B.I.V.B.

Bureau Interprofessionnel des Vins de Bourgogne - B.I.V.B

The AOC slope

From

Burgundy regions

The producing regions of Burgundy are from north to south:

Chablis
Petit Chablis is the generic
40 1er crus
7 Grand crus

famous for lean minerally chardonnay




Cote D'or - 33 grand crus
- Cote de Nuits
majority of wine is from pinot noir, one white GC "Musigny"
- Cote de Beaume
twice the size as cote de nuits, and makes a majority of red wine, but is famous for its whites.


Chalonnaise
five AOC villages

Maconnais


Beajolais Produces more wine than all the rest of burgundy combined. 99% red from primarily Gamay, 1% Chardonnay.
- Beaujolais
- Beaujolais Village

10 crus (no grand or premier, only cru)
- St Amour
- Julienas
- Chenas
- Moulin a Vent
- Chiroubles
- Fleurie
- Morgon
- Regnie
- Cote de Brouilly
- Brouilly

Burgundy - AOC levels

Generic AOC

bourgogne blanc, bourgogne rouge, bourgogne passtoutgrains, are of the generic AOC level, aprox 21 at this level. they abide by 55hl/ha


Village or Commune

there are 44 AOCs producing 36% of all wine in burgandy.

better vineyards, better drainage, less direct sun.
50hl/ha yield levels, all fruit must come from within village bounderies, and bottles must be labeled with the villages name.


Premier Cru (1er Cru)

562 1er crus, making 12% of burgandy wine. Each are situtated higher on the slope, with ideal soil, great drainage, and moderate fertility with less exposure to the the elements and direct sunlight. 45hl/ha yield limits. all fruit must be sourced within the vineyard, and the label must include the village and the vineyard.


Grand Cru

there are about 35 grand crus making only 3% of burgandy wines.

35hl/ha, 100% from the vinyard site, and labeled with the name of the vineyard.

C.I.V.C.

Comité Interprofessionel du Vin de Champagne

The CIVC are the board of growers, producers and buyers that set the annual price per kilo of grapes in the region.

This is what makes up the L'echelle de crus, the ladder of growths, and rates the vineyards of champagne.

Dosage levels

After the champagne has been disgorged, it is bone dry, and sparkling. To make various styles of champagne, sugar is added to the liquer d'expédition, which is the wine added to top up the bottle from what is lost in disgorgement.

extra brut -- <6g per liter residual sugar
brut -------- <15g/l
extra sec --- 12-20g/l
sec --------- 17-35g/l
demi-sec ---- 35-50g/l
doux -------- >50g/l

Making Champagne - Riddling and Dosage

Once the champagne is finished its autolytic aging, 15 months minimum for non vintage and 36 month minimum for vintage wines, the bottles may be prepared for shipping and sale.

While the wine is in the autolytic state, it can live forever. it is sealed with a crown cap, and the resulting 6 atmospheres of pressure from the secondary fermentation have created an anaerobic environment. the wine is preserved perfectly.

The gas is distributed in the liquid, but the lees are settled to the side and need to be removed before sale.

This process is called Riddling, or Remuage, and takes about a month if done by hand. The bottles, still in the A-frame racks in the sur latte position, are grasped one by one, given a quarter turn, and a slight jar when placed back in the same spot on the rack. This is done twice a day for the month, and the effect is to loosen the lees from the side of the bottle and move them down towards the neck. the bottles are also tipped so that by the end of the month, the necks are lower than before.

The bottles are then ready for disgorgement. The bottle necks are submerged in a brine so that the plug or puck of yeast freezes, and then when the bottle is turned upright, and the crown cap removed, the sediment pops right out.

Now the bottles are left not quite full, and at this time they are topped off with the Liquer d'Expedition, which is made up of more wine and some sugar, known as the dosage. the amount of sugar is what gives champagne its different styles.

The bottles are sealed with the traditional composite cork and wire bail system, and labeled, ready for sale.

Once the crown cap is removed, the wine begins a slow but steady death and loss of gas. Not to say it will undrinkable, but it will never be the same it was in autolysis.

Bollanger makes a Champagne called RD, which stands for recently disgorged, and they stamp each bottle with a date of disgorgement.