Champagne Flashcards by Matias Marroquin

Three zones of Champagne Appellation

Zone de l’elaboration
Zone de production
Zone parcellaire de production de raisins

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What is the Champagne zone de l’elaboration

Outer limits of Champagne, where it is legal to vinify Champagne and transport uncommercialized grapes, most of the area cannot be planted

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What is the Champagne zone de production

The area that consists of villages where vines may be cultivated, comprised of 319 communes

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What is the zone parcellaire de production de raisins in Champagne

Lacework of delimited parcels surrounding the zone of production in Champagne

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What is the main soil type found in Champagne

Chalk

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Define Micraster Chalk

Soil composed of fossilized material from an extinct genus of Sea Urchin

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What is the dominant soil type in the Aube department of Champagne

Clay

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What two parallels is Champagne located between

48th & 49th

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What is the general climate of Champagne

Continental with some Atlantic influence

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What are the three main grape varietals of Champagne

Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Meunier

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What four varietals are found in Champagne that make up under 0.3% of plantings

Arbanne
Pinot Gris (Fromenteau)
Petit Meslier
Pinot Blanc

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What is the synonym for Pinot Gris in Champagne

Fromenteau

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What are the 8 subregions of Champagne

Montagne de Reims
Valle de la Marne
Côte des Blancs
Coteaux du Morin
Vitryat
Côte de Sézanne
Montgueux
Côte des Bar

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What is the famous subdistrict of the Montagne de Reims

Grande Montagne

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What is the grape variety famous in Grande Montagne

Pinot Noir

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What is the main grape varietal planted in Valle de la Marne

Meunier

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What is notable about the soil in Valle de la Marne

Thick and heavy mix of marl, loam & clay suited to Meunier

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What is the main grape varietal of the Côte de Blancs

Chardonnay

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What is the main grape varietal cultivated in the Côte de Sézanne

Chardonnay

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Where is Vitryat located geographically in Champagne

The eastern periphery of the Champagne region

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What is the main grape varietal cultivated in Vitryat

Chardonnay

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What is the primary grape varietal cultivated in Montgeux (Troyes)

Chardonnay

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What is the primary area of viticulture in the Aube

Côte des Bar

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Where is the Aube located in relation to the rest of Champagne’s zone of production

South (still farther north than Chablis)

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What grape varietal is the primary planting in the Aube, and what grape varietal is actually better suited to the area

Pinot Noir, though area is better for Chardonnay

What organization (now abolished) established the system of Grand & Premier Crus in Champagne

Échelle des Crus

Can Champagne producers label their wines as Premier or Grand Cru

Yes, historical classifications are still legal despite abolishment of the Échelle des Crus

How many Grand Cru villages are in Champagne

How many Premier Cru villages are in Champagne

What are the aging requirements for Nonvintage Champagne

15 months, with 12 on the lees

What are the aging requirements for Vintage Champagne

36 months - many producers age even longer

Define Prestige Cuvée

The finest bottling of a Champagne House, created by British journalist Laurence Venn to help market luxury Champagne in the UK

How many members of the Club Tresors de Champagne are there currently

25 estates

Define Blanc de Blancs Champagne

Champagne produced exclusively from white grapes (mainly Chardonnay but can include Arbane, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, & Petit Meslier)

Define Blanc de Noirs Champagne

Champagne produced exclusively from Pinot Noir and/or Meunier as white wine

What method is typically used to produce Rosé Champagne

Blending white and red base wines

What method in addition to blending white and red wine can be used to make Rosé Champagne

Saignée

Define Saignée

Rosé Champagne produced from the colored free run juice that naturally bleeds from black grapes before they are pressed

What method is used to vinify Louis Roederer's Cristal Rosé

Pinot noir grapes are cold-soaked in Chardonnay juice for one week without fermentation. Colored Chardonnay juice is drained off, and the two grapes are pressed separately before blending. More Chardonnay will be added to balance acidity and fermentation begins. The second fermentation in bottle lightens the color

Name the 7 styles of Champagne by sweetness from dry to sweet

Brut Nature Extra Brut Brut Extra Dry Sec Demi-Sec Doux

What is the residual sugar in grams per liter of Brut Nature Champagne

0 dosage

What is the residual sugar in grams per liter of Extra Brut Champagne

0-6 grams per liter

What is the residual sugar in grams per liter of Brut Champagne

6-12 grams per liter

What is the residual sugar in grams per liter of Extra Dry Champagne

12-17 grams per liter

What is the residual sugar in grams per liter of Sec Champagne

17-32 grams per liter

What is the residual sugar in grams per liter of Demi Sec Champagne

32-50 grams per liter

What is the residual sugar in grams per liter of Doux Champagne

Upwards of 50 grams per liter

What is the term Riche used to distinguish on a Champagne bottle

Used for wines between Sec and Doux, with no legal definition

What is the allowed margin of error in residual sugar in grams per liter for Champagne labeling

3 grams per liter

What is the classification of a Champagne producer who purchases grapes or base wines from growers or smaller houses to blend or bottle as their own

Negociant

What is the classification of a producer in Champagne who makes wine from at least 95% estate-owned fruit

Recoltant Manipulant

Define Assemblage (Traditional Method)

Winemakers taste and blend individual base wines to conform to house style of create a unique expression

Define Secondary Fermentation (Traditional Method)

Base wines are bottled after Assemblage with yeast and sugar to begin fermentation in bottle, causing the resulting carbon dioxide to be trapped in bottle

Define Sur Lie Aging (Traditional Method)

Wine is rested on decaying yeast cells following secondary fermentation to add richness and complexity to the wine

Define Remuage (Traditional Method)

Bottles are gradually twisted by hand or Gyropalette to slowly move dead yeast cells to the neck of the bottle

Define Disgorgment (Traditional Method)

The neck of the bottle is dipped in an ice-salt bath which freezes dead yeast cells, after which the cap is removed and pressure shoots the frozen yeast out of the bottle

Define Autolysis

A process in which dead yeast cells decompose, releasing protein and flavor compounds reminiscent of bread

What AOC in Champagne covers still wines produced within the zone of production of Champagne

Coteaux Champenois AOC

What are the names of large format bottlings for Champagne from 3L to 15L

3L - Jeroboam 6L - Methalusem/Imperial) 9L - Salamanzar 12L - Balthazar 15L - Nebuchadnezzar

What is 'jetting'

After desgorgment, jetting is the process of squirting some Champagne into the bottle, the moment before the cork is inserted in the bottle, allowing the wine to fizz up, pushing out the air in the neck of the bottle to minimize premox in the bottling

What is the name of the second crop leftover on the vines following the first harvest in Champagne

Bouvreux

What is the name of the cage used to stop the cork on a bottle of Champagne

Muselet

What is a 'Pupitre' in Champagne

A wooden A-frame traiditonally used in the Remuage step of the traditional method

How many bottles does a standard Pupitre hold

120

How much pressure is in a typical bottle of Champagne

70-90 PSI

What does 'NM' mean on a Champagne label

(Négociant Manipulant): A house that purchases grapes and or base wines from growers and other smaller houses

What does 'RM' mean on a Champagne label

(Récoltant Manipulant): A grower-producer who makes Champagne from estate-grown fruit. 95% of the grapes must originate in the producer’s own vineyards

What does 'MA' mean on a Chamapagne label

(Marque d’Acheteur): A buyer’s own brand, often a large supermarket chain or restaurant, that purchases Champagne and sells it under its own label

What does 'SR' mean on a Champagne label

(Société de Récoltants): A firm, not a co-operative, set up by a union of often related growers, who share resources to make their wines and collectively market several brands

What does 'CM' mean on a Champagne label

(Coopérative Manipulant): A growers’ co-operative that produces the wine under a single brand

What is the CVIC

Comité Interprofessionnel du Vin de Champagne Tasked with protecting the name 'Champagne', regulates pricing and harvests, and promotes the Champagne brand internationally

Champagne Flashcards

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