Paris, France — In our dry sparkling wines alternatives to champagne mode, we’ve just tasted a new Crémant, a Crémant made in Bordeaux with the Sémillon grape variety, a golden-skinned grape that is native to Bordeaux. Crémants are not champagnes but do have much in common with them, notably they sparkle with bubbles and they are, like champagnes, fermented a second time in the bottle, known as the traditional method, (la méthode traditionnelle or méthode champenoise) en français. These effervescent wines are also made in controlled label of origin regions (AOC for appellation d’origine contrôlée) like our Crémant de Bordeaux Brut AOC Jaillance. It was well-structured, deliciously dry with bubbles that were very delicate. Its pale yellow color was splashed with spots of gold. The Sémillon grapes are hand picked as required by the strict rules and regulations governing how Crémants are made. One should note that the Crémant de Bordeaux Brut AOC Jaillance is served in Air Canada’s classy Signature Class. Jaillance also offers a rosé version of this delightful Crémant made with the Merlot grape variety and the Crémant de Bordeaux Brut Rosé AOC Jaillance is also divinely dry. This is an important element as Crémants can be cloying. These two are not. And the good news in these inflationary times is that the Jaillance Crémants are available in French supermarkets for 6.80 euros (US$ 7.25). Or have a look at https://jaillance.com/en/ for all of their sparkling wines.
Special to The Gourmet Gazette