Sparkling wine is becoming more popular than ever. According to Allied Market Research, the sector, in all formats, was valued at $33.9bn in 2019, and is anticipated to reach $51.7bn by 2027, growing at a CAGR of 7.3% during the forecast period. Much of the attention is on the continuous volume growth of prosecco, increasing cost of champagne and the growing reputation of cava. But there’s another French fizz which gets less attention than the big three.

Given that it’s a sparkling wine based in France, crémant often gets compared to champagne, and in some ways they’re very similar, such as undergoing a second fermentation in the bottle. However, when it comes to price points they couldn’t be further apart. The low market value of this French sparkler is probably one of reasons for it gaining a cult following among the hipster movement which, if mezcal and natural wines are anything to go by, is a good thing for sales. However, while having similar qualities to champagne at a fraction of the price is a great selling point, crémant isn’t without its issues.

There are eight appellations of crémant across France (plus one in Luxembourg), which can be a difficult concept for consumers to understand, particularly those entering the market. It’s taken years for people to get an understanding of prosecco’s two main regions – DOC and DOCG – and cava has now introduced its own similar structure. But managing eight different regions, each with its own regulations, is literally four times more difficult. Of the eight French styles, Crémant de Bourgogne, Crémant d’Alsace, Crémant de Limoux and Crémant de Loire are widely regarded as the most influential appellations, while the wine is also produced in Bourdeaux, Die, Savoie and Jura.

During Prowein this year, Drinks International was able to catch up with the major players from each of the four prominent regions and, starting with the smallest and most southerly of the quartet, we have Crémant de Limoux. Here the wines come in white and rosé styles and are always blended from four varieties, with a majority share of Chardonnay, complemented by Chenin Blanc, Mauzac and Pinot Noir.

Crémant de Limoux

Marlène Tisseire, director of the appellation, believes that, for Crémant de Limoux, climate change is one of the major issues for its future given the lack of rainfall in the region and high temperatures near the south coast of France. According to Tisseire, work is now being done to better protect the fruit and, with just four varieties to work with, these need to be durable in hotter temperatures.

Tisseire says: “We have younger consumers, which is definitely good, and they’re being attracted not just by the favourable price point but the growing reputation of crémant. In value we’re in the middle compared to other appellations and I’d say in volume too.”

Crémant de Loire

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Moving from the smallest appellation by area to the biggest we come to Crémant de Loire, which runs along the Loire Valley through Nantes in western France.

Nicolas Moron from Domaine de Gagnebert says: “Sales are increasing in line with production, so I think we’re in a good wave right now. As a producer we have to change the perception of just being a cheap alternative to champagne because we have an excellent quality and therefore we need to improve our image and the price points. This has to be done step by step, because of course we have great potential but the main target is to prove our quality and also provide the volume to back it up.”

One of the biggest advantages the Loire Valley has over other appellations is the diversity of the grapes allowed in the production of its crémant, as well as the vast hectares available to growers. The region has a cultivation area of around 12,000ha and, while the likes of Limoux are concerned about climate change, for Loire it’s less of a problem because producers can be more selective, depending on the conditions of each vineyard that year.

However, while it’s a privilege to have such a vast cultivation zone, it comes at a cost when regulation states that the grapes must be picked by hand. Unsurprisingly, Moron has constant headaches when it comes to harvest time.

“One of our biggest issues is getting labour for harvesting – last year, just one week before harvest, we were still looking for 25% of labourers.” Moron believes a combination of troubles in Europe, from the pandemic to Brexit to the war in Ukraine, have limited the number of workers across the continent, and it’s something that the Loire Valley needs to resolve.

Orchidées, one of the biggest players in Crémant de Loire, produced around 4 million bottles last year under the two brands in its portfolio – Ackerman and Monmousseau. Isabelle Moreau, export director, says that Ackerman is basically only sold domestically, while Monmousseau is around 50% exports and a market leader in Japan. According to Moreau, the low price of crémant is very important for growing the category but, simultaneously, quality needs to prevail in order for crémant to grow overseas, so the top producers need to be reflected in their value.

“Crémant appellations are competitors, but there’s an understanding to work together, especially in new markets,” says Moreau.

Crémant d’Alsace

In direct contrast to Limoux’s popularity overseas, Crémant d’Alsace, the most northerly crémant appellation in France, is mostly driven by domestic sales. The wines are predominantly made up of Pinot Blanc and, similarly to Limoux, the crémant is produced in both white and rosé styles.

Rebecca Royal, export key account manager at Bestheim, one of the biggest crémant winemakers in the region selling around 13 million bottles in 2022, points out that the demographic of its consumers is a concern.

“One of the biggest challenges we face in Alsace is the age of our customers,” says Royal. “The Alsace region makes wines which are popular among the older generations and this is a problem in the long term.”

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A campaign called Alsace Rocks, put together by Vins d’Alsace, the appellation’s governing body, has been rolled out in an attempt to communicate all the region’s wines better to younger consumers. But given that crémant all over Europe and the US is being drunk by younger people, the sparkling wine could be the key to refreshing the region’s image. This also puts more emphasis on the importance of growing exports in the future.

But when asked about the relationship between the different appellations, Royal says: “We’re definitely all competitors, certainly domestically, because each region makes different styles of wine and in France it’s generally known what each appellation produces. But I’d say internationally we need to be collaborative.”

Crémant de Bourgogne

And last, but certainly not least, we arrive in Burgundy. Crémant de Bourgogne is made up of white and rosé wines consisting of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Gamay grapes. Right now, Burgundy still wines are fetching some of the highest prices at auctions around the world, which puts Crémant de Bourgogne in a slightly different position.

Famille Piffaut owns four wine houses in Burgundy, including crémant brand Veuve Ambal, and president Aurélien Piffaut says it’s one of the biggest crémant producers in the region, making around 9 million bottles a year. “Burgundy has a big name, so it’s recognised around the world,” says Piffaut. “The biggest issue we have is competition for volume because demand is so high for all styles of Burgundy wines that it’s difficult to grow.”

However, what Piffaut suggests is that this fierce competition for space could push up the price point of Crémant de Bourgogne, and because the region shares a similar winemaking process and almost the same terroirs of Champagne,
this natural increase is justified.

One of the recurring themes which developed throughout the conversations with producers from the different appellations was that, while domestically there’s competition, there’s a desire to work together overseas to promote the whole category. But as crémant appears more and more overseas the timing could be perfect. A repeated rhetoric is that consumers continue to celebrate occasions more frequently post-Covid, but with a simultaneous cost of living crisis, the equation for crémant growth makes sense.

Yet the catalyst for increasing exports and gaining greater respect overseas is for some producers, not all of them, to demand higher prices. After all, the history, terroir and production methods are consistently likened to those of champagne, but not the value.