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Champagne Flashcards

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1
Q

Vintage Champagne requirements

A

100% from that vintage

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2
Q

Examples of universally declared Champagne vintages

A

2002, 2008

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3
Q

Rosé d’assemblage

A

Blend red wine with white

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4
Q

Rosé de saignée

A

Skin macerate black grapes; draw off skins

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5
Q

Blanc de Blancs character

A

austere in youth

long ageing

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6
Q

Blanc de Noirs

A

FUller bodied

Age more rapidly than BdB

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7
Q

Grand Cru

A

all grapes from Grand Cru villages

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8
Q

Premier Cru

A

all grapes from Premier Cru or Grand Cru villages

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9
Q

Drink late disgorged CHampagne immediately, why?

A

Initially seem more youthful tahn same vintage disgorged earlier
But after disgorgement they age more rapidly
Impact of disgrogement (ingress of oxygen, disturbance of liquid) greater in older wines

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10
Q

Wine from Champagne was historically what style/colour?

A

Still, rosé

Pinot Noir

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11
Q

Who developed riddling?

A

Veuve Cliquot

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12
Q

Remuage

A

Riddling

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13
Q

Champagne AOC boundary set in what year

A

1927

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14
Q

Blocage

A

Reserve wines

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15
Q

Why blocage came about?

A

Reserve wines

Portion of young wine set aside as insurance policy against low yields/disasters later

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16
Q

5 subregions of Champagne

A 
Montagne de Reims
Valée de la Marne
Cote des Blanc
Cote de Sézanne
Cote des Bar
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17
Q

Champagne climate

A

Cool continental
Some oceanic influence
700mm rain

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18
Q

Average annual temp in Champagne

A

11C

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19
Q

How has climate change impacted Champagne?

A

Over last 30 years, harvest dates have moved forward 18 days on average
Average acidity has dropped
Potential alcohol risen 0.7%

Result: more consistently ripened grapes, fewer poor vintages

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20
Q

Best geographical area in Champagne for high quality grapes?

A

Chalky hillsides in northern part

High chalk content = high quality Chardonnay

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21
Q

Characteristics of chalk soils

A

Highly porous
Stores water
Steady supply of water in dry periods

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22
Q

Montagne de Reims

A

Black grapes
Grand Cru: Mailly, Verzenay, Verzy, Ambonnay, Bouzy
Wide plateau, not mountain
North-facing villages = excellent cool-climate site (frost prone)
High acidity
Austere in youth
Grands Crus on chalk = balance of water retention and drainage
Some good Chardonnay

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23
Q

Vallée de la Marne

A

Meunier on clay, marl and sand (fruity wines)
Meunier bud break later, ripen earlier = well suited to frost prone valley
Grand Cru: Ay
Early drinking Chardonnay also

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24
Q

Cote des Blancs

A

Almost exclusively white grapes
Purest chalk (water retention and drainage)
95% Chard
GCs: Cramant, Avize, Oger and Le Mesnil-sur-Oger
Long aged wines, austere in youth

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25
Cote de Sézanne
``` Continuation of Cote des Blancs Clay and clay/silt, some chalk Chardonnay on warm SE-facing slopes Fruitier, riper Quality lower than VdlM, CdBlanc and MdR ```
26
Cote de Bar
South of region 25% Pinot Noir Kimmeridgian calcareous marls (Sancerre and Chablis) Steep slopes, stony limestone = drainage = good Pinot Important source of Pinot for other areas Merchants from north buy grapes here
27
Hectares under vine in Champagne
35,000ha
28
Breakdown of grapes %
Pinot Noir 38% Meunier 32% Chardonnay 30%
29
Which of three grapes is increasingly in demand?
Chardonnay Planted more and more Demand from big Houses Higher price per kilo, larger yields
30
Other grapes in Champagne
Pinot Blanc Arbanne Petit Meslier Fromenteau
31
Meunier
``` aka Pinot Meunier Mutation of PN with white hairs/floury Meunier = miller Early bud (but later than PN and Chard = less prone to frost) Earlier ripen than PN = good in years with late rain Sensitive to botrytis Fruity wine, adds softness Important for NV wines ```
32
Producers that use Meunier for long-ageing wines
Krug | Egly-Ouriet
33
Average density in Champagne vyd
8,000v/ha
34
Why are high yields ok?
Not necessary for ripe tannins or flavours | Don't need concentrated colour
35
Taille Chablis
Pruning system best for Chardonnay 3-4 cordons (old wood), max 5 End of each cordon: a spur with up to 5 buds Form of spur pruning, lots of permanent wood (good vs. frost) Spurs grown t yearly intervals, trained to max 0.6m above ground (benefit solar energy reflected from soil)
36
Cordon du Royat
Used for PN and Munier Royat = RED wines Single cordon, spur pruned, VSP
37
Guyot
Replacement cane, VSP. Lesser rated vyds. Single or double guyot
38
"Vallee de la Marne" training system
similar to Guyot but more buds | Used less than in the past
39
What is Vallée de la Marne
1) a sub-region (Meunier) | 2) a training system (like Guyot but more buds; less popular now)
40
Climatic threats in Champagne
``` Winter frost Spring frost Cold/rain affect flowering/fruit set = reduce yields, unripe grapes Violet storms/hail Hot and humid summer = botrtryis ```
41
Pests and diseases
Downy mildew Podwery mildew Dagger nematode (which spreads fanleaf virus)
42
Sustainability in Champagne
Promoted by Comité Champagne Pesticides reduced (sex confusion instead) Soil protection (groundwater on slopes; cover crops) Water management Recycling waste and by-products Lighter bottle for NV
43
How are harvest dates decided?
Comité Champagne decides Sample grapes from 450 control plots from veraison onwards Measure colour change, weight, sugar, acidity and botrytis Determine max yield for year, required abv Announce start dates but producers can pick later
44
Can producers pick earlier than set harvst dates?
Yes by special derogation from INAO | if for example botrytis threat
45
AOC regulations for picking and pressing?
Hand harvest | Whole bunch pressing
46
How long does harvest last?
Usuall 3 weeks | around 100,000 workers
47
How many pressing centres around Champagne?
1,900 | keep transportation times to a minimum
48
Why is pressing gentle in Champagne?
Gradual increase of presusre Ensure high quality Low phenolics (avoid extracting tannins) Make white wine from black grapes
49
Marc
4,000kg of grapes
50
Max yield
79hl/ha | can be raised to 98hl/ha if agreed with Comite
51
Cuvée | Taille
4,000kg of grapes loaded in to press Cuvée: first 2,050L (free run juice and first pressing) Taille: next 500 litres Limiting total pressing ptoects quality, avoiding over-extraction of phenolics Maintains fruit flavours
52
Cuvée how many L
first 2,050L
53
Taille how many litres
500L
54
Characteristic of cuvee
Rich in acids | Finesse, ageing potential
55
Characteristics of taille
Lower acid, more colour and phenolics | Useful for blends = expressive in youth but not ageing potential
56
NV: more cuvée or taille?
More taille. Expressive in youth but doesnt have same ageing potential
57
Chaptalisation allowed?
Yes to produce a wine with minimum alcohol 11% | final alcohol cannot reach 13% NB
58
Alcoholic fermentation vessel
Stainless steel | More large oak foudres = textural richness, mouthfeel
59
MLF?
Yes, often, after alcoholic ferment Reduce and soften acidity Some avoid it
60
Store base wine where?
Large producers: big vessels, reductive environment away from oxygen Others: old oak, mild oxidation Bollinger: age in magnum Others eg Pierre Peters: perpetual reserve
61
Source of red wine for rose blending?
Still dry Pinot Noir or Meunier, locally grown
62
Example of skin contact rosé producer?
Laurent Perrier
63
Colour consideration for rosé blending?
Yeast absorbs colour pigments during each fermentation = getting colour right in final wine requires experience and expertise
64
Brioche flavours prominent in CHampagne why?
More prominent than in warmer climates due to lower intensity of primary fruit present
65
NV lees ageing
12 months | Total 15 months in cellar
66
Vintage lees ageing
12 months | Cant be relaesed until three years after tirage (many keep for longer)
67
How did Echelle des Crus system end?
Pressure from EU
68
Biggest buyer of grapes?
Moet & Chandon
69
Grand Cru refers to village or vineyard?
Village entirely
70
Why Grand Cru not used as widely here by Houses as eg Burgundy negciants?
Houses need to produce large volumes and high quality; there is variation within and between GCs; Houses thus focus on the brand of the vintage or prestige cuvee rather than promote individual village or vineyard names
71
How many growers in Champgne?
16,000 remember: 35,000ha underr vine
72
Growers own what % of vineyards?
90%
73
How many Champagne Houses?
340
74
All big CHampagne Houses belong to which acronym/category?
NM | Negociant Manipulant
75
Growers belong to which acronym/category?
RM | Recoltant Manipulant
76
LVMH owns what?
``` Moet and Chandon Dom perignon Mercier Veuve Clicquot Ruinart Krug ```
77
Vranken Pommery Monopole owns what?
``` Vranken Pommery Monopole Hiedsieck Charles Laffite Bissinger ```
78
Champagne sales split between export and domestic what %?
50-50
79
Total sales for Champagne (2018)
302 million bottles
80
Growers sell most of their wine in which market?
Domestic
81
How is supply of Champagne controlled?
Max grape yields for base wine this year Allowance of wines to go into reserves Potentially adding more land to AOC
82
Main export markets
UK, USA, Japan, Germany, Beligum
83
Price per kilo of grapes
€6.10/kg (not GC or PC) | 1.2kg makes one bottle
84
How many kg of grapes makes one bottle of Champagne?
1.2kg
85
Why is vintage Champagne more expensive to produce?
Premium grapes cost more Cant be sold for three years = cost of storage nad cashflow (vs 15 months for NV)
86
Why is rose champagne a bit more expensive to make?
Red wine is needed = more expensive bcos lower yields
87
Markeitng and advertising approx what % of bottle price for large Houses?
20%
88
Broad breakdown of costs for bottle of Champagne
50% grapes 30% production 20% commercialisation

diploma rough (18 decks)

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