Champagne Flashcards

Question

Planting aspects for sparkling wine production (5)

Answer 1

1) Inter-row spacing: 1.5m, inter-vine spacing :0.9 - 1.5m 2) Total spacing never bigger than 2.5m 3) Average planting density: 8000 vines/ha 4) Competition for nutrients between vines help to improve quality. 5) Grapes can be grown @ high yields - no need for flavour, colour or tannin concentration. 6) Average number of fruits buds: max 18 per m2

Answer 2

1) Widely recognised as the best for chardonnay 2) Usually 3-4 cordons; max 5 3) At the end of each cordon spur with up to 5 buds 4) Retains a large proportion of permanent wood - protection against frost. 5) Must be trained to a max 0.6m above the ground - ensure fruit gets reflected heat / light

Answer 3

1) Used for Pinot Noir and Meunierr 2) Like a single guyot system, but with a cordon instead of a cane 3) Spur-pruned 4) Shoots are vertically positioned.

Answer 4

1) Replacement cane system 2) VSP 3) Double or single 4) Permitted in lesser vineyards

Answer 5

1) Similar to guyot 2) higher number of bus 3) Less used now

Answer 6

1) Occasional severe winter frost 2) Spring frosts 3) Cold / rainy weather in June - disrupts flowering / fruit set 4) Downy mildew 5) Violent storms / hail in summer 6) Hot / humid weather in summer (after heavy rain): botrytis 7) Dagger nematode (fan leaf virus)

Answer 7

In the vineyard: 1) Promoted by the Comite Champagne 2) Reduced use of pesticides - sexual confusion techiniques used instead 3) Cover crop 4) Groundwater management on slopes In the winery: 1) Water management schemes 2) Recycling of waste / byproducts 3) Introduction of lighter bottles for NV wines

Answer 8

1) Comité Champagne sets harvest dates & yields 2) Harvest dates only start dates; producers can decide to pick days later 3) Samples taken from 450 controls plots from version 4) Measurements: rate of colour change, weight, sugar & acid concentration, incidence of botrytis 5) Derrogation:; can be given in special circumstances, ie, if botrytis is threatening the crop.

Answer 9

1) To protect the quality of the wine (preventing overcroping prevents dilution of flavours) 2) To protect the price of the wines, by regulating supply and demand.

Answer 10

1) wines put aside as a precaution against future crop failure or disappointing vintages 2) Comité Champagne manages the reserve stock

Answer 11

1) whole bunch pressing: 4000k @ gradually increasing pressure 2) Basket press or pneumatic press 3) 2 fractions: cuvee and taille 4) Cuvee: first 2050 litres (free run): rich in acid: wines with finesse and long ageing potential 5) Taille: 500 litres (press juice): lower in acid, rich in phenolics and colouring pigments; no ageing potential, used in mostly in NV wines. 6) Minimum alc: 9.5%, max 11% 7) Chapitalization is permitted if sugar levels are too low 8) Final alc level may not exceed 13% (EU law)

Answer 12

1) Temp controlled stainless steel tanks (many producers) 2) growin number using oak (large format - foundres) for textural richness 3) MLC: up to producers: many will introduce to soften acid; others will only allow it in cooler years; others avoid it altogether 4) Temp: 14-20oC 5) Cultivated yeasts: able to ferment at high acid / low pH as well as under pressure and alcoholic conditions (same ferment used on 2nd fermentation): prise de mousse is the most common yeast.

Answer 13

1) Objective: create a wine that’s greater than the sum of its parts 2) Depends of chef de cave’s skills 3) Particularly critical for NV champagne 4) Large houses have access to a multitude of reserve wines 5) 10-15% of reserve in the blend is typical; some houses might use 20-40% for added complexity 6) RW kept in stainless steel: fresher but more reductive character 7) Age in barrels: more oxidative, richly textural character 8) Magnums can also be used (Bollinger) 9) Perpetual reserve (younger wines added as older wines are drawn) 10) Blending can be done for rose wines at this stage (adding red wine); yeast consumes colour pigmentation during 2nd fermentation

Answer 14

1) Liqueur de tirage is added 2) Lees ageing: one of the most important stages in TM spk wine production 3) Yeast character is more prominent in cooler climates due to the lower level of primary fruit aromas 4) NV: 15 months ageing, 12 on lees 5) Vintage: 12 months on lees, cannot be released before 3 years after tirage; lees ageing usually continues for much longer on the lees; little change after 10years on lees 6) Long lees ageing protects the wine from oxidation and leads to late disgorged wines 7) Riddling & disgorgement 8) Liqueur d’expedition: can be young wine (same vintage) for fresheness or older wine (for complexity: aromas of baked apple and dried fruit) 9) In rose production, liqueur d’expedition can be used to adjust colour

Answer 15

1) Echelle de cru was created to establish the prices of the grapes 2) Practice ended under pressure from EU 3) Grand Cru and 1er Cru designation continue, with GC being the most expensive grapes 4) It applies to a whole village - controversial as there could be differences withing each village (aspect, soil, mesoclimate, etc). 5) Due to the need to produce large volumes of wine, producers blend wines, focusing on quality designation rather then villages.

Answer 16

1) 16000 growers = 90% of the vineyards 2) 320 Champagne houses = 10% of the vineyards 3) Houses export majority of their wine 4) Growers export the minority of their wine 5) Coops: 50 / 50 6) NM: negocian manipulant: buys grapes / must / wine; make champagne and sell under their own label. 7) RM: recoltant manipulant: makes / markets their own wines from their own grapes 8) CM: cooperative de manipulation: coop that markets Champagne under their own name from their member’s grapes. 9) LVMH (largest group): Moët, Krug, Veuve, Dom Perignon, Mercier, Ruinart 10) Vranken Pommery monopole: Vranken, Pommery, Monopole Heidsieck, Charles Laffitte & Bissinger

Answer 17

1) The region can influence the supply of Champagne by setting max yields 2) There are two parts to this: max yield that can be made into wine and max yield that go into the reserve. 3) Region is also reviewing the possbility of additional land being made available for the production of grapes for champagne.

Answer 18

1) 50% is consumed by domestic market 2) Average price is low - inexpensive champagne sold in supermarkets (domestically) 3) Main markets: UK, USA, Japan, Germany and Belgium 4) Highest price per bottle: USA & Japan 5) Highest volume: UK (lowest average price per bottle)

Answer 19

1) Grape prices are high: €6.10 per kg; even higher for Grand Cru. 2) 1.2kg of grapes to produce a 750ml bottle 3) Vintage wines are more expensive to produce: higher quality grapes (GC an 1er Cru) and longer ageing delayed financial return) 4) Rose is marginally more expensive: red wine is more expensive to produce: lower yields are needed for ripeness 5) Use of oak (fermentation / ageing) increases cost 6) Cost breakdown: 50% grapes, 30% COP, 20% marketing

Answer 20

1) large Champagne houses invest significantly in marketing: average 20% of the price of the bottle 2) Many of the larger houses own their own distribution system 3) Conglomerates have their distribution system supporting multiple brands 4) More control on distribution from the larger players to limit grey market trade 5) Some producers use agents to sell to specialist wine shops and hospitality. 6) Growers use specialist agents 7) lacking funds for marketing, smalll growers will visit target markets to promote their wine.

Answer 21

1) Niche market for Brut Nature 2) Demand for Brut and Extra brut wines doubled between 2011 - 2016 3) major producers released a sweeter style to be drunk over ice as a cocktail 4) Demand for rose champagne increased in line with demand for rose wines 5) Increasing interest for vineyard wines, allowing producers to achieve higher price for their wines

Champagne Flashcards

(45 cards)