Champagne Flashcards

1
Q

What was the first term used in Champagne to imply effervescence?

A

Mousseux

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2
Q

What was the first still wine house founded in Champagne?

A

Gosset (1584)

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3
Q

What is the oldest sparkling Champagne house?

A

Ruinart (1729)

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4
Q

To whom is accredited the invention of the riddling (or remuage) process?

A

Madame Barbe-Nicole Ponsardin (or Madame Cliquot)

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5
Q

What does riddling or remuage help with?

A

It helps with the extraction of sediment during dégorgement

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6
Q

The term chaptalization is named after:

A

Jean-Antoine Chaptal

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7
Q

What did Jean-Antoine Chaptal do?

A

Jean-Antoine Chaptal was a French chemist who identified the relationship between sugar and fermentation

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8
Q

What is the French term for riddling?

A

Remuage

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9
Q

The region of Champagne is located between which parallels?

A

48th and 49th

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10
Q

Why do Champagne houses often have to blend between vintages?

A

Ripening is extremely variable in Champagne due to its generally cold weather so houses blend between vintages to achieve consistency

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11
Q

What type of soil predominates throughout Champagne?

A

Chalk and limestone

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12
Q

What is the most planted grape in Champagne?

A

Pinot Noir

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13
Q

What does Chardonnay offer to a Champagne wine?

A

Elegance and longevity

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14
Q

What does Pinot Noir offer to a Champagne wine?

A

Richness, body and structure

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15
Q

What does Pinot Meunier offer to a Champagne wine?

A

Youthful fruitiness and approachability

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16
Q

What are the five main Champagne sub-regions?

A

The Montagne de Reims, Vallée de la Marne, Côte des Blancs, Côte des Sézanne, and the Côte des Bar (in the Aube department)

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17
Q

What is the most planted grape in the Montaignes de Reims and the Aube?

A

Pinot Noir

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18
Q

What is the most planted grape in the Côte de Sézanne and the Côte des Blancs?

A

Chardonnay

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19
Q

What is the most planted grape in the Vallée de la Marne?

A

Pinot Meunier

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20
Q

How many Champagne villages have Grand Cru status?

A

17

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21
Q

What does NM stand for in a bottle of Champagne?

A

Négociant Manipulant
(A house that purchases grapes or base wine from growers or from smaller houses. Most of the largest Champagne houses fall under this category)

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22
Q

Which was the first brut Champagne ever released?

A

Pommery “Nature” (1874)

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23
Q

What does RM stand for in a bottle of Champagne?

A

Récoltant Manipulant
(A producer that makes Champagne mostly out of his own grapes. At least 95% of the grapes must be from the producer’s own vineyards)

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24
Q

By law, how many liters of grape juice can be extracted out of 4,000 kg of grapes?

A

2,550 liters. (The first 2,050 liters are separated from the last 500 liters. These products are called vin de cuvée and vin de taille respectively)

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25
Q

In Champagne production, where is the must transferred to after being divided in vin de cuvée and vin de taille?

A

The must is transferred to stainless steel vats or small oak barrels. The must resting here will settle and the sediments will be removed (debourbage process)

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26
Q

How can malolactic fermentation be prevented during Champagne production?

A

By the addition of sulphur dioxide (SO2) or storing the fermenting must at low temperatures

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27
Q

What is the French term for the remaining solids found in the must?

A

Bourbes

28
Q

Must is often chaptalized before the first fermentation in Champagne production.
True or False

A

True

29
Q

In Champagne, what is the name of the high-acid base wine produced from the first fermentation?

A

Vins clairs (approx. 11% alcohol content)

30
Q

What is assemblage?

A

Process of blending base wine from different grapes, regions and vintages to achieve consistency

31
Q

What is liqueur de tirage and when is it used during the Méthode Champenoise?

A

Mixture of still wine, yeast and sugar that causes second fermentation.
It is added to the product after of the assemblage process.

32
Q

What is the French term for the second fermentation?

A

Prise de mousse

33
Q

How long does the second fermentation usually takes in Champagne sparkling wines?

A

Up to 8 weeks

34
Q

How much does the alcohol level rise up in Champagne sparkling wines after the second fermentation occurs?

A

1.2% to 1.3%

35
Q

During second fermentation, Champagne bottles are usually stored horizontally.
True or False

A

True

36
Q

The breakdown of the dead yeast cells is called:

A

Autolysis

37
Q

What is the minimum time required for non-vintage Champagne to be aged on the lees?

A

12 months

38
Q

What is a pupitre and who invented it?

A

Devide that holds 60 bottles and that was used for riddling previous dégorgement.
Madame Clicquot

39
Q

What is a gyropalette?

A

Automated device that holds 504 bottles. It is used for the remuage process

40
Q

Explain the most modern method of dégorgment (dégorgment à la glace):

A

The neck of the bottle is dipped in a freezing solution that makes it easier to expel sediments without losing too much wine

41
Q

What is the difference between dégorgment à la glace and dégorgment à la volée?

A

Dégorgment à la volée consists of expelling the sediments without freezing the neck of the bottle, resulting in more wine lost during the process.

42
Q

What is another term for dosage?

A

Liqueur d’expédition

43
Q

What is dosage or liqueur d’expédition?

A

Mixture of wine and sugar that determines the style of wine

44
Q

What is the most common level of sweetness in Champagne?

A

Brut

45
Q

What is the name of the cage that holds the cork in a bottle of Champagne?

A

Muselet

46
Q

What are the different sweetness classifications in Champagne?

A
  1. Brut Nature (0 - 3 grams per liter / no dosage)
  2. Extra Brut (0 - 6 grams per liter)
  3. Brut (0 - 12 grams per liter)
  4. Extra Dry (12 - 17 grams per liter)
  5. Sec (17 - 32 grams per liter)
  6. Demi-sec (32 - 50 grams per liter)
  7. Doux (50+ grams per liter)
47
Q

Non-vintage Champagne must be aged in bottle for 15 months (including the lees aging period) prior release.
True or False

A

True

48
Q

For how long must Vintage Champagne be aged in bottle prior release?

A

36 months

49
Q

How many turns does a muselet take to open?

A

Six half-turns

50
Q

What is the maximum percentage of a year’s harvest that can be sold as vintage Champagne?

A

80%

51
Q

What is Moët et Chandon’s Tête de Cuvée?

A

Dom Pérignon

52
Q

What is Taittinger’s Tête de Cuvée?

A

Comtes de Champagne

53
Q

What is Louis Roederer’s Tête de Cuvée?

A

Cristal

54
Q

What is Perrier-Jouët’s Tête de Cuvée?

A

Belle Époque

55
Q

What is Pol Roger’s Tête de Cuvée?

A

Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill

56
Q

What is Ruinart’s Tête de Cuvée?

A

Dom Ruinart

57
Q

What is Veuve Clicquot-Ponsardin’s Tête de Cuvée?

A

La Grande Dame

58
Q

What is Laurent-Perrier’s Tête de Cuvée?

A

Grande Siècle (usually NV)

59
Q

What is Bollinger’s Tête de Cuvée?

A

La Grande Année

60
Q

Champagne is the only AOP in France that allows rosé wine to be made by blending white and red wine.
True or False

A

True

61
Q

What are the two still wine AOPs of Champagne?

A

Coteaux Champenois and Rosé de Riceys

62
Q

What are a few of the most notable Champagne vintages?

A

1990, 1995, 1996, 2002, 2008, 2012*, 2013, 2014, 2015

  • = Best vintages
63
Q

What is the organism that regulates and protects the Champagne designation?

A

CIVC (Le Comité Interprofessionnel du vin de Champagne)

64
Q

How were the villages of Champagne ranked?

A

Villages that achieved the maximum échelle (scale) of 100% were classified as grands crus. Villages that achieved an échelle of 90% through 99% were classified as premier cru.

65
Q

Compare Blanc de Blancs and Blanc de Noir styles

A

Blanc de Blancs is a more crisp, citrus driven style, usually dryer.

Blanc de Noir is a rounder, fleshier and fruitier style.