Crémant Explained: The Lesser-Known French Fizz

Crémant is a French sparkling wine made the same way as Champagne, but in other parts of France. It comes from eight French regions, plus Luxembourg, and gets its fine bubbles from a slow second fermentation in the bottle, just like Champagne.

For anyone who loves a glass of fizz, crémant is one of the most rewarding bottles to discover. It offers the same careful winemaking as Champagne, a wide range of flavours from region to region, and often a much friendlier price tag.

Here are the key facts to know before you open your first bottle:

• How it is made: The traditional method, with a second fermentation in the bottle
• Where it comes from: Eight French regions outside Champagne, plus Luxembourg
• Minimum ageing: 9 months on the yeast, 12 months before sale
• Typical price in France: About €8 to €20 a bottle

What Does Crémant Mean And Where Does The Name Come From?

Crémant is the French word for “creamy”. The name comes from the Champagne region, where it once described a gentler style of Champagne with softer, creamier bubbles. VinePair describes those wines as having a soft, velvety sparkle rather than a sharp, lively fizz.

Why were the bubbles softer?

Those early crémant wines held less gas under pressure, so the bubbles felt smoother on the tongue. According to The Kitchn, standard Champagne has around 5 to 6 bars of pressure, while those older crémant wines usually had less than 4.

How did the name move beyond Champagne?

In 1985, Champagne producers agreed to stop using the word. In return, other French regions could no longer describe their wines as made by the “méthode champenoise”. The name crémant then passed to the traditional method sparkling wines made elsewhere in France.

Today crémant tells you where and how a wine was made, rather than how soft its bubbles are. As the wein.plus wine lexicon explains, the term now covers quality sparkling wines made by the traditional method outside Champagne, in France and Luxembourg only.

Jargon explained: traditional method

A way of making sparkling wine where the bubbles form inside the bottle you buy, during a second fermentation. It is the same method used for Champagne and most English sparkling wine.

How Is Crémant Made?

Crémant is made by the traditional method, following a shared set of rules across every crémant region. Winemakers first make a still base wine, then add yeast and sugar and seal it in a bottle. The yeast eats the sugar and makes carbon dioxide, which has nowhere to go, so it dissolves into the wine as bubbles.

The Fédération Nationale des Producteurs et Élaborateurs de Crémant, the national body for crémant producers, sets out the main rules:

• Harvest: Grapes must be picked by hand
• Pressing: No more than 100 litres of juice from every 150 kilos of grapes
• Second fermentation: Must take place in the bottle
• Time on the yeast: At least 9 months before the yeast is removed
• Time before sale: At least 12 months after bottling

Jargon explained: lees

The spent yeast cells left in the bottle after fermentation. Resting the wine on its lees adds bready, toasty flavours and a softer feel to the bubbles.

Why are the pressing rules so strict?

Gentle, limited pressing keeps only the purest juice. Wine Enthusiast notes that crémant grapes go into the press as whole bunches. Pressing whole bunches softly draws out less bitterness and colour from the skins and stems.

Jargon explained: whole-bunch pressing

Putting entire bunches of grapes, stems and all, into the press without crushing them first. It gives cleaner, more delicate juice.

For a step-by-step look at each stage, see our guide to how sparkling wine is made.

Which Regions Make Crémant?

Eight French regions make crémant: Alsace, Bordeaux, Bourgogne (Burgundy), Die, Jura, Limoux, Loire and Savoie. Each has its own appellation, and each uses its own local grapes. Luxembourg also makes Crémant de Luxembourg.

Jargon explained: appellation (AOC)

A legally protected wine region in France. The rules for each appellation cover where the grapes grow, which grapes are allowed and how the wine is made.

Here are the eight French crémant regions, the year each gained its appellation according to the crémant federation’s press pack, and some of the main grapes listed by Wine Folly:

Which crémant region is the biggest?

Alsace is by far the largest crémant region. Wine Folly reports that more than half of all French crémant comes from Alsace. The Alsace wine council says Crémant d’Alsace makes up a quarter of all Alsace wine and is the most popular sparkling wine in French homes after Champagne.

How much crémant is made?

Crémant is growing fast. Decanter reports that 114.5 million bottles were sold in 2024, from around 15,000 hectares of vines, after production rose 47% between 2016 and 2024. Crémant de Loire and Crémant de Bourgogne both marked 50 years as appellations in 2025.

What Does Crémant Taste Like?

Crémant usually tastes fresh and crisp, with fine bubbles and a light bready note from its time on the lees. Beyond that, the flavour depends heavily on the region and its grapes. Two bottles of crémant can taste very different.

• Crémant de Loire: Often shows lemon, quince, pear, honey and chamomile, according to Wine Folly
• Crémant de Bourgogne: Ranges from crisp styles in the cooler north of Burgundy to rounder, fuller wines from the south
• Crémant d’Alsace: Usually led by Pinot Blanc, which brings freshness. Vintage versions can develop hints of butter and brioche, notes the Alsace wine council
• Crémant de Die: Made from the Clairette grape and only produced as a white

Is crémant sweet or dry?

Most crémant is dry. Look for “Brut” or “Extra Brut” on the label for a dry wine. Crémant rules allow a range of sweetness levels, and the crémant federation caps sugar at under 50 grams per litre, so sweeter styles such as “Demi-Sec” do exist.

Jargon explained: Brut

A label term for dry sparkling wine. It is the most common sweetness level for crémant, Champagne and English sparkling wine.

Does crémant come in rosé?

Yes. Most regions make both white and rosé crémant, though Decanter notes that Crémant de Die is white only. In Alsace, rosé crémant must be made from Pinot Noir alone.

Crémant vs Champagne: What’s The Difference?

Crémant and Champagne are made by the same method. The main differences are where the grapes grow, which grapes are used and how long the wine must age before release. Champagne must also come only from the Champagne region. For more on Champagne itself, read our guide to Champagne.

The Champagne ageing figures come from the Comité Champagne, the Champagne trade body. It notes that many producers age their wines well beyond these minimums.

Is crémant as good as Champagne?

The best crémant can stand next to good Champagne. Wine Folly describes crémant rules as only slightly less strict than Champagne’s. Some producers also age their crémant far longer than required. In Burgundy, for example, the “Éminent” label means at least 24 months on the lees, and “Grand Éminent” means at least 36 months.

How Does Crémant Compare To Prosecco And English Sparkling Wine?

Crémant sits much closer to English sparkling wine than to Prosecco. Crémant and most English sparkling wine share the traditional method. Prosecco uses a different, faster method.

Crémant vs Prosecco

Prosecco is made in large pressurised tanks rather than in individual bottles. The Wine Scholar Guild explains that Prosecco is bottled without further ageing on its lees. It comes from the Glera grape in north-east Italy and tends to taste fruity and floral, with notes of pear, peach and blossom. Crémant, with its time on the lees, usually has finer bubbles and more bready depth.

Jargon explained: tank method

Also called the Charmat method. The second fermentation happens in a large sealed tank, then the wine is bottled. It is quicker and keeps fresh, fruity flavours to the fore.

Crémant vs English sparkling wine

English sparkling wine and crémant are close cousins. According to WineGB, the trade body for English and Welsh wine, over 90% of UK sparkling wine is made by the traditional method. Most of it uses Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, the same grapes found in Crémant de Bourgogne and many other crémants. Both styles tend to show crisp acidity from a cool climate.

Read more in our guide to Prosecco and English sparkling wine.

How Do You Choose And Serve Crémant?

Start with the region on the label, then check the sweetness level. The region gives you the biggest clue to flavour, and “Brut” tells you the wine is dry.

Reading the label

• Region: The name after “Crémant de” or “Crémant d'” tells you where it was made
• Sweetness: Brut and Extra Brut are dry, Demi-Sec is noticeably sweeter
• Rosé: Will say “Rosé” on the label
• Longer ageing: In Burgundy, look for Éminent or Grand Éminent

Serving

Serve crémant well chilled, like any sparkling wine. A tulip-shaped glass shows off the aromas better than a narrow flute. Our guide on how to drink sparkling wine covers temperature, glasses and pouring.

Food pairing

Crisp, dry crémant is a friendly match for many foods:

• Salty snacks: Crisps, olives and salted nuts
• Seafood: Oysters, smoked salmon and fish and chips
• Soft cheeses: Goat’s cheese and creamy, bloomy cheeses such as Brie
• Rosé crémant: Charcuterie, salmon and summer berries

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you pronounce crémant?

Crémant is pronounced “cray-mon”, with a soft, nasal ending and the “t” left silent.

Is crémant a type of Champagne?

No. Crémant is made by the same traditional method as Champagne, but it comes from other French regions and Luxembourg. Only sparkling wine from the Champagne region can be called Champagne.

Is crémant cheaper than Champagne?

Usually, yes. Crémant typically sells for about €8 to €20 a bottle in France, and Decanter notes good examples can be found for under £15 in the UK. Champagne tends to cost more.

Can crémant be made outside France?

Only in Luxembourg. Crémant de Luxembourg is the one crémant made outside France. English sparkling wine made the same way can’t use the name.

How long does crémant keep once opened?

Crémant is best within a day or two of opening. Seal it with a sparkling wine stopper and keep it in the fridge to keep the bubbles for longer.

Sources

• Fédération Nationale des Producteurs et Élaborateurs de Crémant: Le Crémant: Production rules, ageing minimums, sugar limit and price range
• Crémant federation press pack (2019): Appellation dates for all eight French regions
• Wine Folly: Learn All About Crémant Wine: Regions, grapes, Alsace share, Eminent and Grand Éminent, Loire flavours
• Decanter: The rise of Crémant: 2024 sales, production growth, UK prices, 50th anniversaries
• Vins d’Alsace: AOC Crémant d’Alsace: Alsace grapes, rosé rules, market position
• Wine Enthusiast: The Story Behind Crémant d’Alsace: Whole-bunch pressing and hand harvesting
• The Kitchn: Wine Words: Crémant: History of the term and the 1985 agreement
• wein.plus Lexicon: Crémant: Modern definition and permitted countries
• Comité Champagne: Maturation on lees: Champagne minimum ageing periods
• Wine Scholar Guild: Sparkling Wine Guide: Prosecco and the tank method
• WineGB: Sparkling Wines: English and Welsh sparkling wine methods and grapes