Champagne Flashcards
(39 cards)
What are the 3 AOC’s in Champagne and what do they produce?
- AOC Rosé de Riceys = 100% rosé (from PN)
- AOC Coteaux Champenois = 100% still
- AOC Champagne = 100% sparkling (PN, PM, Chard)
Champenois and Champage AOCs cover the same area and use the same grapes
What is the difference between wet and dry champagne?
Wet Champagne:
- Limestone-rich marls of Côte des Bar
- Subsoill isn’t pulling the moisture down from the topsoil
Dry Champagne:
- topsoil does not retain moisture,
- has chalk subsoil
- Open expanse due to the thinlayer of topsoil that couldn’t support higher plant life
- Chalk soil
What are the 3 primary soils found in Champagne?
- Belemnite chalk - upper/mid slope = preferred due to location:
- -found at the upper to mid slope, where there is more sun and better water retention - Micraster chalk
- Virgulien / Kimmeridgean marl - ring of limestone-rich marl
What is the climate in Champagne?
- Dual climate = strong continental; maritime influences
- Lies at the northern part of French viticulture
- 49°-49.5° parallel north
- Receives around 1600 sunshine hours
- continental influence winters: cold
- maritime influence spring/autumn: frosts
- fairly proportionate rainfall
How did the emergence of Champagne come about?
- In the middle ages trade fairs would take place 2x a year in Champs
- was a crossroads for trade
- Wealthy textile barons would gift sp wine
- Whe the customers were more of the wine than the textiles, those w/ foresight changed production
Why is Champagne associated with Royalty and wealth?
- For 600 years, 27 French kings were crowned at the cathedral in Reims
What is the difference between the rural/ancestral method vs. the Champagne method?
Rural / Ancestral:
- represented ONE alcoholic fermentation that underwent a winter pause
Champagne:
- involves TWO seperate and distinct alcoholic fermentations
What are the tradititonal vs modern grapes grown in Champagne?
Traditional:
- Gouais Noir
- Gouais Blanc
- Fromenteau
Modern:
- Pinot Noir (38%)
- the least amount of acidity and moderate alcohol - Pinot Meunier (34%)
- moderate acidity and the least amount of alcohol - Chardonnay (28%)
- contributes the most acidity and the most alcohol
What are the 4 principle sub-regions of Champagne?
What do they mainly grow?
- Montange & Val de Reims - Pinot Noir
- Vallée de la Marne - Pinot Meunier
- Côte des Blancs - Chardonnay
- Côte des Bars - Pinot Noir
What contributions did Dom Perignon Veuve Cliquot Madame Pommery have within Champagne?
Dom Perignon:
- creating his cuvée-blend of Chard, PN, P Meunier clusters at the press
- usefulness of strong English glass bottle
Veuve Cliquot (Ponsardin): - riddling / remuage process; developed pupitres
Madame Louise Pommery:
- started the trend to make drier styels of champagne
Champagne:
What is the history and intent behind the Echelle des Crus?
- In 1911 Champagne ranked its wine producing villages Echelle des Crus:
- the producing villages and areas around them were ranked (80-100%)
GC - 100%
PC - 90-99%
- Prior to 2003 CIVC based the price of grapes off of Grand Cru sites; this trickled down to lesser styles
- Since 2003 the price is based from individual contract
Champagne
What 2 methods of the ancestral method are there?
and what grapes are used?
- Partial ferement is chilled in Dec;
- - bottled in March
- - = slightly fizzy, cloudy wine - Chill Partial Ferment
- - then bottle with yeast for 2-3 months
- - then disgorge
- Finished wine for both must not be above 7% abv and RS between 6-8%
- The grape is 100% Mauzac
What is Tete de Cuvée and its role in a Champagne house?
- The prestige bottling within each house
- Very expensive per bottle
How is rosé Champagne made?
- By adding a small amount of Pinot Noir to the white cuvée before the 2nd ferment
- Vinify a rosé by the saignée method then put it through the 2nd ferment
Champagne
What do the following terms mean?
Blanc de Blanc
Blanc de Noirs
Vintage
Non-Vintage
Blanc de Blanc:
- White sp made only from white authorised grapes
Blanc de Noirs:
- White sp made from black grapes
Vintage:
- Only produced in the best years
Non-Vintage:
- A bled of several vintages
What are the various sweetness levels in Champagne?
- Lowest level first
- Brut Nature - no dosage added; 0-0.3% sugar
- Extra Brut - 0-0.6% sugar
- Brut - 0-1.2% sugar (was 0-1.5%)
- Extra Sec (dry) - 1.2%-1.7% sugar (was 1.2%-2.0%)
- Sec (dry) - 1.7-3.2% sugar (was 1.7-3.5%)
- Demi-Sec - 3.2-5% sugar
- Doux - over 5% sugar
What role did Spanish cork and English glass have in Champagne?
Cork:
- Provided an air tight wine bottle closure
Glass:
- was stronger and didn’t burst under the pressure of champs in the bottle
Champagne
What do the terms mean?
- Cuvée
- Tirage
- Prise de Mousse
- Liquer de tirage
- Remuage
- Disgorgement
- Liquer de dosage
- Transversage
- A la Volee
- Liqueur de Dosage / Liqueur d’Expédition
- Cuvée = a specific blend of base wines
- Tirage = bottling
- Prise de Mousse = seizing the foam, refers to the 2nd ferment
- Liquer de tirage = mixture of wine, sugar and yeast to kick start the 2nd ferment
- Remuage = riddling; turning the bottles slightly, getting the yeast/lees to the neck of the bottle
- Disgorgement = removal of yeast after the 2nd ferm; freeze the neck of the bottle and take off the cap; yeast is ejected
- Liquer de dosage = topped up with natural base wine, left to blend in before release
- Transversage = larger format bottles do not have 2nd fermentation in bottle that they are served; this is the process of rebottling the wine into larger bottles
- A la Volee = tradtional method of disgorgement; wine is not chilled, sediment is removed by a cellar worker by hand
- liqueur d’expédition = the mix of sugar and still reserve wine added to Champagne after dégorgement and before the cork is insterted
Champagne
What are the steps within the traditional method?
- Make the base wine
- Assemblage - blending NV base wines to get the house cuvée
- Liquer de tirage = bottling; liqueur de tirage mixed into cuvee and bottled; what gurantees predictable amount of sparkle
– Sur Lattes
- Prise de Mouse (seizing the foam) - the 2nd alc ferm
- Riddling (remuage) - ageing on the lees on pupitres
- Disgorgement - removal of yeast after the 2nd ferm
- Liquer de dosage (bottle is topped up)
* liqueur d’expédition - the mix of sugar and still reserve wine added to Champagne after dégorgement and before the cork is insterted
What are the bottle sizes in Champagne?
Magnum - 2 Jéroboam - 4 Réhoboam - 6 Methuselah - 8 Salmanazar - 12 Balthazar - 16 Nebuchadnezzar - 20
Which Champagne region included in the Kimmeridgian Ring?
The Côte des Bar
Champs:
What is disgorgement “à la volée”?
The traditional disgorgement of Champagne by hand
Champs:
What is transversage?
The process of using 750ml bottles of champagne to fill large (bigger than magnums) and small format bottles after disgorgement
Champs:
What are the three levels in the Echelle des Crus?
Grand Cru: 100% (17 villages)
Premier Cru: 90-99% (44 villages)
Cru: 80-89% (255 villages)
