Champagne (& Sparkling) Flashcards
Champagne
- Must be made in the Champagne region of France
- Terroir is chalk and the climate is cool
- Grapes - white - Chardonnay, red - Pinot noir and Pinot meunier
Grape distinctions on the bottle
- Blan de blanc - made entirely of Chardonnay
- Blan de noir - made entirely of red grapes (Pinot noir and Pinot meunier)
- Cuvée - blend of grapes
Age classification for Champagne
- NV (MV) - non vintage, blend of years
- Reserve - used a lot and not much meaning, but blend of best years essentially
- Vintage - single year (typically a great year)
Sweetness Levels
- Brut nature or zero dosage - (no added sugar)
- Extra Brut - bone dry, little to no dosage
- Brut - dry, can be bone dry or little residual sugar
- Extra dry - dry, off dry, (also names extra sec)
- Sec - dryish, off dry, semi sweet
- Demi sec - medium sweet, “half dry” suitable for dessert course
- Doux - positively sweet “dessert wine”
Champagne Classification
- Unlike Bordeaux wines and Burgundy champagne is broken down by what village the vineyards are located in
- The villages are rates in a 1-100 point scale
- Grand cru - 100%
- Premier cru - 99-90%
- Cru - 80%
Dom Perignon
- Vintage champagne only
- Famous for creamy mouthfeel
- Age their wine at least 7-8 years or more (minimum for NV by law is 15 months and vintage is 3 years)
- Their rose is aged at least 10 years and has T.N. of powerful floral cherry, rich strawberry with smoky soil leaf
T.N. - fruit, oak, lees, nutty, brioche and biscuit
Pairing - salty apps, cured meat, caviar, crackers
*P2 & P3 “plenitude” are intense full bodied, radiant bouquet with notes of honeysuckle, toasted almonds and orange colored fruits (P2 12-15 years more richness and aroma, P3 at least 20 years rich powerful flavors and less perceptible bubbles. Both will develop more mature nutty flavors)
Moet and Chandon
- Created from more than 100 different wines (20-30% are reserve)
- Mostly a blend of Pinot noir and Pinot meunier, chardonnay accounts for 10-20%
T.N. - green apple, citrus, white flowers, brioche. Light and delicate with active bubbles
Pairing - salads, shellfish, white fish raw or slightly cooked, veggies, cheese (Brie style), caviar
Ruinart
- Their flagship is blanc de blancs
- Rose is classic ruinart with the addition of 16% vinified Pinot noir
- Bottle is inspired by the first champagne bottles of the 18th century
- Oldest champagne house owned by Moët Hennessy
- They blend 20-25% of reserve wines into their NV champagne
T.N. - white flowers, peaches, pineapple with intense bouquet of ripe citrus, hazelnuts and almonds
Pairing - oysters, sushi, shellfish, carpaccio, tartar, mild cheese, poultry
Krug
-Always a blend of over 120 individual wines from more than 10 (oldest coming from 1990) different years and 3 grape varieties
T.N. - deep colour, ripe dried fruit, gingerbread, citrus, hazelnut, brioche and honey
Pairing - caviar, poultry, charcuterie and mild cheeses, salty food
*Krug Grand Cuvée is the first and only prestige champagne to be recreated every year since the house was founded. It is a blend of 76 wines from 10 different years as old as 1988
Veuve Clicquot
- Named after Madame Clicquot who is known as the Grand Dame of Champagne. French wine producer who took over her husbands wine business when she was widowed at 27
- 50-55% Pinot noir, 28-33% Chardonnay, 15-20% Pinot meunier
T.N. - richer end of the spectrum with ripe apple fruit, breads aromas and balking spice
Pairing - creamy pasta, rich seafood, salty foods
Prosecco
- Sparkling wine from Veneto, Italy
- Made from glera grapes
- Produced in the tank method, the bubbles don’t last too long
T.N. - green apple, honeydew, pear, honeysuckle and cream
Pairing - cured meats and fruit driven dishes
