Sparkling wine is one of the fastest-growing wine categories on the market, and few wines match Crémant de Loire for value, quality, and straight up deliciousness. According to data from Drizly, the category has seen sustained growth over the past five years – a trend that is likely to continue, based on data shared by the IWSR Drinks Market Analysis.
“Show me another wine that can land on a fine dining menu for $40-$60,” challenged Advanced Sommelier and SommelYay founder Eric Segelbaum. “Crémant wines should be on more peoples’ radars as a good intermediary between lighter fresher wines and intensely mineral and creamy Champagnes.”
But what exactly is a Crémant de Loire wine? The answer is simple: Crémant de Loire wines are made from a range of grapes grown in the Loire Valley fermented using the traditional method. That means they undergo an initial fermentation into still wine, and then undergo secondary fermentation in bottle, which yields their persistent, fine bubbles and the creamy undertones to many of the bottlings. Because these wines can be made from a range of grape varieties including Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon among others there is incredible variety within the category. Likewise, these wines range from bone dry and zippy to deliciously sweet – and that means more bottles for everyone to love.