Crémant vs Champagne

One appellation vs a shared EU term

Champagne is one appellation, while Crémant is an EU-reserved term shared by several appellations and always shown with a region name, such as Crémant de Loire.1,2 Both use second fermentation in the bottle; Crémant needs at least 9 months on the lees, Champagne 15 months from tirage.3,1

Side by side

CrémantChampagne
StatusEU term; eight French PDOs, also used in Luxembourg and Germany4,5,6One AOC since 29 June 19361
RegionLoire, Alsace, Bourgogne, Bordeaux, Jura, Limoux, Die, Savoie4Five departments of north-eastern France1
MethodTraditional method3Second fermentation in the bottle1
GrapesSet by each appellation, for example Chenin in the Loire, Riesling and Pinot Blanc in Alsace7,8Pinot Noir 38%, Chardonnay 31%, Meunier 31%9
HarvestBy hand3Whole bunches only1
PressingAt most 100 L of must per 150 kg3102 L of must per 160 kg1
Minimum ageing9 months on the lees; most appellations release after 12 months from tirage3,715 months from tirage, 12 on the lees; vintage 361
PressureFor example at least 4 bar (Loire) or 3.5 bar (Bordeaux) at 20 °C7,10About 6 bar at 20 °C in a finished bottle11
SugarUnder 50 g/L, so no Doux3EU scale, Brut nature to Doux2
VolumeNearly 114.5 million bottles sold in 2024 (federation figure)4266 million bottles shipped in 202512
Label"Crémant" with the name of the geographical unit2"Champagne" and a registration code13

What the word Crémant guarantees

EU law reserves "Crémant" for white or rosé quality sparkling wine with a PDO that meets the traditional method conditions, is hand-harvested, pressed to at most 100 L per 150 kg, holds at most 150 mg/L of SO2 and under 50 g/L of sugar.3 Each appellation then adds its own rules on grapes, yields and pressure. See Crémant.

The appellations

Crémant de Bourgogne and Crémant de Loire were recognised in 1975, Crémant d'Alsace in 1976, Limoux and Bordeaux in 1990, Die in 1993 and Jura in 1995.14,7,8,15,10,16,17 In Savoie, "Crémant" is a mention within AOC Savoie.18 See France.

Volume

The national Crémant federation groups seven of the eight French appellations, all but Alsace, and reports nearly 114.5 million bottles sold in 2024, 60% of them in France.4 Its press kit does not say whether that total includes Crémant d'Alsace.

Questions and answers

Is Crémant champagne?

No. Crémant is made by the same traditional method, but outside the Champagne area and under its own appellation rules; the name Champagne is reserved for the Champagne AOC.3,1

Where is Crémant made?

In France in eight PDOs: Alsace, Bordeaux, Bourgogne, Die, Jura, Limoux, Loire and Savoie.4 Outside France the term is used, for example, by Crémant de Luxembourg and by German Sekt b.A. that meets the EU conditions.5,6

Can Crémant be red?

No. The EU term covers white or rosé quality sparkling wine only.3

Does Crémant age less than Champagne?

The legal minimums are lower: 9 months on the lees for Crémant against 15 months from tirage for non-vintage Champagne.3,1 Producers may age longer than the minimum.

See also

crémantGlossaryChampagneRegionsCrémant de LoireRegionsCrémant d'AlsaceRegionsCrémant de BourgogneRegionsFranceRegions

Sources

  1. Cahier des charges de l'AOP « Champagne » - modifications approved by the INAO national committee on 11 September 2024 (national opposition procedure text) (2024-09-11)
  2. EUR-Lex. Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/33 (consolidated text), Articles 47, 48, 49, 53, 54 and Annex III Part A (2023-12-08)
  3. legislation.gov.uk (copy of EU OJ text). Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/33, Article 53 (terms referring to certain production methods), original version as adopted (2018-10-17)
  4. Fédération Nationale des Producteurs et Élaborateurs de Crémant. Dossier de presse 2025 (sales figures 2020-2024) (2026-05)
  5. GOV.UK (Defra). Crémant de Luxembourg: protected food and drink names register (2021-03-10)
  6. Bundesministerium der Justiz (gesetze-im-internet.de). Weinverordnung (WeinV) § 34a Crémant, Winzersekt
  7. INAO. Cahier des charges AOC « Crémant de Loire » - draft modification after national committee opinion of 6 September 2018 (2018-09-06)
  8. INAO. Cahier des charges AOC « Crémant d'Alsace » - draft modification after national committee opinion of 11-12 June 2025 (base text last amended by arrêté of 26 May 2025) (2025-06-12)
  9. Comité Champagne. Grape varieties
  10. INAO. Projet de modification du cahier des charges AOC « Crémant de Bordeaux » (PNO, avis 2 June 2021) (2021-06-02)
  11. Comité Champagne / champagne.education. L'élaboration du Champagne (fiche) (2024)
  12. Comité Champagne press release: 2025 global Champagne shipments (Epernay, 19 Jan 2026), copy hosted by winebusiness.com (2026-01-19)
  13. Union des Maisons de Champagne (UMC). Labeling
  14. Ministère de l'Agriculture (BO-Agri). Cahier des charges AOC « Crémant de Bourgogne » (arrêté du 20 Nov 2018, JORF 30 Nov 2018), Bulletin officiel du ministère de l'agriculture (2018-11-20)
  15. Ministère de l'Agriculture (BO-Agri). Cahier des charges AOC « Crémant de Limoux » (décret n° 2011-1785, modifié par arrêté du 10 Oct 2017), BO-Agri (2017-10-10)
  16. INAO. Projet de modification du cahier des charges AOP « Crémant de Die » (avis 25 June 2024) (2024-06-25)
  17. INAO. Cahier des charges AOC « Crémant du Jura » - draft modification after national committee opinion of 18 June 2026 (current text homologated 21 October 2019) (2026-06-18)
  18. Ministère de l'Agriculture (BO-Agri). Cahier des charges AOC « Vin de Savoie » ou « Savoie » (arrêté du 25 Aug 2021, BO-Agri 16 Sept 2021) (2021-08-25)

Facts checked on 2026-10-20