Brut Daily
Champagne Knowledge
- Assemblage
- The blending of base wines — from different villages, grape varieties, and sometimes different vintages — into the cuvée that will undergo second fermentation.
- Autolysis
- The slow enzymatic breakdown of spent yeast cells during extended lees ageing, releasing amino acids, mannoproteins and esters that build the bread, brioche and savoury notes characteristic of long-aged champagne.
- Blanc de Blancs
- A champagne made exclusively from white grapes — in practice, 100% Chardonnay. Known for precision, linearity and long ageing potential.
- Blanc de Noirs
- A white champagne made entirely from black grapes — Pinot Noir, Meunier, or a blend of the two — pressed carefully to avoid colour extraction.
- Brut
- The dosage register for champagnes with no more than 12 g/L of residual sugar — the volume category for the appellation and the dosage for almost every NV flagship (Moët Impérial, Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label, Pol Roger Brut Réserve, etc.).
- Brut Nature
- The driest commercial category of champagne — no liqueur d'expédition added at disgorgement and a maximum 3 g/L of residual sugar. Also labelled 'Zéro Dosage', 'Dosage Zéro', 'Pas Dosé' or 'Non Dosé'.
- Cuvée
- Two meanings in champagne — (1) the first and finest 2,050 litres of juice from a 4,000 kg press of grapes, and (2) a specific wine released by a producer (e.g. Krug Grande Cuvée, Bollinger Special Cuvée, Taittinger Comtes de Champagne).
- Dégorgement
- The removal of the yeast sediment collected in the bottle neck after remuage, done by freezing the neck and expelling the frozen plug.
- Dosage
- A small addition of liqueur d'expédition — typically a mixture of reserve wine and cane sugar — added after disgorgement to adjust the final sweetness of a champagne.
- Grand Cru
- In Champagne, one of 17 villages whose vineyards are rated at 100% on the historic échelle des crus. Wines sourced entirely from these villages may bear the Grand Cru mention on the label.
- Méthode Traditionnelle
- The sparkling winemaking process involving a second fermentation in the same bottle the wine is sold in. Formerly called méthode champenoise, a term now reserved for Champagne AOC.
- Millésimé
- A champagne produced exclusively from grapes harvested in a single declared year. Typically released only in years considered exceptional by the producer.
- Non-Vintage (NV)
- A champagne blended from wines of multiple years, designed to express a consistent house style rather than a single harvest. Typically 80%+ of a house's production.
- Premier Cru
- In Champagne, one of 42 villages one tier below Grand Cru on the old échelle des crus (rated 90–99%). Source of many respected single-village bottlings.
- Prise de mousse
- The second fermentation that takes place in the bottle — the step that turns a still base wine into sparkling champagne.
- Récoltant-Manipulant (RM)
- A grower-producer who makes and sells champagne exclusively from grapes they have grown themselves. Identifiable by the 'RM' code on the label.
- Remuage
- The gradual rotation and tilting of bottles that gathers the yeast lees into the neck before dégorgement. Invented by Madame Clicquot in 1816.
- Saignée
- A rosé production method where colour is drawn from black grape skins by a short maceration before pressing. Less common in champagne than the blended rosé method.
- Terroir
- The combination of soil, climate, aspect, and human practice that gives wines from a specific place their distinctive character.