary fermentation in bottle, but rather than submit to riddling, the bottles are disgorged into a pressurized tank, filtered, and then bottled with dosage.

Question 14

Why is Pinot Meunier popular in the Valee de la Marne?

Answer 14

It buds late and ripens early, which is good in a frost-prone region

Question 15

What is the max % of a years harvest may be sold as vintage Champagne?

Answer 15

80

Question 16

What % of a vintage must a vintage dated champagne contain?

Answer 16

100%

Question 17

What is the min élevage for a NV Champagne? For a vintage Champagne?

Answer 17

Min 15 months from date of tirage
Min 36 months from date of tirage

Question 18

What is the continuous method?

Answer 18

Wine is pumped through a series of interconnected tanks through the secondary fermentation, with more liqueur de tirage added constantly. As the lees accumulate, they create a higher degree of autolyzed flavors in the wine.

Question 19

Who discovered the relationship between sugar and fermentation?

Answer 19

Jean Antoine Chaptal
Chaptalization is named for him

Question 20

What is unique about Champagne’s labeling?

Answer 20

They are the only AOC/AOP that is not required to include “appellation contrôlée/protégée” on the label.

Question 21

When did the INAO expand the boundaries of Champagne?

Answer 21

2009 (for the first time since 1927)

Question 22

What are boues de villes?

Answer 22

Sterilised trash from Paris or Reims that was spread in the vineyards of Champagne to break up clay and prevent erosion

Question 23

When was the Échelle des Crus established?

Answer 23

1911

Question 24

When did grape prices cease to be fixed by the Échelle de Cru?

Answer 24

1990

Question 25

When was the Échelle des Crus abolished?

Answer 25

2010