Other Traditional Method French Sparkling Wines

Question 1

How many Cremant appelations exist in France? What are the three largest?

Answer 1

8 in total

1. Alsace (~40m bottles/year)
2. Bourgogne (~17m bottles/year)
3. Loire (~37m bottles/year)

Question 1

What did the term “Cremant” refer to before 1985? What changed?

Answer 1

It referred to a semi-sparkling style of wine from Champagne. The EU banned the phrase “method champenoise”, and Cremant grew into other regions

Question 2

What are the commonalities between all Cremant appelations? (6 total)

Answer 2

1. Whole bunch pressing/hand harvesting
2. Maximum press yield of 100L/150kg grapes
3. Minimum of 9 months lees aging
4. Minimum 12 months aging between tirage and release
5. Maximum 13% ABV
6. Minimum 4 atmospheres of pressure