JASON YAPP

Unfiltered Bubbling under: the crémants that can add extra depth to your sparkling range

provided by the Vosges mountains and a sunny climate ensure a good ripening season. The favoured grape variety is Pinot Blanc, and the wines have a touch more residual sugar than many but lend themselves to being enjoyed with or without food. Like most crémants, even non-vintage versions, which most are, they can age well for two to three years if well cellared, and will take on richness and complexity with maturity.

As it is a – theoretically – romantic time of year it might be good to add some effervescence to our wine itinerary.

France is a celebrated stronghold of sparkling wine. The region of Champagne alone has over 34,000 hectares under vine, producing around 300 million bottles each year. As well as other specialist areas of sparkling wine production, such as Vouvray and Montlouis in the Loire valley, France has eight specific geographic locations that are allowed to add the prefix crémant to their geographical zone of production. The word crémant was applied because the resultant wines have a lower atmospheric pressure than Champagne, which was thought to give them a softer, more “creamy” mouth feel.

These Appellation Contrôlées (more recently Protégée) vary greatly in size, age and output. But they are united in producing and promoting high-quality sparkling wine.

The oldest appéllations we are looking at were inaugurated at exactly the same time, on October 17, 1975, when Art Garfunkel was at the top of the UK charts with I Only Have

Eyes for You

Perhaps the best known is Crémant de Bourgogne, which has 2,681 hectares under vine and runs to about 19 million bottles per year. The main grapes are Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, that must make up at least 30% of any blend, and are grown on free-draining chalk and limestone soils. Both white and rosé wines are made, and they enjoy a strong following on the domestic French market. They are usually dry and fruity with a fresh acidity and, compared with most Burgundy, offer good value for money.

Burgundy’s sparkling vinous twin is the Loire valley. Here there are 2,626 hectares under vine, producing Crémant de Loire, and the principal grape is Chenin Blanc. About 17 million bottles are made annually, which encompasses white and rosé wines. Often a tad less costly than the Burgundian equivalent, they are popular in France and are widely deployed in all manner of small celebrations.

Crémant d’Alsace officially came into being in August 1976 and now boasts the distinction of being France’s biggest producer of crémant. The rain shadow

Next up comes Crémant de Bordeaux, which was given AOC status in April 1990. Today there are 800 hectares under vine making about 6.4 million bottles per annum. Semillon and Sauvignon are the main grapes and the wines are popular with Bordelais producers: it gives them some bubbles without having to get too friendly with the Champenois. It isn’t seen particularly frequently on the UK market; the example that was selflessly sampled for researching this article was perfectly passable, dry and effervescent, with clean fruit, but was otherwise unremarkable.

Crémant de Limoux came into being in August 1990. Its vineyards receive less Atlantic influence than Bordeaux but they have good elevation and a long, sunny growing season. There are currently 823 hectares under vine that are mainly given over to Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc. It shouldn’t be confused with Blanquette de Limoux, which is a far older wine made from the Mauzac grape, but when Crémant de Limoux (which can be white or rosé) hits form it can be terrific and is often seen as a good-value alternative to Champagne.

Crémant de Die is a specialist appellation that consists of just 30 hectares of vines surrounding the market town of Die in the Drôme valley. It should not be confused with the other specialty in the vicinity, Clairette de Die, which is also sparkling and grown on the same slopes. Clairette de Die is made by a different process that involves slow filtration and leaves much smaller bubbles and more residual sugar. Crémant de Die is dry and is made by secondary fermentation in bottle. Clairette, Aligoté and Muscat are the locally favoured grapes and 92% of production is consumed in France.

The Jura, between Burgundy and Switzerland, gained Appellation Contrôlée for its crémants in 1995. It currently has 515 hectares (for crémant) under vine shared among 450 producers, so a lot of people make a little of it. The main grapes are Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Trousseau, and 90% of production is white, with 10% of rosé. It is noted for its elegance and finesse, and enjoys a strong local following.

The newest crémant kid on the block is Savoie, which was inaugurated in 2015. It boasts just 57 hectares of vines in the foothills of the Alps, shared among 50 producers. The principal grapes are Jacquère, Roussette and Chardonnay and nearly all the production is consumed locally, much of it by thirsty skiers.

Now, if you haven’t already done so, find a bottle of something impressively effervescent, pour a glass for the one you love – and try to resist telling them you know all about crémant.

Tequila Russian

Coffee is one of the alcohol flavour trends of the day, so Bacardi’s decision to stop making Patron XO Café liqueur a while back was baffling, not least because it alienated its considerable band of cult followers. Others have stepped into the breach, most recently rival tequila brand Bandero, whose Café product offers the opportunity for slightly more boozy takes on the White Russian or Black Russian than using the conventional Tia Maria or Kahlúa.

60cl premium vodka

30cl tequila coffee liqueur

Ice Cream Cola (optional)

Stir the vodka and coffee liqueur with ice in an old-fashioned glass. For a Black Russian twist, either serve as it comes or add cola for a longer drink according to taste, and garnish with a Maraschino cherry. For a White Russian variation, gently layer some lightly whipped cream on top, and dust with finely grated nutmeg to garnish.