Crémant

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Crémant d'Alsace

In the European Union, a crémant is used to denote sparkling wines to distinguish them from champagne and sparkling wine . The name has been in effect since September 1, 1994 and describes sparkling drinks with a controlled designation of origin that are produced outside of Champagne using the bottle fermentation process (French méthode champenoise ).

Before this point in time, Crémant was understood to be a champagne that, instead of the usual 6 bar overpressure, only met the legal minimum requirement of 3.5 bar. Since the term Crémant was not protected, it was increasingly used by winemakers outside of Champagne. In order to avoid misunderstandings, the acquis was abandoned on July 4, 1975 and the term crémant was dispensed with in Champagne . In the EG-VO No. 2332/92 (new 310) the criteria for the production of Crémant were defined. There is still no new name for champagne with halved pressure.

Wine-growing areas

In France, the designation Crémant is approved for eight wine-growing regions. These are Crémant d'Alsace from Alsace , Crémant de Bordeaux from Bordeaux , Crémant de Bourgogne from Burgundy , Crémant de Die , Crémant de Limoux from Languedoc, Crémant du Jura from the Jura , Crémant de Loire from the Area of ​​the Loire and Crémant de Savoie from Savoy .

On January 4, 1991 the appellation Crémant de Luxembourg was introduced for quality sparkling wine from the Luxembourg Moselle . What is special is that, in memory of Mercier's champagne production during the Belle Époque in Luxembourg City, this was the world's first appellation outside of France that was allowed to use the term Crémant . In 2008, the Denomination of Origin Crémant de Wallonie was defined in Belgium (see also the article Viticulture in Belgium ) .

In 2009, the designation “Crémant” for German sparkling wine was regulated in Germany.

Although the grape varieties differ from region to region, the essential rules of sparkling wine production are uniformly prescribed. These include, for example, whole grape pressing, a maximum yield of 100 liters of must from 150 kg of grape material, a maximum content of 150 milligrams / liter of sulfur dioxide , a minimum time of nine months for the dwell time on the yeast and a mandatory taste test. Crémants are gently sparkling, their carbon dioxide is comparatively restrained.

Depending on the grape variety used, you can still find the names Blanc de Noirs or Blanc de Blancs on the label, provided that the white Crémant was obtained exclusively from red or white grapes; in addition, many producers make rosé crémants.

The term Crémant was introduced at the end of the 1980s when the European Union banned the use of the term méthode champenoise outside of Champagne at the request of France . However, the designation Méthode traditionnelle is still allowed.

various

Crémant is mainly used in Switzerland to denote classic dark chocolate with a cocoa content of 50 to 60 percent with a relatively high content of cocoa butter .

Movie

  • 360 ° geo-report - Crémant, the fine Alsatian for the festival. Documentary film, Germany, 2017, 52:18 min., Script and direction: Jean-Luc Nachbauer, production: MedienKontor, Geo , arte , series: 360 ° Geo-Reportage , first broadcast: December 31, 2018 by arte, summary by ARD .

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ legal text 75-577 , French, (PDF).
  2. ↑ Regulation (EEC) No. 2332/92 (PDF) of the Council of 13 July 1992 on sparkling wines produced in the Community.
  3. ^ René Clesse: Tobacco and champagne made in Luxembourg: The Hollericher Belle Époque. ( Memento from September 14, 2015 in the Internet Archive ). In: ons stad , 1998, No. 57, (PDF; 1.2 MB); with page turning function (site switcher).
  4. ↑ Arrêté ministériel ... In: wallex.wallonie.be , legal text of March 5, 2008, French, (PDF; 141 kB).
  5. ↑ § 34a of the German Wine Ordinance.
  6. ^ Dictionnaire: Lexique: La méthode traditionnelle ou champenoise. In: vinsvignesvignerons.com , accessed on September 27, 2019.
  7. ↑ Database: Crémant Dark Chocolate. In: Open Food Facts , accessed on September 27, 2019.