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Describe the climate and terroir of the Champagne region
Northernmost French wine region. Soil mostly belemnite chalk with small layer of top soil. Chalky soil combined with northerly aspect with cool nights and warm days yield a high acidity to wines/champagnes.
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Name the five areas of the Champagne region
- Montagne de Reims
- Vallee de la Marne
- Cote des Blanc
- Cote de Sezanne
- Aube/Cote des Bars
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What are the three varietals of Champagne?
What type of champagne can be made from each?
- Pinot Noir (Blanc de Noirs)
- Pinot Meunier (Blanc de Noirs)
- Chardonnay (Blanc de Blancs)
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What is CIVC and what is its role?
Comite Interprofessionel du Vin Champagne is the governing body for Champagne and enforces all AC regulations. Since 1991, all press houses have to be registered with CIVC.
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What is the "echelle system"?
Describe the three levels of the system
- A 100 point (percentage) scale for grading champagne.
- Grand Cru equals 100% (17 villages in category)
- Premier Grand Cru equals 90-99% (40 villages in category)
- Cru equals 80-89% (244 villages in category)
- 301 total villages
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Name three Grand Cru champagnes
Name three Premier Cru champagnes
- Ambonnay, Ay-Champagne, Cramant
- Chamery, Cuis, Vertus
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What is Cuvee de Prestige?
Name five
- The top brands of a champagne house
- Bollinger, Krug, Dom Perignon, Moet et Chandon, Veuve Clicquot
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What is Coteaux Champenoise?
AC for still wines of the Champagne region. – the amount of grapes permitted to be used from one hectare of vines for the year – is set for the Champange district by the CIVC. Any left over wine after maximum champagne production is bottled as still wine, Coteaux Champenoise
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What is Cremant?
AC dry sparkling wines produced in France other than Champagne which are made la methode traditionelle. Are restricted to 2666 L from a 400 kg of grapes
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Name three Cremant
- Alsace - Cremant d’Alsace
- Rhone - Cremant de Die
- Burgundy - Cremant de Bourgogne
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Name a single vineyard cuvee, why are these the exception to champagne?
- Since Champagne is modeled to be a blend single vineyard cuvees are the exception…
- *Krug makes Clos d’Ambonnay (100% Pinot Noir)
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What are the CIVC codes for champagne?
- CM – Co-op de manipulant – Co-op makes wine
- NM – Negociant-Manipulant – Wine sold under production house name
- RM – Recolant-Manipulant – made by grower from their grapes
- RC – Recolant-Co operateur – grower sells wine made from co-op
- MA – Marque d’Acheteur – sold under another name ie.. supermarket brand (BOB)
- RD – Recemment Disgorged (or LD Late Disgorged)
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What are the most common size champagne bottles in order?
What is their volume?
- Quarter Bottle 185 ml
- Half Bottle 375 ml
- Bottle 750 ml
- Magnum 1.5 L – 2 bottles
- Jeroboam 3 L – 4 bottles
- Rehoboam 4.5 L – 6 bottles (discontinued)
- Methuselah 6 L – 8 bottles
- Salmanazar 9 L – 12 bottles
- Balthazar 12 L – 16 bottles
- Nebuchadnezzar 15 L – 20 bottles
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What champagne has no sugar?
What champagne has 1% sugar?
What champagne has 1-3% sugar?
What champagne has 3/5% sugar?
What champagne has 5-8% sugar?
What champagne has 10-15% sugar?
- Brut naturelle- driest none
- Brut – 1%
- Extra Sec – 1-3%
- Sec – 3-5%
- Demi-Sec – 5-8%
- Doux – 10-15%
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