Champagne Flashcards

1
Q

What are the Grand Cru villages of Montage de Reims?

A
  • Sillery
  • Puisieulx
  • Mailly - Champagne
  • Verzenay
  • Beaumont - sur - velse
  • Verzy - added in 1985
  • Louvois
  • Bouzy
  • Ambonney
  • Tours-sur-Marne
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2
Q

What are the Grand Cru villages of Côtes de Blancs?

A

North to South

  • Chouilly - white only, added in 1985
  • Oiry - added in 1985
  • Cramant
  • Avise
  • Oger - added in 1985
  • Le- Mensil-sur-Oger - added in 1985
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3
Q

What techniques did Dom Perignon contribute to Champagne?

A

Assemblage and viticulture techniques.

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4
Q

When was the first sparkling wine believed to be enjoyed?

A

In the late 17th century when wine bottles were made stronger and could handle second fermentations.

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5
Q

What is the oldest Champagne house?

A

Gosset, founded in 1584

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6
Q

What is the oldest sparkling Champagne house?

A

Ruinart, established in 1729

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7
Q

Before sparkling wine was made in Champagne, what did winemakers do to try and compete with the wines of Burgundy?

A

They made white wine from red grapes

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8
Q

What are some famous Champagne houses founded in the 18th century?

A
  • Ruinart
  • Taittinger
  • Moet et Chandon
  • Delamotte
  • Veuve Cliquot-Ponsadirin
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9
Q

Sparkling Champagne production was problematic until when?

A

The early 1800s when key discoveries were made.

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10
Q

Which process did Veuve Clicquot pioneer?

A

Remuage (riddling)

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11
Q

What did smaller individual growers do because they could not afford the process of making Champagne?

A

They sold off their fruit to the larger Champagne houses.

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12
Q

Which was the first Champagne house to market “Brut” Champagne?

A

Pommery in 1874

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13
Q

What was the status of many regular Champagne customers?

A

A lot of them were royalty - this helped with the image of luxury Champagne created

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14
Q

Which year did the French government delimit the
Champagne region?

A

In 1908.
The Aube was excluded from the region.

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15
Q

When was the Aube reinstated into the Champagne region?

A

1927

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16
Q

Which is the only AOP/AOC region in France that does not have to include appellation controlee on the label?

A

Champagne

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17
Q

While war raged on, who cared for the grape harvests?

A

Women, children, and the elderly.
Despite the war going on, Champagne made one of its finest vintages of the century in 1914

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18
Q

What existing organization was the CIVC created from?

A

The commission de Chalons

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19
Q

Who created the CIVC in 1941.

A

Count Robert-Jean de Vogue of Moet et Chandon.

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20
Q

What does the CIVC do?

A

It acts as a mediator between small growers and large Champagne houses.

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21
Q

In 1921, what prestige cuvee did Moet et Chandon release?

A

They released Moet et Chandon “Dom Perignon”

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22
Q

After Moet et Chandon released “Dom Perignon”, what happened?

A

Many other Champagne houses started to release a Prestige or Tete Cuvee.

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23
Q

What are the main grape varieties of Champagne?

A
  • Pinot Noir: 38% of plantings
  • Chardonnay: 31% of plantings
  • Pinot Meunier: 31% of plantings
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24
Q

What are some other grape varieties permitted in the Champagne AOP

A
  • Pinot Gris
  • Arbane
  • Petit Meslier
    These other grapes are not common and account for less that .3% of total plantings
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25
Q

What is the average annual temperature of Champagne?

A

50 degrees F

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26
Q

What parallel is Champagne located?

A

Between the 48th and 49th parallel.

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27
Q

Why do Champagne houses usually make blends?

A

Because the quality and ripening of grapes vary from year to year.

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28
Q

What are some climate influences that are a threat to growers in Champagne?

A
  • Frost
  • Rain
  • Fungal disease
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29
Q

What is the soil like in Champagne?

A

Chalk

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30
Q

What is the top soil and second layer of soil like in Champagne?

A

Top Layer: Belemnite Chalk made of fossilized cephalopods and limestone that allows the roots to dig deep and helps grapes retain lots of acidity

Second layer:
Micraster Chalk named after extinct sea urchins

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31
Q

Where are the major commercial Champagne houses located?

A

In the city of Reims and smaller towns of Epernay and Ay.

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32
Q

How many villages are authorized to grow grapes for the Champagne AOP?

A

357
These villages are split among 5 districts

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33
Q

How many districts are there in the Champagne AOP?

A

5.

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34
Q

What are the 5 districts of the Champagne AOP?

A
  • Montagne de Reims
  • Vallee de Marne
  • Cote des Blancs
  • Cote de Sézanne
  • The Aube
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35
Q

What is cru status awarded to in Champagne?

A

Entire villages

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36
Q

How many grand cru/premier crus are there in France?

A

17 grand crus and 42 premier crus

37
Q

List 10 most marketed Champagne houses and their Tete Cuvees

A
  • Moet et Chandon “Dom Perignon”
  • Taittinger “Comtes de Champagne”
  • Louis Roederer “Cristal”
  • Laurent-Perrier “Grande Siecle”
  • Perrier-Jouet “Belle Epoque”
  • Pol Roger “Cuvee Sir Winston Churchill”
  • Ruinart “Dom Ruinart”
  • Veuve Cliquot-Ponsadirin “La Grande Dame”
  • Billecart-Salmon “Nicolas Francois Billecart”
  • Bollinger “La Grande Annee”
38
Q

In which Champagne districts is Pinot Noir most common?

A
  • Montagne de Reims
  • The Aube
39
Q

In which Champagne districts is Chardonnay most common?

A
  • Cote des Blancs
  • Cote de Sézanne
40
Q

Where in Champagne is Pinot Meunier most common?

A

Vallee de Marne

41
Q

Why is Vallee de Marne great for Pinot Meunier?

A

The frost prone vineyards cause late budding and early ripening which is prized by the growers.

42
Q

How are the vineyards split in Montagne de Reims?

A
  • They are split between south and north facing slopes.
  • The higher slopes of the region have a warm pocket of air that allows the grapes to ripen.
43
Q

NM (Negociant Manipulant)

A

A house that purchases grapes or base wines from other growers and smaller houses.

44
Q

What type of producers do the large Champagne houses with the most international presence fall under?

A

NM
Negociant Manipulant

45
Q

RM (Recoltant Manipulant)

A

This is a grower or producer that makes their Champagne from their own fruit.
At least 95% of the grapes must come from their own vineyards.

46
Q

CM (cooperative manipulant)

A

A growers co-operative that produces wine under a single brand.

47
Q

RC (Recoltant Cooperateur)

A

A grower whose grapes are vinified under a co-operative but whose wines are sold under the growers own label.

48
Q

SR (Société de Récoltants)

A

A firm set up by a union of growers who share resources to make wine and market it under several brands.

49
Q

ND (Négociant Distributeur)

A

A middleman company that distributes Champagne it did not make.

50
Q

MA (Marque d’Acheteur)

A

A buyer’s own brand, often a large supermarket chain or restaurant, that purchases Champagne and sells it under its own label.

51
Q

List the sweetness levels for Champagne

A
  1. Brut Nature
    (0-3g/L)
  2. Extra Brut
    (0-6g/L)
  3. Brut
    (0-12g/L)
  4. Extra Dry
    (12-17g/L)
  5. Sec
    (17-32g/L)
  6. Demi-Sec
    (32-50g/L)
  7. Doux
    (50+g/L)
52
Q

What are the sizes of Champagne bottles starting from the smallest?

A
  1. Quarter Bottle 187ml
  2. Half Bottle 375ml
  3. Bottle
    750ml
  4. Magnum
    1.5L
  5. Jeroboam
    3L
  6. Methuselah
    6L
  7. Salmanazar
    9L
  8. Balthazar
    12L
  9. Nebuchadnezzar
    15L
  10. Solomon
    18L
53
Q

Define: vin de cuvee

A

The first press juice
2050L

54
Q

Define: vin de taille

A

The second press juice, the following 500L after the first press

55
Q

How is the vin de taille usually used in Champagne houses?

A

the vin de taille is usually richer in pigment and tannin and because of this it is sold off or used in very small proportions and then sold.

56
Q

Define: rebeche

A

The third press juice and by law it is required that this make up 1-10% of the final product

57
Q

Define: debourbage

A

The settling of the pressed grape juice

58
Q

Define: vin clairs

A

The base wine used to make champagne which is usually high acid and has about 11% alcohol content

59
Q

What vessels do the base wines usually undergo primary fermentation in for Champagne?

A

They are usually fermented in used oak but can also happen in stainless steel. A small amount of Champagne houses use new french oak.

60
Q

T/F:
The base wines for Champagne usually undergo malolactic fermentation.

A

True, although it is not universal practice

61
Q

What happens to the base wines after primary and malolactic fermentation is concluded for Champagne?

A

They are clarified

62
Q

The clarified base wines for Champagne remain in stainless steel or oak until when?

A

The February or March following the harvest

63
Q

How is rose Champagne typically made?

A

By adding a small proportion of red wine to the cuvee

64
Q

What is assemblage?

A

The step in which a cellar master will taste different base wines and decide which ones will be blended together for the final product

65
Q

Define: Liqueur de tirage

A

a mixture of still wine, yeasts, and sugar that will ignite the secondary fermentation for Champagne.

66
Q

What is the second fermentation called for Champagne?

A

prise de mousse

67
Q

How long does the secondary fermentation last for Champagne

A

up to 8 weeks

68
Q

The alcohol content of the wine during the second fermentation goes up by what percentage for Champagne?

A

1.2-1.3%

69
Q

How many atmospheres of pressure is created in the Champagne bottle during the second fermentation?

A

5 to 6 atmospheres

70
Q

Define: autolysis

A

the breaking down of dead yeast cells

71
Q

How are the Champagne bottles stored during the secondary fermentation?

A

Horizontally (“sur latte”)

72
Q

How long must the Champagne be aged on the dead yeast cells (lees) for NV bottles?

A

at least 12 months

73
Q

Define: degorgement

A

The process of transferring the lees and sediment to the neck and bidule through sharp twists and inversions of the Champagne bottle.

74
Q

What is a pupitre?

A

two wooden planks fastened in the shape of an A with 60 holes that allowed the bottles to slowly be turned and held in position for riddling

75
Q

What have most modern Champagne houses replaced the pupitre with?

A

A gyropalette that hold 504 bottles and takes a week or less, compared to 60 bottles and 8 weeks of the pupitre

76
Q

T/F: In no case are the Champagne bottles manually riddled.

A

False,
some prestige cuvee bottles are hand riddled using a pupitre.

77
Q

Define: Dosage

A

The addition of sugar syrup and wine used to determine the final sweetness level of the Champagne.

78
Q

Which sweetness level is the most common and the one which most Champagne houses bottle their prestige and vintage cuvees?

A

Brut

79
Q

What is the wire cage used to secure the cork on a Champagne bottle called?

A

A muselet

80
Q

How long must vintage Champagne be aged in the cellar prior to release?

A

36 months

81
Q

How long must NV Champagne be aged prior to release?

A

15 months - including the time spent on the lees

82
Q

What are the 8 French AOP regions for cremant wines produced using the traditional method?

A
  • Crémant de Bourgogne - Burgundy
  • Crémant de Bordeaux - Bordeaux
  • Crémant de Loire: Loire Valley
  • Crémant de Die: Rhone Valley
  • Crémant de Limoux: Languedoc
  • Crémant du Jura:
    Jura
  • Crémant d’Alsace: Alsace
  • Crémant de Savoie: Savoie
83
Q

What are the still wine appellations of Champagne?

A
  • Coteaux Champenois: red, white, rose
  • Rosé de Riceys: 100% pinot noir rose
84
Q

Which is the oldest sparkling wine method?

A

Method ancestral
- liqueur de tirage is not necessary
- Dosage is not allowed
- Bugey Cerdon is an example of this

85
Q

Which method does Prosecco and most Asti appellations use?

A

Charmat Method

86
Q

Which sparkling wine method continuously adds liqueur de tirage?

A

Continuous Method/Russian Continuous Method.
- Less accumulate in the first several tanks making for a more autolyzed flavor

87
Q

Which sparkling wine method is the cheapest?

A

Carbonation method
- Co2 is injected into the wine but upon opening, the bubbles go away quickly

88
Q

What is the Grand Cru Village of Vallee de Marne?

A

Ay