Champagne basics and climate

Question 1

Where does champagne sit in France?

Answer 1

The most northerly Région. It lies between the 49th and 49.5 degree parallel north. It is 1.5 hours from Paris.

Question 2

How many hours of sunlight does champagne get?

Answer 2

1,650 hours (Bourgogne gets 1910 and Bordeaux 2,069 hours)

Question 3

What are the climatic factors of champagne?

Answer 3

A strong continental and Atlantic (Maritime) influence

Continental affects winter temps, things get cold
Maritime climate affects spring and fall with significant frost

Question 4

What makes champagne unique?

Answer 4

• An inhospitable climate
• Its northerly Location
• Its chalk soils
• The champagne method
• Hands on yet throughly mechanised
• Individual Bottle Fermentation
• Out Of strife (wars)….a beverage of celebration

Question 5

What is the average annual temp in Champagne?

Answer 5

50 degrees F/ 10 degrees Celcius…. the minimum temp for photosynthesis to occur

Question 6

What is the average amount of sunshine hours champagne gets?

Answer 6

1,650 hours (average is 1,400)

Question 7

Where does Champagne sit?

Answer 7

On the 49th parallel and the 49.5th parallel. The vine seldom survives around the 50th parallel.

Question 8

Why did the champenois plant vines in champagne?

Answer 8

Because it was the only thing that would grow there

Question 9

What are the two climate types in Champagne?

Answer 9

• Continental and Oceanic
• Continental: usually cold winters, hot summers
• Oceanic: Not much different
• Champagne weather patterns: Mild, rainfall is ample, cloud cover is common

Question 10

What is the weather pattern in champagne?

Answer 10

• Summers are warm, seldom hot
• Sunshine, but clouds loom large
• Breezes are moisture- laden and carry humidity
• Spring and Autumn are marked by heavy frosts
• Winters are cold

Question 11

On average how many days of frost does champagne experience?

Answer 11

60- 80 days a year

Question 12

The Annual Winter Freeze

Answer 12

• Troyes has 85 days below 0 degrees celcius/ 32 degrees fahrenheit each year: Reims; 75 or these 85, 13 days are below 23 degrees farenheit/ -5 degrees celsius
• Average 3- 8 days each year, temps will dip to 14 degrees fahrenheit/ -10 degrees celcius putting both buds an vines in the danger zone for freeze damage/ winter kill

Question 13

Average Annual Rainfall?

Answer 13

Reims: 24 inches/ 604 mm
Epernay: 27 inches/ 674 mm
Troyes: 25.5 inches/ 648 mm

On average there is 177 days of rain in Champagne per year

Question 14

Is the quality/ quantity of grapes harvested in Champagne the same?

Answer 14

No. Because of the size of the region.

Question 15

What happened in Jan 1985?

Answer 15

Winter temps dropped to 16 degrees Fahrenheit/ -2.4 degrees celcius for 18 consecutive days and killed 40% of the planted vines.

Question 16

What are the rivers of Champagne?

Answer 16

Vesle, Ardre, Marne, Surmelin, Aube, Ource, Landion, Laignes and Seine

Question 17

Champagne is…….

Answer 17

150 miles/ 240 km from the English Channel

Question 18

What has climate change done to harvest in Champagne?

Answer 18

Traditionally harvest was in September, around the 20th. Now grapes are picked 10 days earlier.

Question 19

Climate change in Champagne?

Answer 19

Less time between two warm growing seasons than 20 years ago and riper grapes means lower acids and lower dosage.

Question 20

What are the warm and cold years of Champagne?

Answer 20

Warm Years: 1947, 1949, 1959, 1961, 1976, 1982, 1989, 1990, 1998, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2011, 2014

Cold Years: 1955, 1988, 1996, 2013

Question 21

What are the Champenois doing to reduce the global footprint?

Answer 21

Because 1/3 of emissions are from packing, they have reduced the bottle by 65g. By reducing the bottle from 835g to 775g, the champenois reduced emissions of CO2 by 10%

Question 22

What is the emission goals of Champagne…..

Answer 22

To reduce CO2 emissions by 25% in 2020 and by 75% by 2050