Champagne Flashcards by Dave Gregory

What is “disgorgement”?

In sparkling wine production, the removal of yeast after the second fermentation

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

What is disgorgement “à la volée”?

Disgorgement by hand (vs. machine)

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

What is a “mosser”?

A 17th century wooden whisk used to release trapped gas from wine

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

What is the climate of Champagne?

Continental with maritime influences

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

When did the King of France famously allow wine to be sold and transported in bottle?

1728

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

What is the most popular style of Champagne?

NV Brut

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

What city was historically the capital of the Champagne region?

Troyes

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

What is chalk?

a porous limestone; a sedimentary rock composed of calcium carbonate

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

What was the first Champagne house, and when was it founded?

Ruinart (1729)

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

T or F: In Champagne, vineyards are ranked Grand/1er Cru

False. It is the village that is ranked.

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

In Champagne, which is the higher ranking, Grand or Premier Cru?

Grand Cru

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

What are the two types of chalk found in Champagne?

Belemnite and Micraster

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

What is the dominant grape in the Montagne de Reims?

Pinot Noir

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

What is the dominant grape in the Vallée de la Marne?

Meunier

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

What is Kimmeridgean Marl?

A limestone-rich clay whose dominat fossil is Exogyra virgula (a small comma-shaped oyster)

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

What is the dominant fossil found in Belemnite chalk?

Ancient arrow- or dart-like relatives of today’s squid

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Define “Mono-Parcelle”

Single vineyard

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Define “Mono-Cru”

Single village

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

What is a “gyropalette”?

A mechanized riddling machine

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

What is a “Blanc de Blancs”?

A white sparkling wine made from white grapes

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

What is the dominant grape of the Grand Vallée de la Marne?

Pinot Noir

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

List the seven dosage levels from driest to sweetest

Brut Nature
Extra Brut
Brut
Extra Sec (or Extra Dry)
Sec (Dry)
Demi-Sec
Doux

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

What is the dominant grape of the Côte de Sézanne?

Chardonnay

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

What is a “Blanc de Noirs”?

A white sparkling wine made from black grapes

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

What does the abbreviation "RM" refer to?

Récoltant-Manipulant; a champagne producer who vinifies only his or her estate-grown grapes

What is a "Tête de Cuvée"?

A champagne house's prestige bottling

What are the three principal grapes of Champagne?

Pinot Noir Meunier Chardonnay

What are the four authorized (but ancillary) grapes of Champagne?

Pinot Gris Pinot Blanc Arbane Petit Meslier

What was the contribution of Veuve Cliquot (Ponsardin) to the champagne method?

The process of riddling

T or F: A champagne labeled "Grand Cru" hails from a single vineyard

FALSE. A producer with several grand cru-ranked vineyards may blend them and label his wine Grand Cru

Define "Perpetual Reserve"

A vat of reserve wine in which multiple vintages of wine are aged together in the same vessel; similar to a solera

T or F: Most Coteaux Champenois production is white.

TRUE

What were the two principal grapes of Champagne between the 9th and 16th centuries?

Gouais and Fromenteau

What is a "crayère"?

Defunct chalk quarries dug by the Romans, now used as wine cellars

What is the dominant grape of the Côte des Blancs?

Chardonnay

T or F: There is a set blending formula within the Champagne AOC.

FALSE. Every champagne house has its own proprietary blend and house style.

What is the difference between AOC Coteaux Champenois and AOC Champagne?

AOC Coteaux Champenois is 100% still, while AOC Champagne is 100% sparkling

Define "remuage"

Riddling; the turning and shifting of champagne bottles from horizontal to vertical in order to collect the lees in the neck

What does the abbreviation "NM" refer to?

Negociant-Manipulant; a champagne producer who incorporates grapes from others into his champagne

What is a synonym for "liqueur d'expedition"?

Dosage

What is the dominant grape of the Côte des Bar?

Pinot Noir

Define "liqueur d'expedition"

The mix of sugar and still reserve wine added to champagne after degorgement and before the cork is inserted

Define "prise de mousse"

"Seizing of the foam"; in champagne production, the second alcoholic fermentation which captures the bubble

What is "transversage"?

The process of using 750 ml bottles of champagne to fill large (bigger than magnums) and small format bottles after disgorgement

What is the primary grape of Rosé des Riceys?

Pinot Noir

What are the three AOCs in Champagne?

Rosé des Riceys AOC Coteaux Champenois AOC Champagne AOC

T or F: A Blanc de Blancs champagne can only be made from Chardonnay grapes.

FALSE

If your bottle of Champagne is made solely from grapes grown in the Côte des Blancs, what style of champagne are you most likely to be drinking?

Blanc de Blancs

T or F: A Blanc de Noirs champagne can only be made from Pinot Noir grapes.

FALSE. Although Blanc de Noirs champagnes are most associated with Pinot Noir, Meunier can also be used--or they can be a blend of both.

What ranking does a Cru need to achieve in order to be used to make champagne?

80-90%

What ranking does a Cru need to achieve in order to be used to make Premier Cru?

90-99%

What ranking does a Cru need to achieve in order to be used to make Grand Gru?

100%

T or F: Grapes for champagne can be harvested by hand or machine.

FALSE

Which French King championed champagne and is said to have drunk it at every meal?

Louis XIV

Which Champagne sub-region has the same soils as those in Chablis--Kimmeridgean Marls?

Côte des Bar

Meunier is used to make Blanc de Blancs or Blanc de Noirs?

Blanc de Noirs

Chardonnay is used to make Blanc de Blancs or Blanc de Noirs?

Blanc de Blancs

Petit Meslier is used to make Blanc de Blancs or Blanc de Noirs?

Blanc de Blancs

Pinot Blanc is used to make Blanc de Blancs or Blanc de Noirs?

Blanc de Blancs

Arbane is used to make Blanc de Blancs or Blanc de Noirs?

Blanc de Blancs

Pinot Gris is used to make Blanc de Blancs or Blanc de Noirs?

Blanc de Blancs

Pinot Noir is used to make Blanc de Blancs or Blanc de Noirs?

Blanc de Noirs

What are the aging regulations for vintage champagne?

12 months on the lees and 36 months in total, minimum

What are the aging regulations with NV champage?

12 months on the lees and 15 months in total, minimum

What is the order of champagne production stages?

1. assemblage 2. tirage 3. élevage 4. rémuage 5. dégorgement 6. dosage

How many Grand Cru Villages are there in Champagne?

Montgeux grows what major grape variety?

Chardonnay

Vallée de la Marne grows what major grape variety?

Meunier

Côte des Bar grows what major grape variety?

Pinot Noir

Grande Montagne de Reims grows what major grape variety?

Pinot Noir

Côte de Sézanne grows what major grape variety?

Chardonnay

Vitryat grows what major grape variety?

Chardonnay

Côte des Blancs grows what major grape variety?

Chardonnay

Grande Vallee de la Marne grows what major grape variety?

Pinot Noir

In what type of vessel is most champagne fermented?

Stainless steel tanks

T or F: The Champagne region is relatively small because the vineyards are planted on chalky slopes, rather than the arable flatland which covers most of the region.

TRUE

What does Meunier contribute to the champagne blend?

Least amount of alcohol and moderate acidity

What does Pinot Noir contribute to the champagne blend?

Moderate alcohol and lowest amount of acidity

What does Chardonnay contribute to the champagne blend?

High alcohol and acidity

What was the name for Pinot Gris in Champagne from the 9th to the 16th centuries?

Fromenteau

T or F: Most rosé champagne is made by bleeding off some of the juice from fermenting red grapes--a saignée.

FALSE. Although some rosé champagne is made by the saignée method, most gets its color from the base wine being a blend of white with some red wine added.

If a champage producer only vinifies grapes from their own vineyards, which producer code should they show on their label?

RM: Récoltant-Manipulant

What traumatic, historic even reduced the size of the Champagne region to a fifth of its previous size?

Phylloxera

Before the Champagne Method was perfected in the 18th and 19th centuries, the wines of Champagne were produced using a less sophisticated process. This is still used in other regions--what is it called?

Ancestral Method

Rank the order of champagne sweetness levels from driest to sweetest.

1. Brut Nature 2. Extra Brut 3. Brut 4. Extra Sec/Extra Dry 5. Sec 6. Demi-Sec 7. Doux