CRÉMANT - Intro

Question 1

What does the word crémant mean?

Answer 1

pre 1985 it was a semi-sparkling wine made in the Champagne region
post 1985 - ‘méthode champenoise’ term is banned by EU outside Champagne region so regional sparkling wines adopt the term for trad method wines made outside the Champagne AOC

Question 2

How many crémant are there in France?

Answer 2

There are 8 crémant producing regions in France

Question 3

How many atmospheres of pressure in crémant vs champagne ?

Answer 3

4 atmospheres in crémant vs 5-6 atmospheres in champagne

Question 4

How long between tirage and release for crémant and what is minimum lees ageing

Answer 4

12 months from tirage to release including 9 months on the lees

Question 5

What is the maximum alcohol permitted in a finished crémant ?

Answer 5

13% abv

Question 6

What other characteristics do Crémant share apart from abv, maturation, pressure?

Answer 6

• hand harvested so whole bunch pressed

- yield: 100L per 150kg grapes