With the holiday celebrations and gift giving right around the corner, this month the French #Winophiles are diving into Crémant. Our host this month is Kat Wisnosky of Bacchus Travel & Tours.
What, exactly is Crémant?
“Crémant” is the French term for traditional-method sparkling wines made outside of the Champagne region. This means that the second fermentation, which gives the wine its bubbles, must happen inside the bottle.
According to Wine Folly, Crémant regulations are only slightly less stringent than those in Champagne. The quality found in these wines comes in part from France’s rigorous wine laws. Although regional rules can vary, all Crémant wines must adhere to requirements such as manual harvesting of grapes, whole bunch pressing with limited juice extraction (100 liters of juice from 150 kg grapes), and a minimum of nine months lees aging.
The results are very high quality sparkling wines that offer fantastic value. There are eight Crémant AOC in France:
- Crémant d’Alsace
- Crémant de Bordeaux
- Crémant de Bourgogne
- Crémant de Die
- Crémant du Jura
- Crémant de Limoux
- Crémant de Loire
- Crémant de Savoie
Crémant d’Alsace
Alsace, in the far north-eastern corner of France, stands out from other French wine regions thanks to its strong Franco-Germanic influences. These are the results of the region having switched back and forth between German and French sovereignty in recent centuries – and are evident not only in Alsatian architecture and culture, but also in the wines.
It lies between the Vosges mountains and the French border with Germany, marked by the Rhine river. A long, thin region, it measures 185 kilometers (115 miles) north to south and just 40km (25 miles) from east to west. The key viticultural areas here are all located on the lower hillsides of the Vosges, on slopes with east and south-easterly aspects. (Source)
Crémant d’Alsace was granted AOC status in 1974.
Here are some facts regarding Crémant d’Alsace:
- Permitted grape varieties are the same as the standard Alsace appellation laws – Riesling, Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Noir and Auxerrois – plus Chardonnay.
- Most Crémant d’Alsace are blends, with Pinot Blanc playing a leading role
- Crémant d’Alsace Rose must be 100% Pinot Noir
- To guarantee quality, parcels of vines destined for Crémant must be identified in March. Therefore the vines are tended for that purpose. In other words, Crémant is crafted from grapes bespoke for Crémant, rather than making it from a poor grapes (perhaps from a sub-standard vintage), hoping to disguise its flaws behind the bubbles.
- Today, more than 500 producers assembled under the Syndicate of Producers of Crémant d’ Alsace.
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From less than 83,400 cases (or less than 1 million bottles) in 1979, the annual production of Crémant d’Alsace has exploded to 2.5 million cases today to meet increasing demand, both in France (where it is the most popular AOC sparkling wine consumed in France), and in export markets.
I received three bottles of Crémant d’Alsace from Teuwen Communications for this month’s Crémant event.
Note: These wines were provided to me as media samples. I received no compensation for this post, and all opinions presented here are my own.
While it’s tempting to enjoy bubbles with fancy meals or on special occasions, Crémant d’Alsace is so versatile at the table I decided to take my sample for a spin with weeknight fare that included some take out. These wines can certainly elevate a weeknight meal….and the price is right!
J.B. Adam Crémant d’Alsace Les Natures
The Adams family has been grape growers and winemakers in Ammerschwihr since 1614. Owner and 14th generation winemaker, Jean-Baptiste Adam took over
the family estate from his father Jean-Marie in 1996. Soon after taking charge of the company, he modernized the winery and expanded it to create a processing and storage
facility for the production of Crémant. They have biodynamically farmed their 42 acres of vineyards since 2003. Jean-Baptiste Adam makes several ranges, including “Les Natures,” which express the pureness of the varieties.
My tasting notes follow:
Color – Pale straw yellow
Aromas – Green apple, brioche, lemon peel and a hints of dried herbs, and wet stone.
Body – Light-bodied, very dry, fresh and balanced with a creamy mousse
Taste – Green apple, lime, and lemon peel
Finish – Medium
Made from a blend of 40% Pinot Blanc, 30% Chardonnay and 30% Pinot Noir, this sparkling wine is made in the traditional
method. The first fermentation takes place in century-old wooden casks, followed by a second fermentation in
bottle. The wine is aged on its fine lees for a minimum of 18 months before disgorging. 12% abv | SRP-$24 (88 pts.)
This wine was lovely paired with Sushi!
Cave de Ribeauvillé Crémant d’Alsace Giersberger
Established in 1895, Cave de Ribeauvillé is the oldest wine cooperative still in operation in France. Hill-side vineyard entirely harvested by hand. The fruit for this wine was sourced from a hillside vineyard located on the famous geological rift of Ribeauvillé, which offers a great diversity of terroirs.
My tasting notes follow:
Color – Pale straw yellow
Aromas – Quince, bread crust, lemon peel and white flowers
Body – Light-bodied, approaching off-dry and balanced with a creamy mousse
Taste – Pear, quince paste, lemon cream, and honey with a hint of chalky minerality
Finish – Medium+This Blanc de Blanc is a blend of 80% Pinot Blanc, and 20% Pinot Auxerrois 12% abv | SRP – $11 (wine.com) (89 pts.)
This wine was great paired with Shrimp and Fish tacos. It’s residual sugar level was the perfect complement to the slight spiciness of the sauce on the tacos!
Domaine Charles Sparr Crémant d’Alsace Pinot Noir
The Charles Sparr family, passionate winemakers for 12 generations, perpetuate ancestral know-how and have been producing wines since 1634. After 12-18 months on lees, it is disgorged and dosed with a “house secret” liqueur.
My tasting note follows:
Color – Pale pink with salmon reflections
Aromas – Red fruit, pie crust, lemon peel and a bit of earthiness
Body – Medium-bodied harmonious and dry with a delicate mousse and a hint of soft tannins
Taste – Strawberry confit, raspberry, blood orange and an appealing bit of wet stone minerality that give it a savoriness for me.
Finish – Medium
100% Pinot Noir |12% abv| SRP – $20 (87 pts.)
Just as we enjoy pairing Pinot Noir with salmon, we enjoyed this 100% Pinot Noir Crémant d’Alsace with our favorite dish. A delightful pairing!
I have been a huge fan of Crémant d’Alsace for years. This month’s theme offered me the opportunity to try some wonderful bottles from some new-to-me producers. But, the thing that keeps me coming back to Crémant d’Alsace is its Rosé. I adore rosé sparkling wines, especially those made with predominately Pinot Noir, and Crémant d’Alsace Rosé delivers outstanding quality to price ratio for me.
Check out these other Crémant my fellow French #Winophiles have discovered!
- Liz Barrett from What’s In That Bottle is writing “Affordalicious Alsace: Best Bubbles for the Buck”
- Jill Barth from L’Occasion will show us “A Festival of French Crémant”
- Robin Renken from Crushed Grape Chronicles will publish “A Sparkling Rosé by any other name…just might be a Crémant”
- Camilla Mann will talk about a tasting pairing, Lingcod, Legumes, and Domaine Mittnacht Frères Crémant d’Alsace on her blog Culinary Adventures with Cam.
- Susannah Gold from avivinare.com will share her post “French Cremant – Perfect Sparklers for the Holiday Season” Susannah is also on Twitter @vignetocomm and Insta: @vignetocomms)
- Nicole Ruiz Hudson’s post on SommsTable.com will be “Crémants for Going Out and Staying In”
- Wendy Klik of A Day in the Life on the Farm is writing “Rustic Elegance; Fall Vegetable Soup paired with Cremant” which sounds perfect for Thanksgiving!
- Jane Niemeyer will teach us “How to Pair Crémant d’Alsace and Food” at alwaysravenous.com
- Payal Vora’s post at Keep the Peas will be called “Crémant d’Alsace: More Than Just A Sparkling Wine”
- Lauren Walsh from The Swirling Dervish will “Add a Little Sparkle to Your Holiday with Crémant d’Alsace”.
- Jeff Burrows will be pairing “Elegant Crémant de Bourgogne Served with Lobster Two Ways” at foodwineclick.com
- Gwendolyn Alley from winepredator.com is going to be looking at Crémants Rosé; 4 Affordable Food Friendly Beauties from a variety of regions in her post this weekend.
- David Crowley from cookingchatfood.com will be discussing the “Best Food Pairings for Crémant d’Alsace”
- Rupal Shankar the Syrah Queen will be giving us “Five Reasons to Drink Crémant d’Alsace this Holiday Season”
- Neil will be joining us from Eat, Live, Travel, Write with a post entitled “Champagne taste but not a Champagne budget? An exploration of France’s Crémant wines”
- Our host Kat Wisnosky of Bacchus Travel & Tours shares Crémant – The Perfect Style of Wine for A Festive Meal #Winophiles
If you’re up early enough, please join our chat on Twitter – whether you posted or not. We love visitors and happily chat and answer questions. Simply tune in to the #winophiles hashtag on Twitter this Saturday, November 17th at 10am CDT. You can also check out the #AlsaceRocks hashtag for more Alsace fun during and after the chat.
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I love your food pairings with the Cremants, Martin. Well done!
Thanks so much Jeff!
All of your pairings have left me drooling all over my keyboard here.
Ha! Thanks so much Wendy! Hope you’ve got some protection on that keyboard;-)
Fun pairings Martin! These are great ideas for the busy holidays!
Thank you Gwen!
I tasted the Giersberger also and really enjoyed it. That bit of sweetness was nice. All of these pairings look amazing, but I really want to come to your house for taco Tuesday!
Thanks so much for the kind words Robin! Cremant certainly elevated Taco Tuesday for us!
Sushi and fish tacos paired with Crémant, all of my favorite things! Great post Martin.
Thanks so much Jane! Not lobster..but it was tasty;-)
Terrific pairings! And the right inspiration for weekday meals!
Thanks so much Payal!
Every time a photo of one of your Cremant d’Alsace food pairings appeared on IG or Twitter I swooned! And I love the idea of elevating weeknight meals to something special. Cheers Martin!
Thanks Lauren. This month’s theme was so much fun! Stay warm!
oooh, love that sushi combo!
Thanks Nicole!
I need to try sushi and Crémant soon! I liked our Crémant rosé a lot too.
As I indicated Sushi and bubbly a favorite at our house. I hope you enjoy David!
What this post tells me is that crémant is super versatile. I know some folks think bubbles are for the rare toast or apéro, but look at this lineup!!
Thanks Jill! Agreed!