Sparkling Wines Flashcards
What is a “sparkling” wine?
Generic term to wine with bubbles (trapped inside by fermentation or other methods)
When is champagne often drunk?
Celebrations
Also can be drunk with food
Can sparkling wine be inexpensive?
Yes. Sparkling has a wide range of price points and quality levels.
Name 4 different “ranges” of Champagne.
- Delicate to powerful
- Dry to sweet
- White, red and rosé
- Young or aged
Where is Champagne?
Northern region of France
Climate on the outer limits of grape production - hard to grow and ripen
What is the CIVC? What does it do?
Comité Interprofessionnel du vin de Champagne
* Regulates and protects the industry
Describe the soil of Champagne.
Chalk and limestone
What is the climate of Champagne?
Cold continental
Describe Champagne’s weather. What does it cause?
Extremely variable, which means that not every year is vintage
List the 3 grapes grown in Champagne.
- Chardonnay - elegance and finess
- Pinot Noir - structure, richness and body
- Pinot Meunier - youthful fruitiness
Is it expensive to produce Champagne?
Yes: very specific, expensive and time-consuming way of making a sparkling wine requiring long aging and investment.
List the 5 subregions of Champagne
- Côte de Sézanne
- Montagne de Reims
- Vallée de la Marne
- Côte des Blancs
- Côte de Bars
Can the “Methode Champagnoise” be used everywhere?
Before: could be used outside of Champagne
Now: banned outside of Champagne
List the 10 steps to making Champagne
- Harvest
- Pressing
- First fermentation
- Cuvée assemblage
- Secondary fermentation
- Bottle ageing
- Remuage
- Dégorgement
- Dosage
- Cork and bottle
Describe the Harvesting process in the making of Champagne.
- Early harvest so low sugar and high acid
- Different grapes can be picked at different times
- Careful picking so grapes are preserved
- Hand picking - grapes are low to ground so hard
Describe the Pressing process in the making of Champagne.
- Quick and gentle
- Pressed immediately to maintain freshness
How much juice can be pressed?
2550 litres from 4000kg grapes
First 1 - 50 litres: often dusty and darker so added to the taille
Cuvée: next 50 - 2050 litres
Taille - last 2050 - 2550 litres
2% more can be extracted
Called La Rebêche
Used to make Ratafia, sweet aperitif
Skins and stalks: distillery to make:
1. Marc de Champagne
2. Industrial ethanol - fuel for Reims public transport
More than the usual of 1 litre per 1 kilogram
Describe the First Fermentation process in the making of Champagne.
Create a dry base wine with high acid and 10-11% alcohol
What is the base wine called in French?
Vin clair
Is all the base wine used?
Some reserved for future wines.
Describe the Cuvée Assemblage process in the making of Champagne.
One of the most complicated production processes
Team blends dozens of wines to achieve a “house” style that is consistent year over year
Some older wines may be included in the blend
Describe the Secondary Fermentation process in the making of Champagne.
Base wine is bottled with a dose of yeast and sugar
Bottle sealed with a crown cap
Second fermentation happens
CO2 is trapped in the wine
How long does the fermentation process in the bottle during the Second Fermentation stage?
6-8 weeks
Describe the Bottle Ageing process in the making of Champagne.
Wine laid down in cellar for long time
Yeast cell break down and impart flavour and aromas (autolysis)
How long is NV champagne aged for in bottle?
15 months
How long is Vintage Champage aged for in bottle?
36 months
Describe the Remuage process in the making of Champagne.
Wines were “riddled” by hand; now done by machine
Process that slowly tilts the bottle from horizontal to vertical, moving sticky yeast cells down to the neck so they can be removed
Describe the Dégorgement process in the making of Champagne.
Bottle neck is dipped in brine and freezes lees like a plug
Cap removed, pressure pushes out the frozen lees
Bottle is topped up with a mixture of wine and sugar
Describe the Dosage process in the making of Champagne.
The process of disgorgement will lose a little bit of wine
At this stage, a bit of wine is added and sugar (if any) to determine the final style/sweetness of the wine.
List 3 sweetness levels of wine and the corresponding name
Brut Zero: 0-3 g/l
Extra Brut: 0-6 g/l
Brut: 0-12 g/l
What is the pressure in a bottle of Champagne?
4-6 atmospheres
What are the different packaging components of a champagne bottle?
- Cage / muselet: keeps cork in bottleneck
- Cork: pressure makes it mushroom shaped
- Stamp: appelation, house, vintage, disgorgement date codes printed on side of cork
- Bottle:
Dark green to prevent light strike
Thicker and heavier to withstand pressure
The punt strengthens the bottle, makes it easier to pour
What are the 2 categories of Champagne?
Non-vintage (NV) and Vintage
Describe a NV champagne.
The product of multiple blended wines to
achieve a house style
Minimum 15 months aging at the winery before released
Usually drunk within 5 years
Describe a Vintage Champagne.
Only 2-3 vintages a decade
95% of the wine in the bottle on a vintage year must be from that vintage
Minimum 3 years aging before released
Can age and improve for a decade or more in the bottle after
purchase.
What is the Tête de Cuvée?
Top wine from a grower
Usually has a House name:
Veuve Cliquot - ‘La Grand Dame’
Moet & Chandon ‘Crystal’
What is Grower Champagne
Small family owned vineyards and
businesses
Very fashionable especially with sommeliers
RM (Récoltant Manipulant) on a label
What does RM mean on a bottle of Champagne?
Récoltant Manipulant (Grower / producer)
Name the 8 sparkling wine regions in France.
- Champage
Crémants de: - Loire
- Bordeaux
- Limoux
- Alsace
- Bourgogne
- Jura
- Savoie
- Die
Describe Crémant’s style and production in France.
Eight Crémant AOCs within France
Made in the traditional method
Minimum aging of 9 months on lees and 12 months total aging
Typically made in a Brut style
Describe a typical Crémant.
Typically show less autolytic character,
with more emphasis on fruit and varietal character
What is Franciacorta?
Grape Varieties: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir,
Pinot Bianco
DOCG
Longer minimum ageing requirements
Non-Vintage:18 months on the lees
Vintage: 30 months on the lees
Riserva: 60 months on the lees
Describe a typical Franciacorta.
Less marked acidity, more generous fruit
than Champagne with more autolytic character
and a richer, rounder mouthfeel
What method is used to make Franciacorta?
Traditional method
Where is 95% percent of Cava made?
Cataluña
Where else can Cava be made?
Valencia, Aragón, Rioja and the Basque country.
How is most riddling of Cava carried out?
Gyropalettes
Describe a typical Cava.
Simple citrus fruit character and a bit of
rustic earthiness along with subtle autolytic
notes.
What method is used to make Cava?
Traditional
What 5 regions in the world make sparkling wine using the Traditional method?
- Champagne
- Crémant
- Franciacorta
- Cava
- Cap Classique
For how long is Cava aged?
Cava - 9 months on less
Cava Reserva - 15 months
Cava Gran Reserva - 30 months
What grape varieties are used to make Cava?
- Macabeo (Viura)
50% of blend
Light and aromatic - Xarello: earth, mushroom
- Parellada: finer wines, low in body
- Char, Garn, Mon, PN and Trepat (rosé only)
What are the sugar levels in Cava?
Brut Nature: 0-3 g/l
Extra brut: 0-6 g/l
Brut: 0-12 g/l
Extra Seco: 12-17 g/l
Seco: 17-32 g/l
Semi-seco: 32-50 g/l
Dolçe/dulce: 50+ g/l
When did Champagne houses start to invest in Northern California?
1970’s and 80’s
Name 3 Champagne houses that have invested in California.
- Domaine Chandon (Moët et Chandon)
- Roederer Estate (Louis Roederer)
- Domaine Carneros (Taittinger)
What are notable sparkling wine AVA’s in California?
Carneros
Anderson Valley
What are the principal sparkling wine grapes in California?
Chardonnay
Pinot Noir
Describe a typical sparkling wine from California
Warmer climate, different soils lead to
riper, rounder, and fruitier styles than
Champagne.
What is the Transfer Method?
Goes through second fermentation in a bottle.
Entire contents of the bottles are poured into a tank and the wine is clarified and
dosage added.
This is great for large formats of Champagne.
It does not go through remuage.
Does not usually have the same quality of bubbles or flavours.
They may label these wines as ‘bottle fermented’
What are two other names for the tank method?
- Charmat
- Cuvée close
Describe the tank method.
Base wine transferred to pressurized tank for 2nd fermentation
Little or no time on lees
Yeast filtered out at bottling
Cheaper, faster, and less labour intensive
Describe a sparkling wine using the Cuvée close method.
Fruity sparkling wines
Less autolytic character
Slightly lower carbonation
Name 2 regions that make sparkling wine using the Cuvée close method
Prosecco
Sekt
x
What is the classic zone in the Veneto for producing Prosecco?
Conegliano-Valdobbiadene DOCG:
Classic zone in hills between the towns of
Conegliano and Valdobbiadene
What grape is used to make Prosecco? What is the minimum percentage?
Glera grape. Must be at last 85%
What are some local varieties that can be added to Prosecco (max 15%)
- Verdiso
- Bianchetta
- Perera
- Glera Lunga
What does “Sui Lieviti” mean on a bottle of Prosecco?
On lees
List the different dryness levels of Prosecco Superiore DOCG
Extra Brut: 0-6 g/l
Brut: 0-12 g/l
Extra Dry: 12-17 g/l
Dry: 17-32 g/l
In what region is Moscato d’Asti DOCG produced?
Piedmont
What method is used to make Moscato d’Asti?
Tank method
Describe a typical Moscato d’Asti
Lightly sparkling, golden-
colored wine produced in the
northwestern Piedmont region
Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains
Low alcohol content (5.5% ABV)
Lightly sweet flavor, and soft, gentle bubbles (frizzante in Italian)
Aperitif or dessert wine pairing
How are sparking red wines made (think skin contact and tannins)
Base red wine made with 2 – 5-day skin contact
Often some sweetness to balance tannins
Where is Lambrusco made?
Emilia-Romagna
Describe a Lambrusco
Different varieties
Pale to deep red colour
Taste: Fruity with crisp acidity, low tannins
Describe a sparkling Shiraz.
Sourced from warmer climates in Australia
Base wine may see oak maturation
Taste: Full bodied with high tannins and
alcohol
Describe the Ancestral Method for making sparkling wine.
Original sparkling wine production method
Bottling young wines before full dryness
Fermentation continues in bottle
Carbon dioxide becomes trapped in wine
Describe a sparkling wine using the Ancestral Method.
A lightly sparkling wine
Some sweetness
Cloudy with some sediment
Generally sealed by a crown cap
Can you define:
1. Sekt-Germany
2. Espumante-Portugal/Argentina
3. Martinotti Methos
4. Sui Lieviti-Italian
5. Methodo Classico
6. Traditional Method
7. Cap Classique from South Africa
