Cremant

- JANCIS ROBINSON OXFORD COMPANION: „Crémant, term used as France’s shorthand for the country’s finest dry sparkling wines made outside Champagne using the traditional method of sparkling winemaking. The term was adopted in the late 1980s, when the expression méthode champenoise was outlawed by the eu (and replaced by méthode traditionnelle). The principal provenances of modern Crémants are Alsace, Bourgogne (Burgundy), Loire, and Limoux. The best sparkling wines of luxembourg are also called Crémant. Crémant de Saumur and Crémant de Vouvray were the first non-champagne sparkling wines to use the term, and in the mid 1970s the Crémant de Loire appellation was born, soon followed by Alsace and Bourgogne. Bordeaux and Limoux joined the official Crémant appellations, created under inao authority, in 1990, and were followed by Die in 1993, Jura in 1995, and Savoie in 2014.
Although grape varieties and terroirs vary from region to region, certain strict sparkling winemaking rules are imposed, including whole-bunch pressing; a maximum yield of 100 l per 150 kg of grapes (the same as champagne prior to 1993); a maximum sulfur dioxide content of 150 mg/l; a minimum of 12 months between initial bottling and release.“