Today on Somm Tips, we're back with David Jaegle, worldwide export manager of Cave de Ribeauvillé, to discuss sparkling wine from one of our favorite regions in France: Alsace. Previously, David toured Carole through the beautiful town of Ribeauvillé on Follow that Somm, and followed up with a lesson on the 7 Grape Varietals of Alsace.

But today's episode does not concern any of those 7 grape varietals. In fact, there is a secret 8th varietal allowed in Alsace, only to be used for the sparkling wine known as Crémant d'Alsace. That grape? Chardonnay!

That's right, Chardonnay makes an appearance in the multi-varied terroirs of Alsace, but never in its still wines. That's why you can find such a likeness from Crémant to Champagne: same grapes, similar methods, different terroirs. And apart from Champagne, Crémant d'Alsace is the most consumed sparkling wine in France.
So why should you be drinking it? David answers that question and many more in today's video. In our experience, we find it to be luxurious without being overpriced, with a flavor profile that's more similar to Champagne than other sparkling wines from around the world. After all, Prosecco uses an entirely different method, which results in a wine that has less of the brioche-y notes found from aging on lees. Crémant d'Alsace is aged on lees, in bottle, which brings a lot of complexity to the wine.

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