Champagne Flashcards
1
Q
What are the five main production sub-regions of Champagne?
A
- Montagnes de Reims
- Vallée de la Marne
- Côte des Blancs
- Côte de Sézanne
- Côte des Bar
2
Q
Why is the Grand Cru or Premier Cru designation in champagne controversial?
A
- Because it’s for the whole village, not individual (and invariably different plots/soils, aspects/ quality)
- If all grapes come from one GC village can label village eg “Grand Cru Cramant”
- If mixture of villages, but all GC can label “Grand Cru”
- But because of diff standards within villages and need to create large volumes, champagne houses focus on blended wines and emphasise vintage/prestige cuvées rather than villages (in contrast to Burgundy)
3
Q
What do the letters CM on a bottle of champagne mean?
A
- Coopérative de Manipulation
- “Made by a cooperative” eg Nicholas Feuillate
- A wine cooperative that makes wine from all its members (growers) grapes pooled together
- The individual grower may or may not have some involvement in the wine-making process. (NB differs from an SR (Societé de Recoltants) which is where growers share the same winery and always have significant involvement in the wine-making process)
4
Q
Describe pressing in méthode champenoise (traditional method)
A
- Aim to extract high quality, low phenolics (no extraction of tannins from skin/seeds) to make white from black grapes
- Traditionally 4000kgs - a marc - loaded onto basket press
- Still used, as are pneumatic and other moderns types
- Juice separated strictly into two fractions
- The cuvée (first 2050L/4000kgs) = free run juice & first pressing (100% for the best champagnes)
- The taille (next 500L, no more, to limit phenolics)
5
Q
What is champagne?
A
- A protected region and wine style
- a traditional method sparkling wine made from grapes grown within the appellation
- most champagne is white, fully sparkling, NV Brut from blend of PN, Meunier & Chardonnay
- typically med intense aromas/flavours of green apple and lemon with biscuit autolytic notes, high acidity, med alcohol and dry finish. Good to outstanding, mid to premium. Vintage & prestige cuvées command super-premium prices
6
Q
Hazards, Pests and Diseases in Champagne
A
- Winter frost (can kill (parts of) vines
- Spring frosts destroy new buds, reduce yields
- Cold & wet weather in June disrupts flowering/fruit set, reducing yields/ripe & unripe grapes together
- Downy mildew, reduces crop levels
- Violent storms/hail in summer, damge grapes & vines
- Hot, humid sun after rain - rapid spread of botrytis
- Generally, downy & powdery mildew always a risk
- Dagger nematode spreading fanleaf virus also common
7
Q
Topography & Soils of champagne
A
- Paris basin old seabed, thick chalk.
- Best base wines made on chalky hillsides of N champagne. Chalk esp good for chardonnay.
- Most common soil is chalky soil with limestone and chalk subsoil. Chalk highly porous and stores water - steady supply if dry period
- Most vineyards 90-300m on well-drained slopes: avoids waterlogging.
8
Q
How does a chef de cave achieve a constant style of NV champagne year after year?
A
- Blending (assemblage)
- Large champagne houses have > 100 base wines/ reserve wines. (Also reduces risk of no wine in poor vintage)
- Reserve wines important to style:
- 10-15% of last 1 or 2 vintages is typical large brands
- 30-40% older wine for complexity premium brands
- How stored affects reserves
- eg reductively in stainless steel for large brands
- old oak to add mildly oxidative notes
- Bollinger stores reserves in magnums
- Keeping a “perpetual reserve”
9
Q
What is the current demand for champagne?
A
- Domestic 50% of champagne low av bottle price, but rising
- 2017 exports by vol: UK, USA, Japan, Germany, Belgium
- USA/Japan highest value, av price pb.
- UK highest vol, lowest price pb (of top 10 markets)
- (WSTA 2019 UK figures drop of quarter, but av bt price £47)
10
Q
Key developments of champagne in early 20th C
A
- Current AOC boundary (Champagne vineyard area) 1927
- Critical in Comité Champagne’s later defence of the Geographical Indication “Champagne only comes from Champagne”
-
échelles des crus (“ladder of growths”) rating system introduced to determine grape prices. (now market does)
- Underlies what became GC and 1erC villages
- ‘blocage’ system (later called reserve wines)
- initially set aside some young wine as insurance
- now enables blending for consistent NV wines
- adds depth & complexity, raised standard of NV
11
Q
Location and regions of Champagne
A
- N-E France just south of 50th parallel, E of Paris
- Large: 150km N-S, 120km E-W
- 5 sub regions. 3 around Epernay in N
- Montagne de Reims (to E of Epernay)
- Vallée de la Marne (W to slight E Epernay)
- Cote de Blancs (to S)
- Cote de Sézanne (S of Cote de Blancs)
- Cotes de Bar (100km S, closer to Chablis than Epernay)
12
Q
Planting regulations in champagne
A
- Inter-row spacing 0.9 - max 1.5m, max total spacing 2.5m
- Therefore av density 8000 vines p/H : competition between vines optimises quality
- Sparkling wine grapes don’t need ripe tannins or concentrated flavours, so can be grown at high yields
13
Q
Key developments of champagne in 19th Century
A
- Controlled 2nd ferment using measured amount of sugar and yeast to create known pressure
- Madame (Veuve - ‘widow’) Cliquot (d 1866) developed riddling (remuage) using pupitres
- Disgorgement by dipping bottle neck in icy brine, enabling rapid production of clear wine on large scale
- Late 19th dry style of champagne for English alongside sweet style
14
Q
Champagne sales?
A
- 300m bottles (2017)
- 50% domestic, 50% exports
- Houses 73% of all sales, 88% of all exports
- Co-operatives small vol, evenly spilt domestic/export but Nicolas Feuillatte 3rd biggest brand on its own
- Most growers wine sold in home market
15
Q
Why are brioche flavours more prominent in champagne than in warmer climates?
A
Because there is a lower level of primary fruit due to Champagne’s cool climate
16
Q
Describe (Petit) Meunier (old name called by Comité Champagne)
A
- Mutation of Pinot, white hairs on leaves “floury” (meunier = “miller”)
- Buds early, but later than PN, so less prone to spring frosts/coulure in cool Vallée de la Marne, where it dominates
- Does better on heavier clay soils than C or PN.
- Ripens earlier than PN - good if rain at harvest
- Sensitive to botrytis infection
- Reliable fruity wine, adds softness to blend: important for NV wines aged shorter on lees and drunk on release
- Less used in long-aged wines (though Krug like it and growers Egly-Ouriet)
17
Q
Who is the chef de cave?
A
- The master blender
- Aims to create a wine greater than the sum of its parts
- Combines diff vineyards, varieties and vintages
- Must predict the development of wine over time before second fementation and maturation has even begun
18
Q
List 9 champagne styles
A
- NV - consistent through blending
- Vintage - 100% from year. Only “best” years, but varies by producer
- Rosé i) <span>us.blend red & white wine “rosé d’assemblage”</span> ii) <span>skin maceration & “bled off” = rosé de saignée</span>
- Blanc de Blancs - lean in youth, brilliantly age to biscuits/hazelnuts
- Blanc de Noirs - fuller bodied than BdB but age more quickly
- Grand Cru - all grapes from Grand Cru Villages
- Premier Cru - all grapes from Premier Cru /Grand Cru Villages
- Prestige Cuvée - us top wines, best grapes, nv or v. Some specialise in range eg Krug
- Late Release/ Recently disgorged - Extended lees ageing, ready to drink from release. Age quicker after disgorgement. eg Bollinger RD, Dom Perignons’ P2
19
Q
Options in first fermentation in Champagne
A
- Temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks or
- Large oak foudres (increasing in quality producers, cos adds textural richness & mouthfeel)
- Large selection of yeasts
- Temperature usually 15-20C (warmer than trad white, as no need for primary fruit)
- Many (but not all) encourage malo to reduce/soften acidity in final wine (and less risk of malo in bottle) though if warmer harvest it’s less of an issue
20
Q
Describe champagnes route to market
A
- Many conglomerates and large houses own /run distribution systems, localised in diff markets as way of controlling price/ limiting grey (unauthorised) market trading
- Some use agents to distribute
- Grower champagnes often use specialist agents who champion grower champagnes to spec shops/ private clients and hospitality sector.
- Growers often visit key markets in person
21
Q
What do the letters RM on a bottle of champagne mean?
A
- Récoltant-Manipulant aka Grower Champagne
- “Grower Maker” makes wine from his own grapes (up to 5% can be bought in)
- Eg Agrapart & Fils
- nb also includes co-operative members who take their bottles to be disgorged at the co-op
22
Q
What can a producer do if natural sugar levels in the juice in champagne are too low?
A
- Chaptalisation (adding sucrose) is permitted to produce a wine with a min alcohol level of 11%
- EU law: final alcohol level no more than 13%
23
Q
What is the échelles des crus and what is its relevance today?
A
Early 20th C rating system of villages to determine grape prices. Historically Comité Champagne fixed prices and then percentage paid to village:
- 17 Grand Cru Villages 100% price
- 44 Premier Cru Villages 90-99%
- 257 other villages 80-89%
System ended under pressure from EU. Prices now determined by market (and biggest buyer, Moet et Chandon sets trend), but designation of villages continues and GC grapes still priciest.
24
Q
How is rosé champagne made?
A
- Usually by blending small proportion of Pinot Noir and/or Pinot Meunier with white base wines to achieve desired colour/flavour
- A few (eg Laurent Perrier) make like still rosé eg skin contact with black grapes.
25
Cost of production of champagne?
* Broadly: grapes 50%, total production 30% and commercialisation 20%
* Grapes expensive: €6.10p/kg (1.2kg per 75cl bottle)
* GC/ Prem C grapes more expensive
* Vintage more expensive (Gc/ 1erC grapes, can't release for 3 yrs): tough on cash flow for new businesses.
* Rosé champagne costlier to produce (as uses red base wine - lower yields to reach ripeness, concentration needed)
* oak for ageing/ fermentation also adds to costs
26
Climate of Champagne
* Cool continental, some oceanic influence (so rain throughout year - 700mm - sufficient)
* Low av annual temp 11C (not us. enough for still wines) gives light bodied, high acid - ideal for sparkling
* Moderate sunshine, even rain, gives freshness/ crispness key to Champagne's style
* Global warming: over last 30yrs harvest date forward 18 days, pot alcohol + 0.7%, av acidity dropped. As a cool region means more consistently ripe grapes/ fewer poor vintages
27
What is a "perpetual reserve"?
* A blend of younger and older wines used as a reserve wine to add complexity in champagne
* A proportion is drawn off each year for the blend, and replaced by young wine
28
How is champagne harvested?
* Champagne AOC regulations specify whole-bunch pressing: grapes are hand-picked - preserve fruit quality
* Avoids crushing/oxidation/microbial spoilage
* Us takes 3 weeks, employs 100,000 people (travelling workforce, return each yr, paid by quality not just weight)
* Grapes collected in perforated bins 50kg capacity
* 1900 pressing centres throughout region keep transportation times to minimum
29
What grapes can make champagne?
1. Pinot Noir (2017 38%)
2. Meunier (31%)
3. Chardonnay (30% - rising: higher price/demand, yields better)
4. Pinot Blanc (\<1%)
5. Arbanne (\<1%)
6. Petit Meslier (\<1%)
7. Fromenteau (\<1%)
NB Laherte's Les 7 niche cuvée uses all 7
30
What are the maturation rules of champagne?
* **NV** min 15 mths in producer's cellar, at least 12 mths lees
* **Vintage** min 3 yrs after tirage & at least 12 mths lees
* In practice most vintage aged much longer on lees; as believed a long slow, second fermentation makes for finer champagne and smaller bubbles.
31
Relationship between houses and cooperatives?
* coops sell base wine to large houses
* houses buying more directly from growers/ via agents
* coops diversifying: making & promoting more own champagne
* Comité Champagne tries to manage the relationship(s) often via the one or more organisations which represent them all
32
What was Dom Perignon's role in Champagne?
* Dom Pierre Pérignon (d.1715)
* first white from black grapes
* invented Coquard press (still widely used)
* started blending (assemblage) grapes from diff areas to make superior wine
* re-introduced cork stopper into France
* pioneered use of stronger English glass
* But he considered fizziness a fault and his wines were only slightly fizzy
33
What does the liqueur d'expédition do?
1. The amount of sugar in the liqueur d'expédition determines the sweetness of the champagne
2. Adds flavour:
1. Young wine in the liqueur d'expédition can give light fresh flavours
2. Aged reserve wine can provide aromas of baked apple, dried fruit
3. Corrects colour in rosé
34
What are the differences between the cuvée and the taille?
1. **Cuvée**
1. first 2050L/4000kgs free run & first press
2. rich in acids for wines great finesse and ageing pot
2. **Taille**
1. Lower acidity, more colour pigments & phenolics
2. Good to add expression in blend for wines to be drunk young, so more taille in NV
35
What is the Comité Champagne's approach to sustainable viticulture?
* One of the first regions to promote it at a regional level
* Reduced pesticides - sexual confusion increasingly used
* Soil protection via
* management of groundwater on slopes
* increased cover cropping to promote biodiversity
* In winery - water management schemes, recycling waste & by-products
* 2010 60g lighter bottle for NV cuvées estimate annual CO2 reduction of 8000 metric tonnes. (Many producers use heavier, unique bottles for vintage/prestige cuvées)
36
Is champagne the only wine made in Champagne?
* No, 2:
* AOC Rosé des Riceys (tiny still rose in Cote des Bar)
* AOC Coteaux Champenois (stlll red, white or rose, tends to be light, pale ruby, high acid rosé)
37
What do the letters NM on a bottle of champagne mean?
* Négociant-Manipulant (often shortened to Négociant)
* "merchant-maker" who _buys_ wine, must or grapes (rather than grow them) to make champagne on their own premises and sell it under their own name.
* eg most of the large Houses and brands Bollinger, Veuve Clicquot, Moet etc
38
How did champagne come about?
* Historically fermentation of pink, pinot noir, still wine would halt in cold winters, but if bottled, could recommence causing slightly fizzy wine.
* Popular with English.
* In mid 17th C, English glass enabled bottles to withstand pressure.
39
What must be displayed on a champagne cork?
the name "Champagne" and the vintage if appropriate
40
What do the letters **MA** on a bottle of champagne mean?
* Marque d' Acheteur (or Marque Auxiliaire)
* a "brand name" owned by someone else unrelated to producer or grower.
* The champagne is made and labelled in champagne; and the producer's name appears on the bottle, but teh barnd name is owned by the client.
* eg M&S Champagne, Berry Bros Champagne
41
What are the four training systems approved in Champagne since 1938?
1. **Taille Chablis** - best for chardonnay. Cane pruning but with lots of permanent wood (cordons) to protect against frosts. Max 5 cordons (us. 3-4) old wood. Each cordon has spur of up to 5 buds. Spurs grown annually, trained to max 0.6m to ensure fruit gets reflected solar (heat and light) from chalk.
2. **Cordon du Royat** - PN & Meunier. Single cordon, spur-pruned, VSP.
3. **Guyot** - Single or double replacement cane pruned with VSP: permitted for all varieties in lesser-rated vineyards
4. **Vallée de la Marne** - like Guyot (cane-pruned) but more buds per cane. On decline.
42
How is the Champagne harvest date set?
* The Comité Champagne sets dates & yields - to prevent over-cropping (dilution), maintain quality, price, regulates supply and demand
* Takes grape samples from 450 control plots from time of véraison, measures rate of colour change, av weight, sugar concentration, acidity, incidence of botrytis.
* Determine dates, yields & min required pot alcohol
* Harvest dates are only start: producers can start later
* Or, by derogation (exemption) can apply to INAO (institut national de'origine et de la qualité) for village to pick earlier eg botrytis threat & need to pick below level set
43
How long can lees ageing last?
* Many years, but no effect after 10 years
* Keeping wine on lees protects against oxidation and helps make "late disgorged" champagnes (higher prices, but of course higher cost of longer ageing)
44
Describe the structure of the Champagne industry
* 16000 growers (who own 90% of vineyards)
* 320 champagne houses (who own 10% vineyards)
* Growers sell to champagne houses or co-operatives
* Brokers also important in finding wine for houses
* Houses sell most of the champagne
* Top 5 champagne groups = 2/3 all sales in value
* Biggest: LVML owns Moet & Chandon, Dom Perignon, Veuve Clicquot, Ruinart & Krug
* No 2: Vranken Pommery Monopole owns Vranken, Pommery, Monopole Heidsieck, Charles Lafitte, Bissinger
45
Why does it require expertise and experience to achieve the desired colour in rosé champagne
Because yeast absorbs colour pigments in both fermentations
46
Name 5 trends in the champagne market
1. **Brut Nature** (in spec shops/restaurants)
2. **Dry** - Brut Nature & Extra Brut doubled exports 2011-2016 (also grew in domestic hospitality)
3. Launches of **sweet styles** eg Moet & Chandon Ice Imperial demi-sec drink over ice/cocktails promoted to upmarket travel sector
4. **Rosé** generally. Up from 3% to 10% since 2000. Both Moet & Veuve C recently invested heavily in production/marketing.
5. **Super-premium single-vineyard** champagnes. (Not new Philipponnat's Clos des Goisses since 1935, Krug's Clos de Mesnil since 1989, but higher prices now)
47
What will you never see on a champagne label?
Champagne AC (even though it is a single, very large wine region)
48
How does Champagne insure against poor vintages?
* By setting aside a proportion of the crop as **reserve wines** in good vintages
* Comité Champagne manages levels of reserve stocks
* EU Law controls upper yields at 15,500 kilos/ha (eg 2006 and 2007) - part put into reserve.
49
How is champagne supply controlled?
* Comité Champagne takes a/c of
* current stocks
* world demand
* progress of current season, then in late July
* sets max yields (kilos/hectare) for coming harvest in 2 parts
* i) grape yields for base wines
* ii) allowance to go into reserve
* Av yield over last 10 yr = 10,500 kils/ha
* If producer needs more wine, can take it from reserves
* Ongoing review as to possibility of extending perimeter of land available to make champagne
50
Montagnes de Reims
* More a wide plateau than a mountain
* mainly black grapes, some good chard.
* 6 Grand Crus villages on chalky soil:
* Ambonnay, Ay, Bouzy, Mailly, Verzenay, Verzy
* Some villages face N - excellent cool-climate, but frost prone
* High acid, austere young.
51
Vallée de la Marne
* Frost prone valley
* So late bud/early ripe **Meunier dominates**, esp E of Epernay on clay, marl & sand.
* Fruity Meunier & rich (slightly riper) Chardonnay to blend for **early drinking** wines
52
Côte des Blancs
* Runs right angle to Marne valley
* 95% Chardonnay (hence name)
* Long, intense, austere in youth
* Purest chalk.
* 4 Grand Crus
* Cramant, Avize, Oger, Le Mesnil-sur-Oger
53
Côte de Sézanne
* continuation South of Cote de Blancs,
* but mostly clay and silt rather than chalk
* most Chardonnay on warmer SE facing slopes
* riper grapes (lower quality)
54
Cote de Bar
* Côte des Bar **25% of champagne**
* Mainly **Pinot Noir**, which ripens well on steep slopes
* Kimmeridgian calcareous marl (like Chablis & Sancerre), stony, limestone - excellent drainage
* V important source of **fruity Pinot Noir** for NV blends, mainly bought by merchants in Northern Champagne
55
What was 'blocage"
* 'blocage' system (later called **reserve wines**)
* initially set aside some young wine as insurance
* now enables blending for consistent NV wines
* adds depth & complexity, raised standard of NV
56
When was the current AOC boundary of Champagne set and why was it particularly important?
* 1927
* Critical in Comité Champagne's later defence of the Geographical Indication "Champagne only comes from Champagne"
