Lexicon
Wine terms, short and canonical
Definitions of grapes, regions, techniques, styles and concepts. Short, critical, sourced.
- Region
Aÿ Grand Cru
Historic village on the southern slope of the Montagne de Reims, known for powerful Pinot Noir and one of the seventeen Grand Cru communes of Champagne.
- Style
Blanc de Blancs
Champagne made from white grapes only, which in practice almost always means one hundred percent Chardonnay.
- Style
Blanc de Noirs
White Champagne made entirely from black grapes, typically Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier or a blend of both.
- Concept
Dosage
The small sugar solution added to Champagne after disgorgement to balance acidity and set the final style on the label.
- Style
Grower Champagne
Champagne made by a vigneron who farms their own vineyards and vinifies the wine themselves, rather than buying grapes from hundreds of other growers.
- Technique
Liqueur de Tirage
The mixture of wine, sugar and yeast added to a base wine to trigger the second fermentation inside the bottle.
- Concept
MCR (Rectified Concentrated Must)
Concentrated, rectified grape must stripped to pure sugar, often used in Champagne dosage as an alternative to cane sugar.
- Technique
Méthode Champenoise
The production method where the second fermentation happens in the bottle, followed by lees ageing and disgorgement. Reserved by EU law for Champagne itself.
- Grape
Pinot Meunier
Black grape covering roughly a third of Champagne's vineyards, delivering fruit, body and early drinkability in most non-vintage cuvées.
- Concept
Récoltant Manipulant (RM)
Official Champagne category for growers who harvest their own grapes and vinify the wine themselves on their own estate.