Isg Diploma Champagne 2011

Front 1

4 Main Methods of Sparkling Production

Back 1

1.Injection Method
2.Tank Method
3.Transfer Method
4.Traditional Method

*Also... Russian/Continue Method

Front 2

Tank Method
(Basics)

Back 2

Knowen as "Cuve Close" or Charmant Method
Second fermentation takes place in a sealed tank
Wine is filtered under pressure, given a dosage, then bottled
Forbidden for production of AOC wines in France
Asti DOCG is maed this way with some modifications

Front 3

Injection/Bicycle Method
(Basics)

Back 3

1.Put in large tank
2.Attatch CO2 hose
3.Turn on gas
4.Bottle under pressure
5.Used cheapest possible closure

Front 4

Transfer Method
(Basics)

Back 4

AKA "Transvassement"
Second fermentation takes place in bottle but disgorging is dine in bulk under pressure
Wine is fintered and rebottled but not ion the original bottle
elimitantes costly and lengthy remuage, quality level is still high
Widely used in Australia, USA, Germany

Front 5

Traditional Method
(Basic Info)

Back 5

Used to be called "Methode Champenoise"
EU term is "Methode Traditionelle" or "Traditional Method"
Secondary fermentation takes place in an individual bottle- the same bottle that the wine is to be sold in
$$$ and labor intensive
Theoretically produces the best quality sparkling wines...

Front 6

Champagne
(Climate)

Back 6

On the northern edge of the grape-growing belt
Cold, continental climate influenced by the Atlantic to provide some cooling in the summer
Spring and fall Frosts are a constant threat
Rain is frequent- often interupts flowering and thus creats 2 crops (2nd is called "bouvreu")
Grapes often struggle to ripen

Front 7

Champagne
(Soils)

Back 7

Mainly porous, deep chalk subsoils
"Belemnita Quatra" on hillsides, "Micraster" in valleys
Thin topsoil of clay and sand
The active lime content makes grapes with high acidity
Chalk is a naturan regulator that humidifies and dehumidifies as needed excellently drained, low in organic matter
Chlorosis is always a hazard with chalk- especially for Chardonnay...

Front 8

Champagne
(Grapes)

Back 8

Only 3 permitted:
Chardonnay
Pinot Noir
Pinot Meunier

Front 9

Chardonnay
(Champagne)

Back 9

The least widely planted grape
Adds backbone to the wine, and age-worthiness

Front 10

Pinot Noir
(Champagne)

Back 10

Gives a rich core to wines, it's the 'carpentry'

Front 11

Pinot Meunier
(Champagne)

Back 11

Most widely planted grape in the region
Adds softness and fruit to wines

Front 12

Viticulture- Harvesting
(Champagne)

Back 12

Due to tight spacing all harvesting is done by hand
500-550 man hours to harvest each hectare
An estimated 10,000 temporary workers bring in the champagne harvest each year in a 2 week period
Highest yeilds in France- average is over 80hl/ha

Front 13

Vineyard Classification
(Champagne)

Back 13

All sites are classified on a basis of 80-100%
"Echelle des Crus"= 321 villages rated
17 Grand Crus- rated at 100%
44 1er Crus-rated at 90-99%
Lowest ranking is 80%
*Piont Meuiner is not allowed in vinyards with a 95% rating or higher
90% of vines are owned by independant growers (aprox. 19,000) with an average plot size of 1.5ha
Each village is giving a date by grape variety before which they may not start harvesting

Front 14

Vineyard Areas
(Champagne)

Back 14

1.Montagne de Reims
2.Vallee de la Marne
3.Cotes des Blancs
4.Aube
5.Cotes de Sezanne

Front 15

Montagne de Reims

Back 15

Champagne
Primary grape here is Pinot Noir
Free standing formation
The grapes on the north facing slopes ripen well due to a thermal effect
Grapes from here are quite dark in color and produce full-bodied wines
Decent amount of Pinot Meuiner and Chardonnay are also grown here

Front 16

Vallee de la Marne

Back 16

Champagne
Mostly planted with Pinot Meuiner and some Pinot Noir
Parts of the valley are frost prone
Pinot Meuiner is late budding and early ripening- does well in this and represents over half of the plantings

Front 17

Cotes des Blancs

Back 17

Champagne
Chardonnay country- represents over 95% of total plantings
Wines from these grapes are the most coveted
6 Grand Cru villages here

Front 18

The Aube

Back 18

Champagne
AKA "Cotes de Bars"
Mostly Pinot Noir planted here
Produces ripe, fruity wines

Front 19

Cote de Sezanne

Back 19

Champagne
Mostly Chardonnay- represents over 70% of plantings
Rapidly developing area
Similar to Cotes des Blancs but fruitier in style

Front 20

Methode Traditionelle/Champenoise
(Steps)

Back 20

1.Harvest
2.Pressing
3.First Fermentation
4.Assemblage (Blending)
5.Bottling and addition of "Liqueur de Triage"
6.Second fermentation
7."Triage" (Aging)
8."Remuage" (Riddling)
9."Degorgement" (Disgorging)
10."Dosage" (addition of "Liqueur d'Expedition)
11.Possible further aging...
12. Corking and "Habillage" (Dressing and Labeling)

Front 21

Harvesting
(Traditional Method)

Back 21

Manual harvesting
Grapes are taken immediately to the press house set up in each village
Small harvesting crates are commone to avoid undue pressure on grapes

Front 22

Pressing
(Traditional Method)

Back 22

Gentleness is key- the harder the grapes are pressed the more undesirable traits
Traditional "Coquard" (4,000 kilo capacity) press as well as pneumatic are used
Amount of juice extracted is strictly controlled- 2,550 liters from 4,000 kilos
"Cuvee"=First press (2,050 liters)
"Taille"=Second press (500 liters)

Front 23

First Fermantation
(Traditional Method)

Back 23

All varieties are vinified seperatly, as is the juice from each vineyard
Must is settled for a period in stainless or oak barrels (if oak, they are seasoned with the juice that will be distilled after a hot water soak, and not used until they are 3 years old)
MLF is encouraged or prevented depending on house
Cool fermentation (18-20 degrees) and lasts from 2 to 4 weeks... highly variable...

Front 24

Assemblage
(Traditional Method)

Back 24

This is where the skill is, and where the house-style is created
Takes place in the first few months of the year following the harvest
Critical stage- dozens of wines from multiple villages/vineyards/varietals will be blended
Secret is to make a well-balanced stillwine before making it Champagne
The house may decide to draw on reserve wines to add complexity, maturation and achieve the house style
after blending wine is fined and possibly filtered
Now prepared for transfer to individual bottles...

Front 25

Bottling/Addition of Liqueur de Triage
(Traditional Method)

Back 25

Liqueur de Triage is a blend of yeast and sugar (comes from different sources, quality matters. many producers use high grade beet sugar)
Some use 50% sugar solution
Yeast used is important! mandated by CIVIC
Possible riddling agents, micro oxigenation

Front 26

Second Fermentation
(Traditional Method)

Back 26

Wine is generally sealed with a crown cap- seal is CRUCIAL
bottles are stacked on their sides
In theory, the longer the 2nd fermentation, the finer the bubbles and consequently the better the wine
Takes any where from 14 days to 3 months
After the compleation of fermentation, bottles must remain "sur lattes" (on side)

Front 27

"En Triage"
(Traditional Method)

Back 27

Strictly controlled by AOC law
15 months minimum for non-vintage
36 months (3 years) for vintage
Wines rest "sur lie" while the complex process of autolysis takes place
Bottles are usually stacked "sur lattes" in caves while process takes place

Front 28

"Remuage"
(Traditional Method)

Back 28

"Riddling"
Bottles are placed in either:
1."Pupitres"- riddled by hand, takes about 6 weeks. Pros can touch/move 40,000 bottles a day!!!
2."Gyropalettes"- by machine, takes about 3 days... this is the less $$$ option
This process moves the sediment/sticky lees to the neck of the bottle as the bottle is slightly twisted and moved from "sur latte" to "sur pointe"
Wines may be stacked "sur pointe" for maturation prior to degorgement

Front 29

"Degorgement"
(Traditional Method)

Back 29

Wines are usually chilled first to minimize the loss of CO2
Bottle neck is dipped in freezing brine of -15 degrees F to freeze the yeast plug
The actuall disgorging can be done by hand or by machine- the closure is popped off and the sediment is expelled

* if done without freezing, the cap can be removed "a la glass", or "a la volee"

Front 30

"Dosage"
(Traditional Method)

Back 30

Dosage or "Liqueur d'Expodition" is added to the bottle
The liquid always contains some sugar (can be wine, sugar, brandy, sulfur dioxide, asorbic acid, cirtic acid, copper sulfite, so on...)
Balances the high acidity of the wine

Front 31

Corking/"Habillage"
(Traditional Method)

Back 31

Corking- agglomerate cork, plaquette, cage
"Habillage" (dressing)- the bottle is labled, foiled
Best wines are allowed an additional 3 months prior to shipping to allow the marrying of the "dosage"

Front 32

Champagne Styles

Back 32

Final driness is decided by the "dosage"
Most Champagne is non-vintage (consistancy of house stylt from year to year is key, and depends on the skill of the "Chef des Caves")

Front 33

"Extra Brut"

Back 33

Sweetness term, Champagne
"Bone Dry"
0-6 grams of sugar per liter

Front 34

"Brut"

Back 34

Sweetness term, Champagne
"Very Dry"
0-15 grams per liter

*0-12 grams post 2010

Front 35

"Extra-Sec"

Back 35

Sweetness term, Champagne
"Dry to Medium Dry"
12-20 grams per liter

*12-17 grams post 2010

Front 36

"Sec"
(Champagne)

Back 36

"Medium Dry to Medium Sweet"
17-35 grams per liter

*17-32 grams post 2010

Front 37

"Demi-Sec"
(Champagne)

Back 37

"Sweet"
35-50 grams per liter

*32-50 grams post 2010

Front 38

"Doux"
(Champagne)

Back 38

"Very Sweet"
50+ grams per liter

Front 39

"Split"

Back 39

187ml

Front 40

"Half-Bottle"

Back 40

375ml

Front 41

"Bottle"

Back 41

750ml

Front 42

"Magnum"

Back 42

Two bottles
1.5 liters

Front 43

"Double-Magnum"

Back 43

Four Bottles
3 liters

Front 44

"Jeroboam"

Back 44

Four bottles of sparkling wine
3 liters
Named after the king of northern Israel who died in 912BC

Front 45

"Rehoboam"

Back 45

Six bottles, 4.5 liters of sparkling wine
Named after the son of Solomon who died in 922BC

Front 46

"Methuselah"

Back 46

Eight bottles, 6 liters of sparkling wine
Named for the Biblical figure who was said to have lived for 969 years and is synonym for longevity

Front 47

"Salamanzar"

Back 47

Twelve bottles, or 9 liters
Name comes from "salma", a capacity measure in Italy

Front 48

"Balthazar"

Back 48

Sixteen bottles or 12 liters
Named for one of the 3 kings/wisemen

Front 49

"Nebuchadnezzar"

Back 49

Twenty bottles or 15 liters
Named for the king of Babylon from 605 to 562 BC

Front 50

Non-Vintage

Back 50

"House Standard"
Accounts for 75% of all Champagne sold
Skill of the blender is key!
Most of the base wine is from the current harvest, reserve wine from previous vintages may be added (amount depends on the house style)

Front 51

Vintage Champagne

Back 51

Not more than 80% of any year's harvest can be sold as vintage Champagne, the rest is kept for reserve wine for non-vintage wines
Most houses declare in only the best years (in theory...)
3 year minimum aging requirement, but may houses age for longer

Front 52

Blanc de Blancs

Back 52

"White of White"
Made entirely from white grapes (Chardonnay)
Has the greatest aging capacity!
Can be lean and seemingly austier when young, become lemony and tosty with a few years bottle aging
Rarer than other Champagnes as Chardonnay is the least planted grape in the region

Front 53

Blanc de Noirs

Back 53

"White of Black"
White wine made entirely from black grapes (Piont Noir, Pinot Meuiner)
More full body than Blanc de Blancs

Front 54

Rose Champagne

Back 54

Veuve Clicout produced the first commercial rose Champagne in the late 1700's
The only rose allowed to be made by blending red and white wines in the EU
Maceration is also allowed but not common...

Front 55

Cuvee de Prestige

Back 55

Generally the best wines a Champagne house can offer
Blends are often restricted to Grand Crus from the company's own vineyards

Front 56

Moet et Chandon
(Cuvee de Prestige)

Back 56

Dom Perignon

Front 57

Roederer
(Cuvee de Prestige)

Back 57

Cristal

Front 58

Veuve Clicquot-Posadin
(Cuvee de Prestige)

Back 58

La Grande Dame

Front 59

Laurent Perrier
(Cuvee de Prestige)

Back 59

Grand Siecle

Front 60

Perrie Jouet
(Cuvee de Prestige)

Back 60

Belle Epoque

Front 61

Bollinger
(Cuvee de Prestige)

Back 61

Vielles Vignes Francaise, RD

Front 62

Piper-Hidsieck
(Cuvee de Prestige)

Back 62

Rare

Front 63

Pol Roger
(Cuvee de Prestige)

Back 63

Cuvee Sir Winston Churchill

Front 64

Krug
(Cuvee de Prestige)

Back 64

Grande Cuvee
Clos du Mesnil Blanc de Blanc

Front 65

Coteaux Champenoise AC

Back 65

Still red, white and rose
Reds are the most interesting
Can be good but often thin, expensive, hard to find
"Why would I spend twice as much when I can get 10 times better Burgundy for half of the price..."

Front 66

Rose des Riceys AC

Back 66

Champagne, made in the commune of Ricey in Aube
Seperate AC for still rose of Pinot Noir

Front 67

Champagne Trade

Back 67

110 houses selling 70% of the wine produced- known "negociants-manipulants" ("NM")

Front 68

"Recolants"

Back 68

"Growers"
Champagne

Front 69

"Recolants-Manipulants"

Back 69

aka "RM"
Growers who sell part or all of their harvest under their own lable
Champagne

Front 70

Grand Marque Champagnes

Back 70

"The 30 member old-boys club..."
Means litterally "great brand" or "famous name"
Fame of these producers came from quality or volume of production
"Syndicat de Grands Marques de Champagne": set up in 1964, accounted for over 60% of the Champagne sold. Disbanded in 1997

Front 71

Pressing
(French Cremant Production)

Back 71

4,000 kilos of grapes allowed to yeild 2,666 liters of juice
"It's the DEVIL!!!"

Front 72

Cremant de Die AC

Back 72

Rhone, Traditional Method sparkling wine
Made from 100% Clairette
Used to be called "Clairette de Die"

Front 73

Clairette de Die Methode Dioise Ancestrale AC

Back 73

Rhone
"Ancestrale" method sparkling wine
100% Muscat

Front 74

Ancestrale Method

Back 74

Single, long, cold partial fermentation done in bulk
55 grams per liter of sugars must be retained
Remaining fermentation takes place in bottle, but 35 grams per liter of sugar must be present when disgorged

Front 75

Cava
(Definition)

Back 75

"Sparkling wine made from the traditional method of fermentation in the bottle and produced in specfic areas notified to the relevant authorities"

Front 76

Cava
(Basics)

Back 76

Unlike other Spainish DO's, Cava is spread out- 160 villages in 9 different zones can make it... mostly located in the Penendes area of Catalonia near Barcelona
It is the second largest bottle fermented appellation in the world
Cava does not have to attatch DO to it's name
By law, cava must be fermented at 18 degrees C, and must attain a minimum of 4 atmospheres of pressure

Front 77

Cava
(History)

Back 77

First ture Cava was made from native grpaes by Josep Raventos in 1872, he was deliberatly trying to make 'Champagne"
San Sardurni was the main center of early production- many producers had been making small amounts of sparkling wine (even with proper Champagne grapes)
As Champagne begain to grow in popularity, efforts were didicated to making a similar wine locally

Front 78

Cava
(Aging Requirements)

Back 78

Minimum 9 months before disgorging (may lable as Crianza after this time, but is rare to actually see)
Reserva=18 months
Gran Reserva=30 months

Front 79

Cava
(Grapes)

Back 79

Parellada
Xarel-lo
Macabeo
There is some used of Chardonnay as well, and some experimentation with native red grapes

Front 80

Asti DOCG

Back 80

Italy, Piedmonte
Moscato grapes
Modified tank method

Front 81

Moscato d'Asti DOCG

Back 81

Italy, Piedmonte
Moscato grapes
Modified tank method
Similar to Asti DOCG but generally with less fizz and booze

Front 82

Franciacorta DOCG

Back 82

Italy, Lombardia
Traditional method sparkling wine from Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and a maximum 50% Pinot Bianco
Minimum 25 months aging (37 months for Vintage, 67 months for Grand Riserva)
Both white and rose wines
Ca'del Bosco, Bellavista and Ferrari are all excellent producers

Front 83

Brachetto d'Acqui DOCG

Back 83

Italy, Piedmonte
100% Brachetto
Usually sweet and fizzy
Tank method

Front 84

Lambrusco DOCs

Back 84

Italy, Emilia-Romagna (1 area in Lombardy, also)
Red sparkling with raspberry scents and flavors

Front 85

Sekt

Back 85

German sparkling wine
Mostly tank method production
Vast majority of the grapes/juice used are coming from other countries
"Deutscher Sekt"= all grapes must come from Germany, the best are 100% Riesling

Front 86

California
(Sparkling)

Back 86

Some of the best sparkling houses in the old world are in the new world, as well...
Schramsberg and Domaine Chandon were some of the first in the early 1970's

Front 87

Australia
(Sparkling)

Back 87

Tasmainia is where it's at...
Avoid sparkling Shiraz at all costs, but it does exist...

Front 88

Ambonnay

Back 88

Champagne, Montagne de Rheims
Grand Cru Village

Front 89

Avize

Back 89

Champagne, Montagne de Rheims
Grand Cru Village

Front 90

Beaumont-sur-Vesle

Back 90

Champagne, Montagne de Rheims

Front 91

Bouzy

Back 91

Champagne, Montagne de Rheims
Grand Cru Village

Front 92

Louvois

Back 92

Champagne, Montagne de Rheims
Grand Cru Village

Front 93

Peisieulx

Back 93

Champagne, Montagne de Rheims
Grand Cru Village

Front 94

Sillery

Back 94

Champagne, Montagne de Rheims
Grand Cru Village

Front 95

Verzenay

Back 95

Champagne, Montagne de Rheims
Grand Cru Village

Front 96

Verzy

Back 96

Champagne, Montagne de Rheims
Grand Cru Village

Front 97

Ay-Champagne

Back 97

Champagne, Vallee de la Marne
Grand Cru Village

Front 98

Tours-sur-Marne

Back 98

Champagne, Vallee de la Marne
Grand Cru Village (...red grapes only)

Front 99

Chouilly

Back 99

Champagne, Cotes des Blancs
Grand Cru Village (...white grapes only)

Front 100

Cramant

Back 100

Champagne, Cotes des Blancs
Grand Cru Village

Front 101

Le-Mesnil-sur-Oger

Back 101

Champagne, Cotes des Blancs
Grand Cru Village

Front 102

Maily-Champagne

Back 102

Champagne, Cotes des Blancs
Grand Cru Village

Front 103

Oger

Back 103

Champagne, Cotes des Blancs
Grand Cru Village

Front 104

Oiry

Back 104

Champagne, Cotes des Blancs
Grand Cru Village

Front 105

First Sparkling...

Back 105

Credited to the Benedictine monks from St.Hilaire in Blanquet de Limoux in 1544
The wine was (and still traditionally is) 100% Mauzac

Front 106

Gosset
(History)

Back 106

The oldest house still in existance in Champagne, Gosset was founded in 1584

Front 107

Dom Perignon
(The person, not the bubbles...)

Back 107

He didn't really invent the Champagne that we think of today....
However...
he was revolutionary in his choice of grapes, vineyard management techniques and the idea of blending the cuvee from differnt grapes and vineyards to make a final product.
Also, he was the first to make white wine from black grapes...
Realized the importance of picking in the morning in order to keep the grapes fresh, pretty much conciving of the idea of cool harvesting
Invented the traditinoal Champagne press ("Coquard")
Seems to have toiled to actually keep the sparkle out of the wines of Champagne

Front 108

The Widow Clicquot

Back 108

Her Cellar Master (Antione Muller) came up with the "pupitre" in 1818 to aid in the remuage process
Worked to perfect the exact amout of "liqueuer de triage" for secondary fermentation
Advanced the technique of "degorgement"