Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

Browse over 1 million classes created by top students, professors, publishers, and experts.


See full index

wset sparkling wine > Other French Sparkling (Cremant) > Flashcards

Other French Sparkling (Cremant) Flashcards

You may prefer our related Brainscape-certified flashcards:
WSET ® Level 1 Spirits flashcards Introductory Sommelier Exam (CMS) flashcards
1
Q

Crémant

A

“Regional French traditional method sparkling wines

made outside of the Champagne region”

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

How many Crémant regions are there?

A

8, the book focuses on 3 (+ 2 subregions)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

What are the main Crémant regions and subregions?

A

”- Alsace

  • Bourgogne
  • Loire (+ AOC Saumur and AOC Vouvray)”
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

Common features of Crémant

A

”- Hand harvesting

  • Whole bunch pressing
  • Max yield at pressing is set low-ish
  • Min 12 months maturation between tirage and release (including min 9 months on lees)
  • Max 13% ABV
  • Min 4 atmospheres pressure”
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

Alsace - by numbers

A

”- 25% of the regions production

  • 500 producers (small)
  • 15% growth in vineyard area in 10 years”
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

Alsace - Grape Varieties

A

”- Pinot Blanc (most important)

  • Auxerrois
  • Chardonnay
  • Riesling
  • Pinot Gris
  • Pinot Noir (makes rosé)”
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

Alsace - Pinot Blanc

A

”- Early budding

  • Early ripening
  • Prone to spring frost, fungal diseases
  • Aromas of apples and pears
  • High acidity”
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

Alsace - Climate

A

Sunny continental

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

Alsace - Climate description

A

”- Often dry and hot during growing season

  • Shortage of water, spring frost, and rain at harvest can be an issue
  • Great dirunal range gives flavor ripeness w/ acidity”
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

Alsace - Site location

A

”- Eastern flanks of the Vosges mountains (200 - 400m) which protects vineyards from prevailing westerly winds

  • Best sites reserved for still wines
  • P. Blanc grown at high alt cool sites where grapes struggle to ripen or on fertile flat lands like Munster Valley where cool airflow helps to retain acidity”
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

Alsace - Vineyard management

A

”- Pruned for greater crop load than still (as they don’t need high flavor concentration)

  • Max yields similar to Champagne
  • Growers must declare in July that they’re doing to make Crémant
  • Harvest is early (late Aug, early Sept) to get just-ripe fruit
  • Harvest by hand
  • Mandatory whole bunch press (for low phenolic content)”
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

Alsace - Winemaking

A

”- Grapes from single vintage (no reserve wine)

  • Chapitalise must (due to low potential alcohol)
  • Traditional Method
  • 12 months on lees (better producers do more)
  • 8 to 10 g/L dosage for Brut (to balance high acidity)”
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

Alsace - Rosé

A

Maceration on the skins for 12 - 24 hours

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

Alsace - Market

A

”- 43% Coops, 37% merchant houses, 20% independent growers

  • Big names: Maison Bestheim, Valentin Zusslin, Muré
  • 80% sold in France”
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

Alsace - Crémant d’Alsace Emotion

A

”- Top quality category for Alsace sparkling wine

  • Min 75% Pinot Blanc, Chard, and PN (seperately or together)
  • Min 24 months on lees
  • New category has not been very popular”
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

Bourgogne - Intro

A

”- 10% of wine in the region is Crémant

  • Chardonnay is most used variety
  • Production has doubled
  • Winemakers must declare that they’re making Crémant by March”
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

Bourgogne - Style

A

”- Brut

  • M+ to H acid
  • M intensity in fruit
  • Apple + Lemon (cooler areas), Apricot (warmer) + Brioche
  • BdB, BdN, Rosé made”
18
Q

Bourgogne - Appelation Boundary

A

same as Bourgogne AOC

19
Q

Bourgogne - Sources of Fruit (From South to North)

A

”- Mâconnais for Chard (Côte Chalonnaise by Rully)

  • Beaujolais
  • Côte d’Or (flatland vineyards)
  • Chablis (Yonne dept + Châtillon-sur-Seine just S of Champ)
  • Hautes Côtes de Beaune + Hautes Côtes de Nuits
  • *areas are cooler and vineyard areas are cheaper”
20
Q

Bourgogne - Climate (ranges)

A

”- North: Cool (i.e. no distinct hot, dry summer period), vines face S or S/E to be able to ripen (warmth + light)

  • Central: Continental (cold winter, dry/sunny summers) which produce just-ripe fruit
  • South: Mediterranean (v warm summers) which produce riper fruit character, lower acidity”
21
Q

Bourgogne - Hazards

A

”- Summer storms in the South

- Hail, spring frost, fungal disease, esca”

22
Q

Bourgogne - Grapes

A

”- PN*

  • Chard*
  • Aligoté, Gamay, Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Melon Blanc”
23
Q

Bougogne - Winemaking

A

”- Early harvested fruit

- MLF optional”

24
Q

Bourgogne - Crémant de B Blanc

A

”- Min 30% Chard, PN, PB, PG either alone or in the blend

- Max 20% Gamay”

25
Q

Bourgogne - Market

A

”- 66% merchant houses, 30% Coops, 2% independent

  • 10 companies responsible for 90% of volume
  • 40% exports and growing”
26
Q

Bourgogne - Crémant de Bourgogne Eminent

A

Additional lees-ageing requirement of 24 month

27
Q

Bourgogne - Crémant de Bourgogne Grand Eminent

A

”- whites: PN and Chard only

  • rosé: only 20 per cent of Gamay is allowed
  • a vintage is optional (but common)
  • min of 36 months’ lees ageing and
  • 3 months in the bottle before release
  • Brut only”
28
Q

Loire - Sparkling Wine Appelations

A

”- 7 total, 3 covered in book

  • Crémant de Loire
  • sparkling Vouvray
  • sparkling Saumur”
29
Q

Loire - intro

A

”- 13% of Loire production

  • Major Loire co’s are owned by Champagne houses
  • 90% of Crémant de Loire is white
  • Producers must declare in July to make Crémant”
30
Q

Loire - Flavor Profile

A

“*Chenin dominant:

  • M intensity
  • Apple + citrus w/ light toasty autolytic notes
  • honeyed aromas in 2yr or 3yr old wine
  • High acidity
  • Brut (demi-sec, brut nature too)”
31
Q

Loire - Regions

A

”- Middle Loire districts: Anjou-Saumur + Touraine (only)

  • Surround Loire River + tributaries which moderate temp
  • S + W of Saumur source the most fruit for Crémant”
32
Q

Loire - Climate

A
  • Cool
33
Q

Loire - Climate Description

A

”- Atlantic ocean extends cool, mild influence through to the center of Touraine (most of the area set for Crémant)
- Risks: Fungal disease, untimely rain”

34
Q

Loire - Soils

A

”- Overall good drainage + water retention

  • Range: clay-limestone, flint-clay, sand, gravel, tuff
  • Soils w/ excessive clay = too cold, not classified in AOC
  • Anjou = more schist + limestone
  • Touraine = more chalk”
35
Q

Loire - Sites

A

”- Less well-exposed w/ higher proportion of clay than for still wines
- Need rootstocks tolerant to high lime content in soils”

36
Q

Loire - Grape varieties

A

”- Chenin Blanc*

  • Cab Franc <3
  • Cab Sauv
  • Grolleau Noir + Gris
  • Pineau d’Aunis
  • *Sauv Blanc is not allowed = too aromatic”
37
Q

Loire - Winemaking

A

”- Pneumatic press (gentle = low phenolics)

  • 1st Ferm in Stainless (oak not desired)
  • MLF optional
  • Blending wines from different areas within CdLoire (not often using reserve wines)
  • min 9 months on lees “
38
Q

Loire - Prestige de Loire

A

”- New top tier by InterLoire to establish higher price

  • White only from Chenin, Cab F, Chard, PN
  • Min 24 months on lees
  • Vintage dated
  • Brut, Brut Nature, Extra Brut
  • Environmental sustainability standards”
39
Q

Loire - Industry

A

”- 19 merchant houses (9 houses = 80% volume)

  • 10 Coops
  • 400 producers
  • 50% sold in france/domestic
  • Big names: Ackerman, Bouvet-Ladubay, Veuve-Amiot, Langlois-Chateau”
40
Q

Loire - Saumur Mousseux

A

”- 60% Chenin Blanc min, 10% Sauv Blanc max

  • Rosé = 60% Cab F min, 10% Sauv Blanc max
  • Harvest by machine allowed (more juice can be extracted than in Crémant)”
41
Q

Loire - Vouvray Mousseux

A

”- Chenin Blanc (must be majority)

  • Orbois (only other permitted grape, minority)
  • Production rules similar to Saumur
  • Vouvray Pétillant + Pet Nat produced, too”
42
Q

Loire - Why make sparkling?

A

”- Less risk as grapes can be picked early at lower minimum ripeness (avoiding the possibility of late season rain or botrytis spoiling or reducing the crop)
- Permitted yields are higher than for still AOC wine.”

wset sparkling wine (18 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2024 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions