Crémant de Loire

AOC since 1975 · traditional method

Crémant de Loire is the AOC for white and rosé traditional-method sparkling wine from the Loire Valley, recognised in 1975.¹ Nine grape varieties are allowed, led by Chenin, Chardonnay and Cabernet Franc, and the wine spends at least 9 months on the lees.¹

Area

The geographic area covers communes in five departments: Maine-et-Loire, Indre-et-Loire, Loir-et-Cher, Deux-Sèvres and Vienne.¹

Grapes

Three white varieties are allowed: Chardonnay, Chenin and Orbois. Six black varieties are allowed: Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Grolleau, Grolleau Gris, Pineau d'Aunis and Pinot Noir.¹ One limit applies to the blend: Cabernet Sauvignon and Pineau d'Aunis, together or separately, may not exceed 30% of the cuvée.¹

Production rules

Crémant de Loire is made by the traditional method, with the second fermentation in the bottle.

Rule	Value
Ageing on lees	min 9 months
From tirage to sale	12 months
Base yield	74 hl/ha
Yield ceiling (rendement butoir)	80 hl/ha
Pressure before disgorgement	min 4 bar at 20 °C

All figures in the table come from one text.¹ For comparison with Champagne and the other Crémants, see ageing minimums.

Labelling

The label may add "Val de Loire", printed no larger than two thirds of the appellation name. A cadastral lieu-dit (a named plot) may also be shown.¹

About the source

The rules above are taken from the draft amendment of the cahier des charges submitted to the national opposition procedure in September 2018.¹ Later amendments may have changed details. The Loire interprofession site could not be opened during research, and no official production figures for the appellation were found.

Neighbouring sparkling wines

The Loire also has sparkling wines under village and regional appellations: Saumur, Vouvray, Montlouis-sur-Loire and Touraine.