Champagne Flashcards
1
Q
What is a “Chaufrette”?
A
A smudge pot, or oil burning device used to prevent grapes on vines from freezing during a sudden cold snap
2
Q
What are the 3 levels in the Eschell des crus?
A
Grand Cru: 100% (17 villages)
Premier Cru: 90-99% (42 villages)
Cru: 80-89% (255 villages)
3
Q
What is the meaning of the term “Tirage”?
A
Bottling
4
Q
What is the contribution of Veuve Cliquot (Ponsardin) to Champagne making?
A
She developed the process of Riddling (Remuage)
5
Q
What is “Blanc de Noirs”
A
A white sparkling wine made from black grapes
6
Q
What are the aging requirements for Champagne (vintage & non-vintage) versus Cremant?
A
Non-Vintage: 12 months on lees & 3 more months in cellar
Vintage - 12 months on lees & 24 months in the cellar
Cremant 9 months on the lees
7
Q
What is the primary grape of the Montagne de Reims?
A
Pinot Noir
8
Q
What is the difference between Coteaux Champenois AOC & Champagne AOC?
A
Coteaux Champenois AOC 100% still
Champagne AOC is 100% sparkling
Both areas cover the same area and use the same grapes
9
Q
How many standard bottles of wine are contained in a “Salmanazar”?
A
12 bottles
10
Q
What is Degorgement (disgorgement) ?
A
Disgorgement is the removal of yeast after the second fermentation of sparkling wine in the Champagne Method
11
Q
What are the 3 principle grapes in Champagne today?
A
Pinot Noir (38%) Pinot Meunier (34%) Chardonnay (28%)
12
Q
What does the abbreviation “RM” refer to?
A
Recoltant-Manipulant
A producer who grows his/her own grapes and makes his/her own Champagne
13
Q
What was the first Champagne house?
A
Ruinart (1729)
14
Q
How many standard bottles of wine are contained in a “Rehoboam”?
A
6
15
Q
What are the 2 types of chalk found in Champagne?
A
Belemite (preferred)
Micraster
16
Q
What is “Liquor d’Expedition”?
A
A mix of sugar and still reserve wine added to champagne after degorgement and before the cork is inserted
17
Q
What does the abbreviation “CM” refer to on a bottle of Champagne?
A
Cooperative de Manipulant
It is a cooperative that makes Champagne using the grapes of its members
18
Q
What is the primary grape of Vitry-le-Francois?
A
Chardonnay
19
Q
What is the primary grape of the Valley de la Marne
A
Pinot Meunier
20
Q
What Champagne is drier: Brut Nature or Sec?
A
Brut Nature
21
Q
What is “Remuage”?
A
Riddling, or turning of Champagne bottles to collect the dead lees in the neck
22
Q
What is “Transversage”
A
The process of using 750ml bottles to fill larger format bottles (bigger than magnums) and small format bottles after degorgement
23
Q
How many standard bottles of wine are in a Balthazar?
A
16
24
Q
Which Champagne is sweeter: doux or demi-sec?
A
Doux
25
What is "Pupitre"?
An A frame rack used for riddling Champagne bottles
26
What are the 4 principle sub-regions of Champagne?
1. Montagne and Val de Reims
2. Vallee de la Marne
3. Cotes de Blancs
4. Cote de Bars
27
Who is Nicole Barbe Ponsardin?
She discovered Riddling
28
What is disgorgement "a la volee"?
The traditional disgorgement of Champagne by hand with no freezing of the cap
29
What is a "Crayere"?
Old chalk cellars dug by the Romans now used as wine cellars
30
What were the 2 primary grapes of Champagne in the 9th to 16th centuries?
Gouais
| Fromenteau
31
What is "Sur Lie" aging?
The aging of wine on dead yeast cells
32
What are the 3 AOC's of Champagne?
Rose des Riceys AOC
Coteaux Champenois AOC
Champagne AOC
33
How many standard bottles of wine are in a Jeroboam?
4
34
What is Champagnes most widely planted grape?
Pinot Noir - 38%
35
What was Louise Pommery's contribution to Champagne?
She initiated the trend to dry styles of Champagne
36
What is the term "Prise de Mouse"?
"Seizing of the Foam" or the second alcoholic fermentation in the making of Champagne
37
What is "Blanc de Blancs"
A white sparkling wine made from white grapes
38
What was Dom Perignon's most important contribution to Champagne?
Creating the cuvee' (blend) of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir & Pinot Meunier
39
What is the "Tete de Cuvee'"?
A champagne houses prestige bottling
40
What does the abbreviation "NM" refer to?
Negociant-Manipulant
| A producer of Champagne who buys grapes from others for their blend
41
What is the primary grape of the Cotes des Blancs?
Chardonnay
42
What is a "Gyropalette"?
A mechanized rack used for riddling
43
What does the term "sur lattes" refer to?
Storing Champagne bottles on horizontal strips of wood
44
How many standard bottles of wine are contained in a Methuselah?
8
45
Which Champagne region is included in the Kimmeridgian ring?
Cote de Bar
46
What are the 7 levels of sweetness of Champagne?
Driest to Sweetest
1. Brut Nature
2. Extra Brut
3. Brut
4. Extra Sec (extra dry)
5. Sec (dry)
6. Demi-Sec
7. Doux
47
What does the abbreviation "RC" refer to on a bottle of Champagne?
Recoltant-Cooperateur
| A grower who send his grapes to a co-op to be made into Champagne, then sells it under a private label
48
What is the primary grape of the Cotes des Bar?
Pinot Noir
49
What is Frances northernmost wine region?
Champagne at 49-49.5 degrees north
50
Why is Belemite chalk preferred over Micraster chalk?
Because of its location.
| Belemite is found at the mid to upper slope, where there is more sun and better water retention
51
Describe Bar-Séquanais..
Comprised of 5 river valleys within the Cote des Bar
| Plantings: Pinot Noir dominant on Kimmeridgean soil
52
Describe Bar Sur Aubois..
Flanks the Aube river within the Cotes de Bar
| Pinot Noir Dominant on Kimmeridgean soil
53
Describe Montgeux..
Located to the west of Troys on chalk
| Planted almost exclusively to Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Miniscule amount of Pinot Meunier (.4%)
54
Describe Vitry-le-Francois..
East facing, chalky slopes
| Most planted to Chardonnay
55
Describe Cote de Sezanne..
Located north and south of the town of Sezanne
Mostly chalk with pockets of clay
Vineyards face southwest
Most are Chardonnay
56
Describe Val du Petit Morin..
The Petit Morin is a tributary of the Marne
Mix of chalk and sand/clay/marl
So there is a split of Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier
57
Describe the Cotes de Blancs..
```
Located south of Eperney
Perpendicular to the Marne Valley
Soils are chalk
Vineyards face east
Chardonnay dominates
```
58
Describe the Vallee de la Marne Ouest..
The most western section of Champagne
Most of the vineyards are on the right bank of the Marne river, face south and southeast
Soils sand/clay/marl
So Pinot Meunier dominates
59
Describe the Vallee de la Marne Rive Droit..
Vineyards of the right bank are south facing
Sand/Clay/Marl soils
So Pinot Meunier dominates
60
Describe the Vallee de la Marne Rive Gauche..
Left bank of the Marne River Valley
Dominated by Pinot Meunier
Soils are sand/clay/marl
Vineyards face north
61
Describe Coteaux Sud d'Eperney..
South and southwest of Eperney
Soils are chalk and sand/clay/marl
Almost even split of Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay with a small amount of Pinot Noir
62
Describe the Vallee de la Marne..
South of Montagne de Reims and north of Epernay
Combination of chalk and sand/clay/marl
Most of the vineyards are Pinot Meunier
There is some Pinot Noir and Chardonnay
63
Describe Val de Reims (Vesle & Arde River Valleys)..
```
Forms the Val de Reims
Dominated by Pinot Meunier
Vineyards face northeast and southeast
Soils of sand/clay/marl
Val de Reims includes the vineyards of Massif de St-Thierry and la Vallee de l'Arde
```
64
Describe the Monts de Berru..
Vineyards lie east of Reims
Encircle the Mont de Berru
Varying aspects all on chalk
Chardonnay dominates
65
Describe the Massif de Saint-Thierry..
Along the right bank of the Vesle River
Northernmost region
Dominated by Pinot Meunier
Vineyards face southeast on sand/clay/marl soils
66
Describe the Grande Montagne de Reims..
Southeast of the city of Reims
Mostly Pinot Noir (some Pinot Meunier & Chardonnay)
Forms a 1/2 circle around the mountain
Vineyards are south, east, northwest and north facing
Limestone rich marls and chalky slopes
67
What kind of wine does chalk produce?
High in acid, lean wines with reserved aromatics
68
What kind of wine does sandy soil produce?
Open wines with more overt fruit characteristics and less structure
69
What kind of wine does limestone-rich marl produce?
Aromatic, earthy expressions of the grapes
70
What kind of wine does clay produce?
Mineral rich wine with closed aromatics in their youth that need bottle time to open up
71
Does limestone rich marl retain water like chalk?
No, unlike chalk it retains water
72
Where is Kimmeridgean marl found in Champagne?
Cote de Bar
73
What is the growing area with chalk subsoil called?
Dry Champagne
74
What is chalk?
A type of limestone with tremendous water retaining capacity
| 79-105 gallons/cubic yard
75
What is Micraster?
It is the fossilized remains of ancient sea urchins
| Located at the bottom of the slopes
76
What is Belemnite?
It is the fossilized remains of ancient dart like relative of today's squid
This is the preferred chalk as it is found higher on the slopes
77
What are the 2 primary types of chalk found in Champagne?
Belemnite
| Micraster
78
What are winters like in Champagne?
Brutal Freezes
| Not uncommon for the temperature to drop below 14 degrees for at least 3 or 4 days per year
79
What are autumns like in Champagne?
Early frost
80
What are summers like in Champagne?
Warm but maritime influences mean lots of clouds
81
What are the springs like in Champagne?
Spring frosts are common and severe
82
What is the climate of Champagne?
Continental with strong maritime (Atlantic) influences
83
T or F? Champagne is the most northerly of all the wine regions in France.
True
84
What do other wine regions in France call their sparkling wine made in the Champagne Method?
Méthode Traditionelle
85
What was the Echelle des Crus?
A 1911 classification system for the producing villages and surrounding vineyards
86
What did Phylloxera do to Champagne?
Champagne was one of the last regions hit by Phylloxera in 1890.
It reduced the vineyard area to 1/5 its size
87
What were Champagnes first bottlings called?
Vins de Montagne (mountain wine)
| Vins de la Riviere (river wine)
88
What was the importance of the city of Reims?
For 600 years 27 French kings were crowned in the Cathedral of Reims
89
Who united all the Gaulish tribes under his rule in the 5th century? (OC)
Clovis, King of the Francs
90
After the decline of the Roman Empire who overran Champagne?
The Vandals, Teutons, Francs and Huais
91
When did the first vineyards appear in Champagne?
4th or 5th centuries AD
| By the Romans
92
What parallels does Champagne lie at?
Champagne lies between the 49th and 49.5th parallels with 50 being the limit for the vine
93
The minimum number of hours of sunlight needed to grow grapes is 1,400 hrs/yr. How much does Champagne get annually?
On average 1,650 hrs/yr of sunlight
94
What is the average temperature in Champagne?
The average annual temperature is 50 degrees
95
What is Liqueur de Tirage
A blend of yeast and sugar that is added into the blended wine just before bottling
It marks the pivotal point of difference between Methode Champenoise and the Rural Method
It guarantees a sparkling product and predictable amount of sparkle
96
What is Tirage?
Tirage is the bottling of the Champagne
97
What is assemblage?
The blending of different base wines in order to insure consistency of the blend year to year
98
What did Dom Perignon create?
He created the original cuvee' or house blend
99
What is the RS Scale in Champagne from driest to sweetest? (OC)
1. Brut Nature
2. Extra Brut
3. Brut
4. Extra Sec (Extra Dry)
5. Sec (dry)
6. Demi Sec (semi dry)
7. Doux
100
What are the 2 challenges of the Rural Method?
1. There was no way to tell how much sugar was left for the yeast to metabolize come spring
2. Because semi-fermented wine is put in the bottle, there was no way to remove the yeast, resulting in cloudiness and grittiness
101
What is the Rural or Ancestral Method?
A single fermentation that undergoes a winter pause
102
What does cold temperature does to yeast?
Puts it in suspended animation
103
What is the most widely planted grape in Champagne?
Pinot Noir at 38%
104
What were the principle grapes of early Champagne?
From the 9th to 16th centuries they were
1. Gouis Blanc
2. Gouis Noir
3. Fromenteau (Pinot Gris)
105
What is the 2nd most planted grape in Champagne?
Pinot Meunier at 34%
| It is the Genetic mutation of Pinot Noir and Indigenous to France
106
What is the 3rd most planted grape in Champagne?
Chardonnay at 28%
| Indigenous to France
107
Which grape in Champagne contributes the most acidity?
Chardonnay
108
Which grape in Champagne contributes the least acidity and moderate alcohol?
Pinot Noir
109
Which grape in Champagne contributes moderate acidity and the least alcohol?
Pinot Meunier
110
What is Sur Lattes
It is the wooden strips put between the bottles of Champagne during the storage of Base Wine
111
What is the Prise de Mousse?
Translates to "Seizing of the Foam:
It refers to the 2nd alcoholic fermentation that takes place in the same bottle from which the wine is served
Creates between 4.9 and 6 atms of pressure
112
What is Sur Lie Aging?
It is allowing the wine to sit on the dead yeast cells
This releases proteins that contribute to a texturous mouthfeel known as the "Champagne Bouquet"
The longer the aging the smaller the bubbles
113
What is traditional Remuage?
AKA Riddling
The rapid/brusque turning and shifting in space of the bottles to help collect the yeast
Credited to Nicol Barbe Ponsardin (Veuve Cliquot)
114
What is the advantage of mechanized Remuage?
Reduce Remuage time from 3 months to 1 week
| Take up less space
115
What is Degorgement?
Removal of the yeast from the bottle
1. Yeast is collected in the neck of the bottle
2. Bottle is chilled to 45 degrees in an icy brine freezing the yeast into a plug
3. Bottle is turned upright and crown cap is removed
4. Pressure inside ejects the plug
116
What is Transversage?
It is the filling of larger format bottles with 750 ml bottles
117
How many standard bottles in a Jeroboam?
4 bottles
118
How many standard bottles fit in a Rehoboam?
6 bottles
119
How many standard bottles fit in a Methuselah?
8 bottles
120
How many standard bottles fit in a Salmanazar?
12 bottles
121
How many standard bottles fit in a Balthazar?
16 bottles
122
What is A la Volee?
The traditional method of disgorgement where the Champagne is not chilled.
In a quick motion the cellar worker removes the cap andsediment
123
When was the Eschell de Crus Established and what did it do?
It was established in 1911
| It ranked the wine producing villages and the vineyards surrounding them
124
Describe the Rose des Riceys AOC? (OC)
Rose des Riceys is a Pinot Noir Rose
It is produced in 3 villages of Les Riceys in the Aube
All 3 villages flank the Laigne river
125
Describe the Coteaux Champenois AOC?
Lies within the AOC Champagne Zone of Production
Whites, reds and Roses
Most is non-vintage and white
126
What are the 3 AOC's of Champagne?
1. Champagne AOC
2. Coteaux Champenois AOC
3. Rose de Riceys
127
What 2 things were needed to create Champagne?
Strong glass - English glass
| Tight seal - Spanish cork rediscovered in the 1600's
128
What is the cork shape Cheville?
Corks in the bottle over many years breakdown resulting in a peg shape that allows bubbles to escape
129
What is the cork shape Jupone?
The skirt shape of the cork after only a few years in the bottle
130
What is Liqueur de Dosage?
It is the replacement of wine lost during the bottling process
Being replaced with a sugar/still wine reserve
131
How did the Eschelle de Cru rank the vineyards?
On a scale of 80 to 100
100% rating = Grand Cru: 17 villages
90-99% rating = Premier Cru: 42 villages
80-89% rating = Cru 255 villages
132
What was the historical impact of the Eschelle des Crus?
It set the pricing based on 100%
| Whatever the village was ranked they would get that % of the pricing 85% = 85% of the price
133
What is the prestige bottling of a Champagne house called?
Tete du Cuvee'
134
What is rose' Champagne like?
Structured and powerful with a noticeable tannic grip
135
What do the letters "NM" on the Champagne label mean?
NM = Negociant Manipulant
Champagne producers using other producers grapes along with their own
All the big houses belong to this category
136
What do the letters "RM" on a label of Champagne mean?
RM = Recoltant-Manipulant
| A producer using only their own grapes
137
What do the letters "RC" on a label of Champagne mean? (OC)
RC = Recoltant-Cooperateur
A wine grower affiliated with a wine making cooperative cellar.
Brings grape to be vinified and then picks them up for sale under his private lable
138
What do the letters "SR" on a label of Champagne means? (OC)
SR = Societe de Recoltants
| A group of grape growers who jointly vinify and sell one or several communal brands
139
What do you call white sparkling wine made from white grapes (Chardonnay)? (OC)
Blanc de Blanc
140
What is Blanc de Noir? (OC)
White sparkling wine made from black grapes
Pinot Noir
Pinot Meunier
141
What is "Recently Disgorged" Champagne? (OC)
Champagne with prolonged aging on the lees with its crown cap.
Tastes and feels like aged without the oxidative effects of 10 years in the cellar
Carries R.D. on the label
142
What are "Pupitres"? (OC)
The A shaped racks for wine storage
143
Why did Rome name the Champagne region Campagna? (IC)
It means open, unforested land typical of the rolling hills of the region
144
Who is credited with making the first sparkling wine in France? (IC)
The Monks of St Hilaire near near Limoux in Languedoc
It was known as Blanquett de Limoux
About 150 years before Champagne
145
What century did Champagne begin making sparkling wine (IC)
End of the 17th century, beginning or the 18th century
146
What 2 technical advances made the production of sparkling wine possible? (IC)
Re-Discovery of the cork seal
| Stronger glass form England
147
What barrier did King Louis XV remove that helped in Champagne production? (IC)
Allowing wine to be shipped in bottles
148
What were the traditional grapes of the 9th to 16th centuries? (IC)
Fromenteu (Vins de la Rivier) synonym for Pinot Gris
| Gouis Noir, Gouis Blanc (Vins de la Mountain)
149
Today what are the 3 principle grapes of Champagne in order of production? (IC)
```
Pinot Noir (38%)
Pinot Meunier (34%)
Chardonnay (28%)
```
150
Which of the 3 primary grapes in Champagne add the most acidity? (IC)
Chardonnay
151
Which of the 3 primary grapes in Champagne adds the least acidity? (IC)
Pinot Noir
152
Which of the 3 primary grapes in Champagne adds the most alcohol? (IC)
Chardonnay
153
Which of the 3 primary grapes in Champagne adds the least alcohol? (IC)
Pinot Meunier
154
What is Chalk? (IC)
```
Sedimentary
Stores lots of water
Low in organic matter
can be warm, reflective
Note: All chalk is limestone but not all limestone is chalk
```
155
What are the 2 main types of chalk found in Champagne? (IC)
Belemnite
| Micraster
156
What fossils are associated with Belemnite and Micraster? (IC)
Belemnite - dart like relative of todays squid
| Micraster - Sea Urchins
157
Why is Belemnite the preferred chalk? (IC)
No chemical difference
Belemnite is located on mid to upper slope which is preferred
Micraster is on the bottom slope
158
What is "Dry Champagne"? (IC)
The treeless, open expanse that rests on chalk and cant support higher life
159
What are the 3 AOC's in Champagne? (IC)
Champagne AOC
Coteaux Champenois (AOC) (still wine)
Rose de Riceys AOC
160
What grape dominates in the sand/clay/marl soils of Champagne? (IC)
Pinot Meunier
161
What grape thrives on chalk in Champagne? (IC)
Chardonnay
162
What grape in Champagne does best on Kimmeridgean soils? (IC)
Pinot Noir
163
T or F? The Eschelle de Crus ranks the vineyards of Champagne?
False, it ranks the villages
164
How many grand Cru Villages are in Champagne? (IC)
17, ranked at 100%
165
How many Premier Cru Villages are in Champagne? (IC)
42, ranked at 90-99%
166
How many other villages are authorized to produce champagne and what is their ranking? (IC)
255, 80-89%
167
Why are the grapes of Champagne hand picked? (IC)
To ensure whole grapes are picked
| Do not want to compromise skin causing bleeding pigment and bitter phenolics
168
In Champagne what is Retroussage? (IC)
The tucking under of the grapes for the second press
169
What is the Gateau? (IC)
The cake remaining after the grapes are pressed
170
What is the French term for the process of chilling the wine and letting it rest to settle out particulate matter? (IC)
Debourbage
171
What is Assemblage? (IC)
The crafting of the house blend
172
How are rose' Champagne made? (IC)
Add Pinot Noir to the white or
Saignee method
Blending a red and white is only legal in Champagne
173
What is Prise de Mousse? (IC)
Seizing of the foam
174
How much pressure is captured in the bottle during Prise de Mousse? (IC)
4.9 - 6 atmospheres of pressure
175
What is Elevage sur Lattes? (IC)
The laying of bottles on their sides on wooden lattes for the second fermentation
176
What do the Lees do? (IC)
The dead yeast cells start atolysis adding toasty, bready, brioch flavors to the wine
177
What is the minimum time a non vintage Champagne spends on its lees? (IC)
12 months
178
What is the minimum time a NV Champagne spends in the cellar from Tirage to release? (IC)
15 Months
179
What is the minimum time a vintage Champagne must spend in the cellar from Tirage to release? (IC)
3 years
180
What is Rumage (aka Riddling)? (IC)
The sharp rotating of the bottles to loosen the dead yeast cells to help get them out of the bottle
181
What are the chalk cellars in Champagne called and who dug them? (IC)
Crayeres and they were dug by the Romans
182
What is Degorgement? (IC)
Removal of the yeast by freezing the neck of the bottle and opening the bottle
183
What is the cork shape "Jupone"? (IC)
This is the normal skirt shape cork when opened
184
What did Dom Perignon add to Champagne? (IC)
Blending the Cuvee'
Natural Corks
English Glass
185
What did Madame Pommery for Champagne? (IC)
She led the move to drier styles
