Blanc de Blancs.................. A champagne made of 100% Chardonnays
Blanc de Noirs.................... A champagne made of 100% Pinots
Brut.................................. A dry champagne dosed with 7-15 grammes of sugar per liter
Calcaire, chalk................... The underground of Champagne is composed of chalk
Cépage............................. Th grape variety, mainly Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier
Champagne, la................... The geographical region of Champagne
Champagne, le................... The sparkling wine made in the region of Champagne
Chardonnay....................... White grapes, mainly Côte des Blancs
Clos.................................. 1) A vineyard entirely and historically closed in by walls,
.........................................2) A champagne made by grapes from a clos
Comité Champagne............. A institution that regulates the rules of the appellation of champagne
Commune.......................... A winegrowing village and its vineyards
Coopérative....................... Shared facilities of presses, sometimes vinification and caves as well
Côte des Bar...................... The area in the Aube department, closer to Burgundy than to the other areas
........................................ Villages like : Celles-sur-Ource, Essoyes, les Riceys and Urville
Côte des Blancs.................. The area south of Épernay where mainly Chardonnay grapes are grown
........................................ Villages like : Avize, Cramant, le Mesnil. Oger and Vertus
Coupe............................... 1) A glass of champagne
.........................................2) A low and flat glass for champagne
Cru................................... The wines from a certain village and/or commune
Cuvée............................... A bottle of champagne
Demi-sec........................... A sweeter champagne style with 32 - 50 grammes of sugar/liter
Disgorgement..................... The proces where a bouchon of sediments is expulsed by the
........................................ pressure in the bottle in the proces of disgorgement
Domaine............................ The vineyards and buildings of a certain brand of wine
Dosage.............................. The level of sweetness in a champagne
Exploitation........................ The vineyards of a domaine
Flûte.................................. A tall and slender glass to sip champagne
Lieu-dit.............................. The ancient name of a piece of land in a village/commune
Maison de champagne.......... A producer who buys grapes from winegrowers
......................................... and composes champagnes with different crus
Montagne de Reims............. The hilly plateau between Reims and Èpernay, heigth of appr 200 ms, length of appr 25 kms
........................................ Villages like Ambonnay, Bouzy, Rilly-la-Montagne, Verzy and Verzenay
Négoce.............................. Producers who buy grapes and still wines
Oenologue.......................... Person educated in vinification, chemistry of wines and tasting
Packaging........................... The visual presentation of a bottle: Label, capsule, carton etcetera
Parcelle, plot........................ A commune has several lieu-dits, each of which are divided in
......................................... several plots. Champagne has 275.000 plots, a record in France
Parcellaire........................... A champagne made with grapes from one plot only
Pinot Meunier....................... Black grapes, mainly Vallée de la Marne, only in Champagne
Pinot Noir............................ Black grapes, mainly Montagne de Reims, Côte des Bar
Producteur de champagne..... A producer of champagne, not necessarily a winegrower
Récoltant-manipulant........... A person who grows grapes and have own installations for the
..........................................vinification
Remuage............................ The proces where the bottle through a period is turned gradually around itself while
......................................... being tipped until it is almost upside down. This proces lets the sedments of yeast collect
......................................... in the neck of the bottle to be expulsed in the proces of disgorging
Sec.................................... A champagne that is sweetened with 17-32 grammes of sugar/l
Sol..................................... The soil and whatever is in it
Terroir................................ The soil, the underground and the climate
Vallée de la Marne............... The area west of Épernay along the Marne river.
......................................... Villages like Aÿ, Champillon, Damery, Mareuil-sur-Aÿ and Oeuilly
Vieilles vignes...................... Vines of age. No excact definition. We count vines as old when they are 50+
Vigneron(ne)....................... Winegrower
Vignoble............................. The plots of one winegrower, champagnehouse, village, region
Vin de réserve..................... Older wines that are used to spice up the wines of the year
Vin tranquille....................... Wine without bubbles (before their 2nd alcoholic fermentation)
Vinificatuer......................... The person who makes wine from the must
Vinification......................... The transformation of must into wine
