Our Spa area is getting a makeover: closed from 01/02/24 to 03/28/24 inclusive
Our Spa area is getting a makeover: closed from 01/02/24 to 03/28/24 inclusive

The short history of Crémant d'Alsace

A sparkling Alsatian wine par excellence, Crémant d’Alsace is a must on all GRANDES TABLES. The lightness and finesse of its bubbles make Crémant a perfect companion for special occasions.

The birth of small Alsatian bubbles dates from the annexation of Alsace by Germany, from 1870 to 1918, mainly for tax reasons. Indeed, Alsace under German occupation being exempt from customs duties for shipments to Germany, a few Champagne houses settled in the region and created sparkling wines there.

In 1900, during the Universal Exhibition in Paris, a young son of an Alsatian winegrower, Julien Dopff de Riquewihr, attended a practical demonstration of disgorging bottles from the Champagne method. Very interested, he managed to convince his father to let him follow a two-year internship in Epernay and then to adapt in Alsace the methods he learned during his internship. It will be done next year.

At the end of the 1st war and the return of Alsace to France, and following the collapse of the German market, the Champagne houses left Alsace. However, Maison Dopff “Au Moulin” continues to produce sparkling wine and will remain its only producer in Alsace for a long time.

1970s: the revolution of the Alsatian vineyard

The 1970s saw the advent of a new generation of winegrowers who bet on quality. Thanks to a handful of precursors such as Pierre Dopff, son of Julien, Lucien Albrecht but also Xavier Ehrhart and Pierre Hussherr, respectively President and Director of the Cave d’Eguisheim which will be called Wolfberger in 1976, the first Alsatian sparkling wines are carried out with the help of a Champagne cooperative. The first results are beyond expectations, so the idea very quickly germinates to give Alsace a real capacity to produce quality sparkling wines. The Alsatians being known for their determination, several cellars are equipped with suitable production tools and draconian production standards are put in place (delimited area, list of authorized grape varieties, limit of yields, pressing, second fermentation in the bottle, period of harvest…).

Year of consecration: 1976

However, it was necessary to identify this production and differentiate it from sparkling wines from closed vats and other sparkling wines: it needed a name!. We opted for the term “Crémant”, an old qualifier reserved for certain Champagne cuvées. An agreement was reached with the people of Champagne, and on July 4, 1975 a law reserved the use of the word Crémant for sparkling wines with a controlled designation of origin. The first to benefit from it are the Crémants de Loire and Bourgogne. Finally, on August 24, 1976, and only a year after the creation of a union under the chairmanship of Pierre Dopff, a decree formalized the A.O.C. Cremant d’Alsace.

The term “champenoise method” was used on Crémants d’Alsace from 1976 to 1994. Since 1994, this term has been banned in favor of “traditional method”. This new appellation immediately won great success with both consumers and producers, whose number has continued to increase to reach more than 500 producers gathered today within the Syndicat des Producteurs de Crémant d’ Alsace.

A wellness area and the opening of the Gentilhommière

In 2012, the Union of Crémant d’Alsace producers, chaired by Jacques Cattin, decided to create a collective brand “Emotion Brut, the excellence of Crémant d’Alsace” in order to promote high-end Crémants through a specifications establishing, among other things, aging on slats for a minimum of 24 months.

Since December 2014, a magazine has even been devoted entirely to “Crémants d’Alsace”. The success of the Alsatian bubbles has been emulated since Bordeaux, Luxembourg or more recently Savoy have followed suit and have also embarked on the development of Crémants.

With which grape varieties can we make Crémant?

Several grape varieties, mostly white, can be used in the composition of Crémant d’Alsace. Pinot blanc, fresh and unrivaled in its straightforwardness, is the grape variety most used to produce high-quality Crémants for laying down. Its cousin, the Pinot Auxerrois, will give rounder and more gourmet crémants. Pinot noir will make it possible to produce Crémant blanc or blanc de noirs but above all, it is currently the only grape variety to produce rosé Crémant.

Riesling is mainly used for young Crémants, with fresh, acid and fruity notes, while Chardonnay gives fine and elegant Crémants. The Pinot Gris brings suppleness and body.

The top 10 producers of Crémant d’Alsace by volume:

  • Arthur Metz
  • Bestheim
  • Cattin Brothers
  • Cellar of Orshwiller-Kintzheim
  • Cellar Jean Geiler
  • Beblenheim cellar “Au Château”
  • Dopff “At the Mill”
  • Hauller J. and Son
  • Union Alliance Alsace: alliance of the cellar of Turckheim and the Cave du Roi Dagobert
  • Wolfberger

you will also like...

Photo Spa et bien-être, les Violettes

Enjoy a Spa weekend in Alsace

Spa Weekend Alsace : Hotel & Spa Les Violettes Spend a dream weekend in a hotel and spa housed in an exceptional setting in Alsace.