🍷 Crémant

Crémant is a term that EU law reserves for white or rosé quality sparkling wines with a protected designation of origin, or with a geographical indication of a non-EU country, made by the traditional method from hand-picked grapes. On the label the word always comes with the name of the area, as in Crémant d'Alsace or Crémant de Loire. ¹

Quality sparkling wine first. A crémant must meet the EU definition of quality sparkling wine: its carbon dioxide comes only from fermentation, its excess pressure is at least 3.5 bar at 20 °C, and the cuvée has at least 9% vol total alcohol. ² Only white and rosé wines may use the term, so there is no red crémant. ¹

Hand harvest and gentle pressing. The grapes must be picked by hand and pressed whole or destemmed, with no more than 100 litres of must from every 150 kg of grapes. The finished wine may contain at most 150 mg/l of sulphur dioxide and must have less than 50 g/l of sugar. ¹

The traditional method. A crémant must also meet the rules for the «traditional method»: a second alcoholic fermentation in the bottle, at least nine months on the lees without interruption in the same undertaking from the time the cuvée is made, and removal of the lees by disgorging. Producers who registered trade marks containing «Crémant» before 1 March 1986 are exempt from the hand-harvest and place-name rules. ¹

Eight appellations. The EU register lists eight protected designations of origin whose names begin with Crémant: d'Alsace, de Bordeaux, de Bourgogne, de Die, de Limoux, de Loire and du Jura in France, and de Wallonie in Belgium. ³ The Walloon specification repeats the European minimum of nine months on the lees from the making of the cuvée. ¹⁰

Alsace. The AOC Crémant d'Alsace was recognised by decree on 24 August 1976. Its specification says Champagne houses brought bottle fermentation to Alsace while it was part of the German Empire. Grapes are picked by hand at full ripeness from Pinot Blanc, Auxerrois, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, Riesling and Chardonnay, in a semi-continental climate with a January average of 1.9 °C. ⁴

Burgundy and the Loire. Crémant de Bourgogne was recognised in 1975 for white and rosé wines; in 2011 it covered about 2,000 ha and made about 125,000 hl, close to 15 million bottles, mostly from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. ⁵ Crémant de Loire, recognised on 17 October 1975, draws on Chenin, Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc, Pinot Noir and other Loire grapes. Both may be sold only after at least 12 months from bottling for the second fermentation. ⁵⁶

Bordeaux, Limoux and the Jura. Crémant de Bordeaux followed Bordeaux mousseux of 1943 and became an AOC on 3 April 1990; its wines are sold at least 12 months after bottling, including a month after disgorging. ⁷ In Limoux, Chardonnay and Chenin lead, with Mauzac and Pinot Noir, and wines rest at least 9 months on the lees. ⁸ Crémant du Jura, recognised on 9 October 1995, covered 310 ha in 2009. ⁹

Why it matters to you. The word Crémant with a region name guarantees hand-picked grapes, gentle pressing, bottle fermentation and at least nine months on the lees; the French appellations add a year before sale. ¹⁵⁶ The WHO stresses that there is no safe level of alcohol consumption. ¹¹