Wine of the Week: A Sparkling Delight

In the autumn of 2016 we had the good fortune of traveling to Burgundy to taste the Cremant. It’s the little brother of Champagne, but we found that this is a wine that plays way above its weight.

Crémant de Bourgogne came into being in October 1975, for white and rosé sparkling wines alone. It now claims to have some of the strictest rules for wines of this sort in France. Don’t think you can just turn your worst grapes and least successful vats into Crémant, either: you have to declare your vineyard for Crémant before the end of March. There are 11,000 of those ‘secret’ parcels, accounting for a total of 2,500 ha within greater Burgundy as a whole.

---

We visited Louis Bouillot in the autumn and it was fantastic to see this great winery in action. Situated on the outskirts of Nuits-Saint-Georges we were welcomed to a grand and massive winery that produce a massive amount of Crémant every year. But what surprised us was the quality! Usually we like the smaller producers, family owned farms where everything is made by hand. But this is more like a factory. But that’s not bad. It’s easy to see how important Boulliot is to the people who live in the area. They employ hundreds of people making them a very important employer for the people of Burgundy. And these people take pride in what they make. And the result? A sparkling wine that stands shoulder to shoulder with some of the best wines from their more famous neighbors to the north.

---

Tasting notes

Louis Bouillot Crémant de Bourgogne Perle de Vigne Grand Réserve 164,90 in the Vinmonopolet 129,- at Gardermoen airport


Lovely golden hue. Freshly baked bread and green apples on the nose. Nice mousse, ripe red apples and red berries in the mouth. Bought for 129,- kr at Gardermoen Airport, a real steal! Great value Cremant.


A great substitute for Champagne at a price way under your regular champagnes. Good for food as well, but let’s be honest, this is a wine for parties and fun. Cheers!