Crémant de Bordeaux (France)

Crémant wines are produced the same way as Champagne, but often with other grapes.

The primary grapes used in Crémant de Bordeaux are Sémillon, Sauvignon Blanc, Muscadelle, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Petit Verdot.

Typical Flavors

Citrus

Apple

Pear

Strawberry

Fermentation Flavors

Butter

Yeast

Bread

Almonds

Oak Added Flavors

Oak

Vanilla

Toast

Nuts

Citrus, Apple, Pear, and Strawberry are typical Crémant flavors.

Fermentation added notes of Vanilla, Yeast and Almonds.

Oak added notes of Vanilla, Yeast, and Nuts.

Profile

Crémant wines have much the same profile as Champagne:

Dry

Medium

Medium

High

Serving temperatures:
10-12°C (50-54°F)

Food Pairing

You can drink Sparkling Wines to almost everything.

Whether it is French Champagne, Spanish Cava, or Italian Prosecco.

Aperitif

Salads

Tapas

Sandwitch

Seafood

Oysters

Salmon

Sushi

Fries

Chicken

Turkey

Pork

Egg Dishes

Pasta

Risotto

Soft Cheese

Sparkling Wines pair well with salt, because the bubbles break up the salt in the mouth.

Acidity and bubbles also pair well with rich food and creamy and oily dishes.

Pairing Suggestions

Excellent pairings:
Caesar Salad. Seafood Salad.
Hors-d'œuvre. Sandwich. Focaccia.
Tapas. Ham. Serrano. Prosciutto.
Seafood. Oysters. Clams.
Crab. Lobster. Caviar.
Cod. Tuna. Smoked Salmon.
Fried Chicken. Turkey. Pork.
Egg Dishes. Omelettte. Risotto.
Pasta. Ravioli. Macaroni with Cheese.
Asian Food. Springrolls.
Sushi. Sashimi.

Cheese:
Soft and Fresh Cheeses.
Brie. Camembert.
Feta. Chèvre. Fontina. Creamy Blue.
Washed-Rind. Chaource. Robiola.

French Spesialities:
Reims Ham in Reims Mustard.
Poulet au champagne (Chicken with Champagne).

Italian Specialities:
Fritto Misto di Pesce (Deep Fried Fish).
Risotto ai Frutti di Mare (Risooto with Seafood).
Risotto with Asparagus.
White Fish (Sea Bass) with Polenta.
Lasagne with White Sauce.

French Crémant

The production method of Crémant is he same as Champagne, but often with other grapes.

n France, there are 8 Crémant appellations:

Crémant d'Alsace

The Primary grapes used in Crémant d'Alsace are:
Pinot Blanc, Auxerrois, Pinot Gris, Riesling, Chardonnay, and Pinot Noir.

Crémant de Bordeaux

The Primary grapes used in Crémant de Bordeaux are:
Sémillon, Sauvignon Blanc, Muscadelle, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Petit Verdot.

Crémant de Bourgogne

The Primary grapes used in Crémant de Bourgogne are the same as used in Champagne:
Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

Crémant de Die

The primary grapes used in Crémant de Die are:
Clairette, Aligoté, and Muscat.

Crémant de Jura

The primary grapes used in Crémant de Jura are:
Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Trousseau.

Crémant de Limoux

The primary grapes used in Crémant de Limoux are:
Mauzac, Chardonnay, and Chenin Blanc.

Crémant de Loire

The primary grapes used in Crémant de Loire are:
Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc, and Pinot Noir.

Crémant de Savoie

The primary grapes used in Crémant de Savoie are:
Jacquère, Altesse, and Chardonnay.

Méthode Champenoise

Méthode Champenoise is the method used to produce French Champagne.

With Méthode Champenoise (the production method of Champagne), the first fermentation takes place in a tank, and a second fermentation takes place in the bottle.

Adding CO₂ (Carbon Dioxide) is not allowed.

The second fermentation starts by adding yeast (Saccharomyces Cerevisiae) and sugar to the bottle, and after about 1 year, the bubbles are completely developed.

The legend credit a Benedictine monk, Dom Pérignon (1639-1715), for inventing sparkling wine when he bottled a wine before fermentation, but the oldest recorded sparkling wine is Blanquette de Limoux from 1531.

The method is used for:

French Champagne
French Crémant
Spanish Cava
Italian Franciacorta
German Sekt
Portuguese Espumante

Méthode Champenoise is now reserved (by EU) for wines produced in Champagne:

Country	Must Use
England	Traditional Method
France	Méthode Traditionnelle
Spain	Método Tradicional
Portugal	Método Tradicional
Italy	Metodo Classico Metodo Tradizionale
Germany	Klassische Flaschengärung

Sugar Levels

Regulation EC 607/2009	Sugar gram/litre	Calories /glass
Brut Nature (Brut Zero)	0-3	3
Extra Brut	0-6	5
Brut	0-12	7
Extra Dry (Extra Sec, Extra Seco)	12-17	10
Dry (Sec, Seco)	17-32	20
Demi (Semi)	32-50	30
Doux (Sweet, Dulce)	50+	30+

Blanc de Blancs

Blanc de Blancs means "White from Whites".

Only White grapes are used in the production.

The main grape is Chardonnay.

It can also be another grape like Pinot Blanc, or a blend.

In Spain they use Spanish grapes like Macabeo, Parellada, and Xarel-lo.

In Germany they often use Riesling.

In South Africa they often use Chenin Blanc.

Blanc de Noir

Blanc de Noir means "White from Blacks".

Only Black grapes are used in the production.

The main grape is Pinot Noir.

It can also be another grape like Pinot Meunier, or a blend.

In Spain they often use Monastrell.

Bordeaux

Bordeaux in Southwest France is the most famous wine region in the world.

The river Gironde splits the area in the famous Left Bank (Southwest) and the Right Bank (Northeast) where the two famous, but very different, Bordeaux Blends are produced.

The Left Bank

On the Left Bank, Cabernet Sauvignon is the primary grape.

A typical top-quality "Bordeaux Blend" consists of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Cabernet Franc, and 15% Merlot.

Left Bank wines are often spicy with bold tannins and are good candidates for aging.

The Right Bank

On the Right Bank, Merlot is the primary grape.

A typical Right Bank blend consists of 70% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc, and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon.

Right Bank wines are also bold, but smoother, with softer tannins and typical Merlot fruity flavors. They can age, but are more "drink me soon" style.

Left Bank Wines

Bordeaux Rouge
Cabernet Sauvignon
Médoc
Margaux
Graves
Pessac-Léognan

Right Bank Wines

Bordeaux Rouge
Merlot
Saint-Emilion
Pomerol

Bordeaux is dominated by red wine. Nearly 90% of all Bordeaux wine is red.

The most planted grape is Merlot, followed by Cabernet Sauvignon.

Bordeaux Left Bank

On the Left Bank, Cabernet Sauvignon is the primary grape.

A typical top-quality "Bordeaux Blend" consists of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Cabernet Franc, and 15% Merlot.

Left Bank wines are often spicy with bold tannins and are good candidates for aging.

The terroir is rocky, with gravel (stones) and some limestone.

In the wine world, this bad soil means good wine because the more the roots have to struggle, the better the quality. Rocky soils and hillsides give a good drainage (too much water gives a watery berry).

Famous appellations are:

Haut-Médoc
Margaux (Château Margaux)
St.Estephe
St.Julien
Pauillac (Château Lafite-Rothschild, Château Mouton Rothschild and Château Latour)
Pessac Leognan (Château Haut-Brion)

Few chateaux with many hectars (50-80ha average).

Flavors:

Young: Spices. Earth. Tobacco.

Aged: Leather. Smoke. Truffle. Herbs. Cigar box.

Bordeaux Right Bank

On the Right Bank, Merlot is the primary grape.

A typical Right Bank blend consists of 70% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc, and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon.

Right Bank wines are also bold, but smoother, with softer tannins and typical Merlot fruity flavors. They can age, but are more "drink me soon" style.

The terroir on the right bank is less difficult, with less gravel and more clay and limestone.

Famous appellations are:

St. Emilion (Cheval Blanc)
Pomerol (Petrus)

Many small chateaux with few hectars (30 average).

Flavors:

Young: Black Cherry. Red Plum. Flowers. Chocolate. Licorice.

Aged: Earth. Truffle. Dark Chocolate. Tobacco.

White Bordeaux

White Bordeaux uses Sauvignon Blanc and Semillion as primary grapes.