Viticulture & Vinification

Question 1

What are the 4 pruning methods used in Champagne?

Answer 1

Chablis
Cordon
Guyot
Marne Valley

Question 2

What is the practice of desuckering and why is it carried out?

Answer 2

Desuckering involves removing any non-fruitful shoots (also known as “suckers”). The aim is to encourage the vine to focus its energies on the main shoots which will bear the future precious clusters.

Question 3

Harvesting method in Champagne?

Answer 3

Entirely done by hand across the region

Question 4

Which 2 entities regulate the annual authorized harvest yield?

Answer 4

The Comité Interprofessionnel du Vin de Champagne (CIVC) and the INAO (Institut National de l’Origine et de la Qualité)

Question 5

Type of pressing used in Champagne?

Answer 5

Whole clusters are pressed directly as carefully and gently as possible so as not to colour the juice through excessive contact time with the skins – unless, of course, the aim is to make a rosé wine using the maceration or saignée (bleeding off the juices) method.

Question 6

Pressing is carried out in two stages. What are they?

Answer 6

The “cuvée” corresponds to the first pressing juice, and the “taille” the second. Each has its own distinct characteristics and will therefore be used to make different types of wine.

Question 7

What is the traditional unit of measurement for a single press-load of grapes in Champagne?

Answer 7

4,000kg “marc”

Question 8

The first pressing, aka the “cuvée” corresponds to the first how many litres of grape juice from a “marc” (4,000kg)? What about the tail/second pressing aka “taille”?

Answer 8

Cuvée: first 2,050 litres

Taille: following 500 litres

Question 9

How does the “cuvée” differs from the “taille” in terms of organoleptic qualities, composition and potential?

Answer 9

Cuvée: richer in sugar and acid, better balanced and more fragrant than the taille. In short, it has a different chemical composition, untainted by pigments and not discoloured by oxidation.

Taille: fruitier, less acid and slightly coloured due to the presence of mineral and albuminous substances, pigments and colloids in the must. Some producers pride themselves in only using the cuvée in the elaboration of their Champagne.

Question 10

How do you call the final pressing of the grapes after the cuvée and the taille have been extracted and what will be done with that juice?

Answer 10

It is called the rebêche, which is by law sent directly to the distillery to make alcohol.

Question 11

After the juice is extracted from the grapes at pressing, what is the name of the open tank in which flows said juice?

Answer 11

A belon

Question 12

How long does clarification/”débourbage” take and what is it?

Answer 12

This refers to the settling of the freshly pressed grape juice, during which any fragments of skin, pips and other sediment settles at the bottom of the vat. The purpose is to send clear juice to the fermentation stage in order to obtain wines with the purest expression of fruit. After 12 to 24 hours, the clear juice is then drawn off.

Question 13

What is the goal in terms of final maximum alcohol level in the base wines?

Answer 13

11% abv max

Question 14

Which important step takes place after the primary alcoholic fermentation of the base wines (potential malolactic conversion included) and before the bottling and second fermentation stages?

Answer 14

blending

Question 15

What is the name of the liqueur that is added to the base wines once blended and bottled for second fermentation to occur? What does it contain?

Answer 15

“liqueur de tirage”, which is a mixture of still wine, sugar and yeast. The yeast will consume the sugar, releasing alcohol and effervescence, i.e. bubbles.

Question 16

What are 2 clearly defined rules regarding bottling of the base wines?

Answer 16

1. Bottling cannot take place before the first day of January following the harvests.
2. The wine cannot be transferred from one container to another: it will be sold in the bottle in which it underwent its second fermentation.

Question 17

What is the name of the process referring to the death and decomposition of yeasts?

Answer 17

Autolysis

Question 18

What happens chemically when a wine is left in contact with the lees?

Answer 18

Enzymes start to break the cells down producing mannoproteins (mannose-containing glycoproteins) and polysaccharides that are released into the wine.

Question 19

What is the 5 main effects of autolysis on wine?

Answer 19

1. Contributes to a creamy mouthfeel that may make a wine seem to have a fuller body
2. The release of enzymes inhibits oxidation which improves some of the aging potential of the wine
3. The mannoproteins improve the overall stability of the proteins in the wine by reducing the amount of tartrates that are precipitated out
4. The mannoproteins may also bind with the tannins in the wine to reduce the perception of bitterness or astringency in the wine
5. The increased production of amino acids leads to the develop of several flavours including aromas of biscuits or bread dough, nuttiness and acacia

Question 20

After how long does autolysis, and its impact on the wine, starts to become noticeable and how long can that effect keep influencing the style of the final wine?

Answer 20

It becomes noticeable after 18 months and will continue to impart traits to the wine for at least 5 years.

Question 21

How long must all genuine Champagne be spent maturing in the winemaker’s cellar before release?

Answer 21

At least 15 months

Question 22

How long must Vintage Champagne Cuvées mature in the winemaker’s cellar before release?

Answer 22

At least 36 months (3 years)

Question 23

Bottle-turners performing hand riddling on “pupitres” rotate the bottle by which fraction of a turn?

Answer 23

1/8 or 1/4 of a turn at a time

Question 24

How long does it take to complete manual “remuage” and how many turns per bottle does it usually involve?

Answer 24

4 to 6 weeks and involves on average 25 turns per bottle

Question 25

How long does it take to complete automated riddling using a gyropalette?

Answer 25

1 week

Question 26

How cold is the solution in which the neck of the bottle is plunged for disgorgment?

Answer 26

Approximately -27C

Question 27

Name of hand disgorgment?

Answer 27

“À la volée”

Question 28

What is liqueur de dosage?

Answer 28

A mixture of cane sugar dissolved in wine. The quantity of liqueur used will depend on the type of Champagne we are making.

Question 29

Sweetness scale in Champagne

Answer 29

0-3 g/L Brut Nature
0-6 g/L Extra Brut
0-12 g/L Brut
12-17 g/L Extra Dry
17-32 g/L Sec
32-50 g/L Demi-Sec
50+ g/L Doux

Question 30

What can a winemaker do to influence the style of the wine at dosage that does not involve adjusting sugar levels?

Answer 30

Depending on what we have in mind: if we want to keep as much of the wine’s personality and integrity as possible, a very neutral liqueur will be used. If, on the other hand, we want to elevate the wine with other aromas, a liqueur containing a reserve wine for example, a great Champagne wine set aside for long ageing, will be used.

Question 31

What is the name used to refer to the vigorous shaking of Champagne bottles once corked to mix the wine perfectly in with the liqueur?

Answer 31

“Poignettage”

Question 32

What is the name used to refer to the careful inspection of corked bottles to check their limpidity before cellaring for another few months?

Answer 32

“Mirage”

Question 33

What are some of the regulations in Champagne regarding grubbing-up and replanting of vines?

Answer 33

Authorities must be notified of such undertakings. Planting must take place before the end of May (or late July for plants started in pots), following a period when the soil is rested and prepared.

Question 34

When can you start producing Champagne from the fruit of young vines?

Answer 34

Champagne AOC wines may only be produced from the fruit of third-leaf vines (two years after planting).

Question 35

Maximum inter-row spacing (between the rows)…

Answer 35

1.5 metres

Question 36

Intra-row spacing (between individual vines)…

Answer 36

0.9-1.5 metres

Question 37

Total spacing (inter- and intra-row)…

Answer 37

No more than 2.5 metres

Question 38

Rough average planting density in Champagne?

Answer 38

8,000 plants per hectare

Question 39

New plantings are subject to strict EU regulations, in accordance with fixed annual quotas for all wine-producing member countries. New planting rights are then distributed among the different wine-growing regions by the French Minister for Agriculture. What has been the annual rights allocation for the Champagne region for some years now?

Answer 39

It has not exceeded 1% of the total area under vine.