French Cremant de Savoie appellation moves closer to reality

Sparkling winemakers in France's Savoie region are set to join an elite club able to use the term 'Cremant' on labels, after gaining approval from officials.

France’s appellation body has said that Savoie wineries producing sparkling wines by the traditional Champagne method can use the term ‘Cremant‘ on labels for wines from the 2014 harvest.

The news is a first tentative step towards Savoie gaining a fully-fledged ‘Cremant de Savoie‘ appellation; something local producers have campaigned for several years to achieve.

Other Cremant appellations already existing in France include Cremants de Bourgogne, Alsace, Loire and Limoux.

French newspaper Le Dauphine quoted the head of Savoie wine body CIVS, Pierre Viallet,as saying Cremant de Savoie could be a ‘spearhead’ for the region’s wines across France and in foreign markets.

In April this year, the director of France’s national appellation body, Jean-Luc Dairen, wrote to Savoie member of the French Assembly, Bernadette Laclais, to say that France’s agriculture ministry would push for European Union-wide recognition of a new Cremant de Savoie denomination.

Written by Chris Mercer

Chris Mercer is a Bristol-based freelance editor and journalist who spent nearly four years as digital editor of Decanter.com, having previously been Decanter’s news editor across online and print.

He has written about, and reported on, the wine and food sectors for more than 10 years for both consumer and trade media.

Chris first became interested in the wine world while living in Languedoc-Roussillon after completing a journalism Masters in the UK. These days, his love of wine commonly tests his budgeting skills.

Beyond wine, Chris also has an MSc in food policy and has a particular interest in sustainability issues. He has also been a food judge at the UK’s Great Taste Awards.