D4.C4. Other Traditional Method Sparkling Wines of France

Question 1

What is the term Crémant used to denote?

Answer 1

• It is used to denote some regional French traditional method sparkling wines made outside of the Champagne region
• Before 1985, the term Crémant was used to refer to a semi-sparkling style within Champagne

Question 2

How many appellations of Crémant are there in France

Answer 2

Eight

Question 3

What are the common features for all the Crémant wines?

Answer 3

• Whole bunch pressing and therefore hand harvesting
• Maximum yield at pressing of 100 L per 150 kg of grapes
• Minimum of nine months’ ageing on lees
• Minimum 12 months’ maturation between tirage and release
• Maximum 13% abv
• Minimum four atmospheres pressure

Question 4

Which appellations are the largest and most important sources of traditional method wines outside of Champagne?

Answer 4

Loire and Alsace

Question 5

How is the volume of production of Crémant in Loire and Alsace when compared to Champagne?

Answer 5

The production of each is still only about 10 per cent of the production of Champagne