The Great Champagne Quiz 2024
Welcome to the Great Champagne Quiz 2024, created by Brian & Jo Simpson. We own a beautiful B&B in the Champagne region, called 'La Maison en Champagne'. Please take a look at our website after you have finished the quiz, and leave us your email if you would like to know more. We wish you good luck with the quiz.
What kind of vineyard management includes performing operations in line with the phases of the moon?
The answer is Biodynamic
Biodynamic winemaking is all about working in harmony with nature. It follows the rhythms of the moon, uses natural methods instead of chemicals, and treats the vineyard as a living, self-sustaining ecosystem for healthier, more vibrant wines.
Who was the inventor of the riddling rack?
The riddling rack is a wooden 'A' framed stand that holds Champagne bottles during the process by which they are turned daily to encourage the dead yeasts into the neck of the bottle for removal.
The answer is Madame Clicquot
Madame Clicquot is credited with having first created the riddling rack, which gave her an edge over her competitors. She paid her cellar workers well, and looked after them to ensure her secret wouldn't get out, but eventually it did, and the riddling rack became an essential tool for Champagne production throughout the region.
How many atmospheres of pressure are there in a bottle of Champagne?
The answer is 6 atmospheres.
A Champagne bottle contains approximately 6 atmospheres of pressure. This is the reason the bottles need to be so strong.
What typical aroma/flavour note does Chardonnay bring to a Champagne?
The answer is Floral
What is the light, powdery sediment that is removed from Champagne at dégorgement before it has its cork added?
The answer is dead yeasts
After the second fermentation the dead yeasts settle in the bottle. These continue to impart flavour to the Champagne until they are removed in the process of dégorgement.
What can add vanilla notes to the taste of your Champagne?
The answer is Time spent in an oak barrel.
Among the ways oak barrels can affect wine and Champagne are their ability to impart vanillin, which is the compound that gives us the vanilla aroma and taste. The younger the barrel, the stronger the vanillin extracted.
What does ‘Millésime’ mean on a bottle of Champagne?
The answer is it is produced from one great year’s harvest
a Millésime is also known as a 'vintage' Champagne, and will carry the year of the single harvest on the bottle.
Where will the 2025 Champagne festival be held in the Côte des Bar?
The answer is Les Riceys
The 2025 Champagne festival is taking place across the villages that make up Les Riceys, and promises to be a very interesting event.
What is a ‘Grower Champagne’?
The answer is A Champagne produced by the same person that nurtured the grapes
Grower Champagnes are those that are produced from start to finish by the same person(s). From the tending of the vines and nurturing of the grapes, through to the creation and production of the final Champagne.
What year was the great comet that saw major advancements in Champagne production by the Veuve Clicquot?
The answer is 1811
There have been several harvest years that have seen comets grace the sky, and each year that they do the Champagnes are given corks commemorating them.
What geological soils are found in the Côte des Bar region of Champagne?
The answer is Kimmeridgian marl and limestone
The geological bed that Champagne shares runs from Burgundy to the south coast of the UK.
Which of these is not a bottle size found in Champagne?
The answer is Charlemagne
Just before we give you your results...
We create these once yearly quizzes for free, to promote our beautiful region and our B&B in the heart of it. We would love the chance to show you more, so please enter your email below and help support us by allowing us to send you more details. Many thanks.
Jo & Brian
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We hope you enjoyed our quiz. If you did, please take a look at our website lamaisonenchampagne.com to see our beautiful B&B in this fabulous region and how you can enjoy Brian & Jo's warm hospitality.
