Glossary of
Champagne

Filtering off the sediment (bits of leaf, stalk, dirt, etc.) from the grape juice shortly after pressing so that the remaining juice is clear before it starts its fermentation.

Village in Champagne. Not amongst the topmost villages in terms of the quality of its grapes, but a memorable name to go alongside that of its neighbour Bouzy.

The addition of a small amount of liquid sugar at the very end of the champagne-making process to adjust sweetness. Because all sugar has been consumed during fermentation, the champagne at this stage is bone dry — too dry for most palates. The more sugar added (measured in grams per litre, or g/l), the sweeter the result. Knowing the dosage is one of the four key things to understand before buying a bottle of champagne.

One of the many annual vineyard tasks. Écimage involves trimming off the topmost shoots and leaves of the vine, usually starting in June when vines grow quickly. It directs sap towards the grapes where it is most needed and eases the passage of tractors between rows for other summer tasks.

The removal of excess leaves just before the harvest so that pickers can more easily see the bunches and pick more quickly. Usually done by a tractor fitted with an effeuilleuse — a tool using high-pressure compressed air to blast leaves off the vines.

Growing grass between the rows of vines to loosen the soil and encourage microbial life. A key element of sustainable and organic viticulture in Champagne.

Home to Moët & Chandon, Pol Roger, Perrier-Jouët and dozens of smaller houses. There is quite a bit of rivalry with Reims: Reims calls itself the Capital of La Champagne (the region); Épernay struck back by calling itself the Capital of Le Champagne (the wine).

The last part of the wine-tasting process. After swallowing a sip, does the taste linger strongly in the mouth? If so, the wine is said to have a long finish — generally the mark of a well-made wine. If the taste disappears immediately, that's not a good sign.

The spring frosts that can be so dangerous to the vines and more particularly to the tiny buds just beginning to appear. No buds means no grapes, so the entire year's crop is affected. Since 1875 there have been 55 years in which 1% or more of the crop was destroyed by spring frost, and 6 years in which more than 40% of the entire crop was wiped out.

In the late 1800s the pest Phylloxera invaded and wiped out the majority of the world's vines by attacking their roots. The only successful remedy was to graft cuttings from European grape varieties onto American root stocks, which were naturally resistant. This practice continues to this day and has become a fundamental part of viticulture the world over.

The word looks familiar, so you think you know what it means. In fact la grappe doesn't mean a single grape, but a whole bunch of grapes. A single grape is une baie.

Collecting from the vines the remaining grapes that were either unripe or unnoticed when the main harvest took place. Not always permitted if the maximum allowed yield has already been picked.

Hail — the scourge of the vineyards in summer. Hail can destroy great swathes of vines with the result that the entire crop can be lost in some localised areas.

Not the birthplace of Dom Pérignon, but the site of the abbey where he lived and worked for many years and where he is buried. One of the prettiest villages in Champagne, well-known for the wrought-iron signs hanging above many of its doors.

Labour refers to ploughing along the base of the vines to aerate the soil and encourage vine roots to penetrate deeper underground.

The slat of wood used to stabilise piles of bottles ageing in the cellar. A latte is usually inserted between every fourth layer of bottles. See also Sur Latte.

The all-important yeast sediment left inside the bottle after the second fermentation. The lees are dead yeast cells which slowly decay and release the amino acids, enzymes and other nutrients that allow the tastes and aromas of the champagne to develop over time.

A small area of vineyard with a specific name. Some names are evocative: Derrière l'Allée (Behind the Lane), Les Côtes au Vent (Windy Hillside), La Côte Aux Renards (Fox Hill). A few champagne makers produce a champagne using only grapes from one single lieu-dit, giving a vivid expression of the subtle differences that soil can bring to the wine.

A single plot of vines. There may be several parcelles in one lieu-dit. There are some 270,000 parcelles in the Champagne AOC owned by approximately 20,000 vignerons — giving the landscape the appearance of an immense patchwork quilt of greenery.

Someone who grows grapes in their own vineyard and uses those grapes to produce their own champagne — in practice the smaller champagne makers, whose wines are often called Grower Champagnes. An RM is not allowed to buy from third parties more than 5% of the grapes used. You'll find the letters RM in small text on the label alongside a unique registration number.

The process of gently twisting and raising each bottle so the yeast sediment resting on the underside slides down to the neck. Remuage takes between one and three weeks, depending on whether done manually or by machine (a gyropalette). Once complete, the bottles are ready to be disgorged.

Name given to bottles stacked in the cellar to age, referring to the wooden slats inserted between rows of bottles to stabilise the pile. During this ageing period champagne can be bought by one producer from another, with the buyer finishing production and selling the wine under their own brand — called Vin sur latte.

Name given to bottles stored vertically with the neck downwards. In this position the surface area of lees in contact with the wine is reduced, slowing the ageing process and allowing champagne to be kept for extremely long periods.

As with just about everything else in Champagne, there are strict rules about how vines must be pruned, with a designated procedure for each grape variety. In theory pruning can start straight after harvest, but in practice vignerons typically begin in November through to March the following year.

Before being put into bottles a carefully measured quantity of liqueur and liquid yeast solution are added to the still wine to ensure the second alcoholic fermentation starts inside the bottle and creates the bubbles. Tirage cannot take place before 1st January of the year following the harvest; each producer chooses their own dates according to when they feel the wine is ready.

The harvest, typically taking place in September or October, when decisions about picking timing are critical to wine quality.

A vine grower, often also responsible for producing wine from their own vineyards as a Récoltant Manipulant.

A champagne made exclusively from the grapes of one declared exceptional year, aged for a minimum of three years on the lees.