Today I am writing about Crémant de Bordeaux even if I am not drinking it. My title is the unexpected pleasure that one finds in a Crémant de Bordeaux. I mean that in two ways, one that it’s not the first wine you think of when you think of Bordeaux and two, thinking about bubbles and celebrating life is so much more heightened in this time of quarantines.

FERMENTATION

Crémant as our host Pinny Tam  notes in her preview post  “is the name of all sparkling wines produced in the Bordeaux region using the methode traditionelle – the same method that is used to produce Champagne, meaning secondary fermentation in the bottle.. For decades, Crémant wines have been produced from French wine regions that are known for producing great wines like Bordeaux, Loire, Alsace, Bourgogne, Jura, Savoie, Die and Limoux.”

The wines must have nine months of ageing sur lie.

WINE STYLES

According to my French Wine Scholar manual, sparkling wine has been made in Bordeaux for over 100 years but only got it’s AOC denomination in 1990. These wines can be white or rosé and can range in styles from Extra Brut to Doux.

GRAPE VARIETIES

White crémant can be made from Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, Muscadelle, Ugni Blanc and Colombard plus any of the Bordeaux region’s red grapes when vinified as a blanc de noirs.

Rosé crémant  can be made from Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Petit Verdot and Carmènere.

APPELLATION

According to the official Crémant de Bordeaux website,  there are more than five hundred different vineyards, making it one of the largest in France in terms of geographical area, yet production of sparkling wines has historically been low.

Join us the #Winophiles bloggers on Saturday, March 21st to experience the sparkling world of Bordeaux. You could write a blog post and find out our coordination on this Facebook post. We’ll have the blog posts online by March 21st prior to the Twitter chats. Or join us at the Twitter chats on March 21st at 11:00am EST/10:00am CST/8:00am PST through searching the hashtag #Winophiles on Twitter

The Winophiles have lots of ideas for your next bubbly. Check out the blogs listed below and plan to join us virtually on Saturday, March 21!

• Cam at Culinary Adventure with Camilla shares Definitively Bordeaux: Cannelés + Crémant without the Champagne Price Tag #Winophiles
• Linda at My Full Wine Glass enjoys Date night during a pandemic with Crémant de Bordeaux (#Winophiles)
• Lynn at Savor the Harvest introduces Crémant de Bordeaux, Sparkling wine from the land of big reds #Winophiles and showcases Making Biodynamic Crémant in Bordeaux #Winophiles
• Robin at Crushed Grape Chronicles introduces Bordeaux Bubbles? #Winophiles
• Jeff at Wine Food Click! recaps A Stroll Around Saint Emilion with a Visit to Les Cordeliers #Winophiles
• Cindy at Grape Experiences says Welcome Spring with Amelia Crémant de Bordeaux Rosé and Raspberry Clafoutis #Winophiles
• Terri at Our Good Life serves Warm brie, cool bubbles #Winophiles
• Gwendolyn at Wine Predator tells Clink Different with Cremant: Bordeaux’s Sparkling Wine Paired with Crab Cakes, Squash Fritters, and the Daughters of Dada #Winophiles
• Wendy at A Day in the Life on the Farm serves Wilted Spring Greens Soup with Amelia Brut Rose #Winophiles
• and here at Avvinare I shared Cremant de Bordeaux, An Unexpected Pleasure – #Winophiles.com
• Our host, Pinny at Chinese Food and Wine Pairings, Drinks Cool Malesan Crémant de Bordeaux and Eats Chinese Hotpot #Winophiles