What is Crémant?

Last Updated on March 9, 2024

Crémant – Not Quite Champagne at Nowhere Near the Price

Ad: Post written in conjunction with 8Wines

If you like sparkling wine, then you’ve probably enjoyed Crémant at one point or another.  Cheaper than champagne, but still from France and made using the same method traditionelle, it’s a fizz which can bring a smile to your face without the price tag of its sophisticated big brother.  But, if you’ve tried shopping for Crémant you may just have found it a little confusing – and that’s not really surprising.  We recommend reading through here and then heading to a good online wine retailer like 8Wines to pick out the ones you’d like to try for yourself.  It’s a fun way to learn more about wine – and nothing like as expensive as you might think!

For a start, there are eight different Crémant appellations in France (and the ninth one in Luxembourg).  Each appellation has its own regulations – and then of course there are the winemakers’ own variations.  As well as maximum yield, planting density, and hand harvesting, among other things, the grape varieties allowed to be used are also controlled.  but, the method of making Crémant is always method traditionelle with a second fermentation in bottle.

If you are thinking of setting out on a Crémant tasting journey you might wonder where to start.  I’d recommend beginning in the appellation that claims to have ‘invented sparkling wine’ (though Champagne and even the British contest that theory).  Crémant de Limoux comes from the high foothills of the Pyrenees mountains in Southern France, in Languedoc-Roussillon. Wine historians agree that Blanquette de Limoux was probably the first ever sparkling wine in the world and wines labelled Blanquette Méthode Ancestrale is a unique fizz where the wine is bottled before finishing the first fermentation and where, as a result, there’s no dosage or disgorgement.  Both Blanquette de Limoux and Blanquette Méthode Ancestrale must be made predominantly with a local grape, Mauzac, while Crémant de Limoux can be a blend of Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, Mauzac and Pinot Noir.

Skipping around France a bit, next on my own personal Crémant tasting list is Crémant d’Alsace.  This appellation makes more than 50% of all French Crémant and the grapes which can be used are Pinot Blanc, Auxerrois, Pinot Gris, Riesling, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir for the white, Pinot Noir only for the Rosé.  From the North East of France, Alsace benefits from a dry sunny climate with a terroir that is very mixed thanks to alluvial fans, sediment from the base of the Vosges mountains dispersed into fan-like formations.

Closest geographically to Champagne, Crémant de Bourgogne is produced with Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Gamay grapes. Both white and rosé Crémant de Bourgogne exist and account for around ten per cent of all Burgundy wines. It is often made with the region’s still wine staples of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, which are, of course, two of the three main grapes used for Champagne.  So you might be forgiven for thinking you were drinking the pricier stuff.

Probably the first wine I ever tried (thanks to a family camping holiday in the Loire valley), Crémant de Loire is a dry sparkling wine mainly produced from Chenin Blanc grape (other permitted grapes are Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Arbois, Pineau d’Aunis, Grolleau, Grolleau Gris and Pineau d’Aunis). Crémant de Loire often has fruity flavours with good acidity and can be rosé or white. Produced around Anjou, Saumur and Touraine, they are wonderfully easy to drink.

There’s Crémant de Bordeaux which is made with a mix of grapes many of which are more often used in red wines – Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenère, Malbec, and Petit Verdot, Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon and Muscadelle. 

Crémant de Die produces dry sparkling wines from vineyards around the town of Die in the Drôme department near the border with Isère, in the eastern part of the Rhône region. The predominant grape used is Clairette, with some Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains and Aligoté also permitted.  The region also produces Clairette de Die, which has to be 100% Clairette.

The remaining two French Crémants come from mountainous regions of France – Crémant du Jura, made from Chardonnay and a range of other grapes including Pinot Noir, Poulsard, Savagnin and Pinot Gris.  Most white Crémant du Jura is 100% Chardonnay and is a delicate sparkling wine often with an apple character along with some brioche or leesy notes depending on the time on 2nd fermentation lees. The good producers will leave the wine for at least 18 months rather than the minimum 12 months required.

Crémant de Savoie is the new kid on the block and only became a recognised appellation in 2015.   It’s made from grapes including some local varieties.  Aligoté, Altesse, Chardonnay, Jacquère, Gamay and Pinot Noir can all be used.

We decided to try pairing the wines with a range of rather fabulous cheeses and a charcuterie selection from Harvey and Brockless.  Now, I am not particularly confident about what pairs best, but the fascinating thing about this particular exercise was that everyone seemed to have a similar idea.  We love the 1531 Grand Cuvee Cremant de Limoux paired with the soft cheeses.  My guests thought it was dry, slightly acidic and great to cut through the creaminess of the Bix.

The Allimant-Laugner Cremant d’Alsace seemed to get a bit of a marmite response.  Some of my guests found it too aggressive.  We all thought it was distinctive and minerally – it paired best with the stronger charcuterie or with olives and tomatoes

By contrast, the Antech Emotion had a dry but smooth finish and worked with all the cheeses.   We thought it would be good with most antipasti.

St Hillaire Blanquette de Limoux was a nice celebratory option that we thought worked well with fruit and chocolate, while the LouisBouillot Perle d’Ivoire Cremande de Bourgogne Blanc de Blancs was perfect to pair with the cheeses or to drink as an apperitif.

If you want to try a few different Crémants for yourself as we did, you might like to know that you can buy a range of five bottles like the ones we tried for £76.55 from 8Wines.  I was lucky enough to sample the range with a group of friends – using various pairings of cheese and charcuterie.  Apart from excellent value for money, we were really quite surprised at how different each bottle was.  The selection that 8Wines offers changes but will always give you the chance to experience these rather special sparkling wines at home – and learn more about each appellation in the process!

If you’d like more about 8Wines then do check their website here