Champagne vs Crémant. What is the difference between Champagne and Crémant?

Hi guys, WineTuber here and in today's video I'm going to talk about the differences in between Champagne and Cremon. But I will also tell you which Cremon is the closest in style to Champagne. So let's get started. Before we start many thanks to the Corkscrew Wine and Spirit Merchants and Ben from Liberty Wines for helping me with this video. And if you're watching my channel for the first time please consider to subscribe. The first difference in between Champagne and Cremon is the region of origin. Champagne can be only produced in the northern part of France in the region called Champagne. On the other hand Cremon are produced outside of the Champagne area and can be found in eight different French wine regions including Alsace, Bordeaux, Bourgogne, Rhone Valley, Jura, Limoux, Loire and finally in the Savoie wine region. Fun fact did you know that Cremon can be also produced in Luxembourg since 1991. This term can be officially used in this country. The second difference in between Champagne and Cremon are the grape varieties permitted in both appellations. There are seven grape varieties permitted in the Champagne area but the most important ones are Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier and Pinot Noir. The last two varieties are red by the way. On the other hand Cremon can be produced in the several different grape varieties. Everything depends in which region Cremon is produced. In Alsace the main variety is Pinot Blanc however Riesling, Pinot Gris and Chardonnay are also permitted. Pinot Noir is the only grape used to produce Cremon de Alsace Rosée and the appellation was established in 1976. In the Bordeaux region Cremon can be officially made only since 1990. The most important varieties are Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon but also red grapes such as Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon or Cabernet Franc. Cremon de Bourgogne was established in 1975 and the main varieties are Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. However small amounts of Gamay are also permitted. Cremon produced in the Rhône Valley is called D and was officially recognized in 1993. The primary grape variety is called Claret. White Cremon de Joie must be produced from at least 70% of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Rousseau. For Rosée, Pinot Noir, Pulsar and Trousseau must represent over 50% of the blend. The appellation Cremon de Joie was established in 1995. Cremon de Limoux is produced in the Languedoc region since 1990 and the most important varieties are Chardonnay and Chardonnay Blanc with small proportions of Pinot Noir and Moussac. The Cremon de Loire was recognized as an appellation in 1975. There is a bunch of grapes permitted to produce bubbles from the Loire Valley but the most important are Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc. And finally Cremon de Savoie produced in the French Alps. It's the youngest appellation of all as was established in 2015. 60% of the blend must be made from Jacquer and Altesse including small proportion of Chasselas, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Gamay. As you can see there's a lot of different grape varieties permitted either in Champagne or Cremon, meaning that there's a lot of different styles, flavors and aromas that can be found inside your glass. Did you know that Champagne and Cremon are produced by the same wine making technique called traditional method, meaning that the secondary fermentation takes place inside the each bottle either Champagne or Cremon. The only difference in between Champagne and Cremon in terms of the wine making is the aging the wine on the lees before its release. The minimum aging on the lees for Cremon in most cases is 9 months which is Champagne must be aged for minimum of 12 months. However the vast majority of Champagne is aged for way longer which have a huge impact on the taste, creaminess and brioche character. Before I show you the last three difference in between Champagne and Cremon, I would like to share with you which Cremon is the closest in style to Champagne. In my opinion the best alternative to Champagne are Cremon de Bourgogne and Cremon de Jura. In both regions you will find very similar type of soli to Champagne which is limestone which gives Champagne, Cremon de Bourgogne and Cremon de Jura beautiful mineral character. Also what's really important is that Cremon de Bourgogne and Cremon de Jura are Pinot Noir and Chardonnay base wines. However the closest to Champagne is Cremon de Bourgogne especially those labeled as Emine or Grand Emine. Those two categories of Cremon was launched in 2016. Emine has to be aged for minimum of 24 months and in my opinion is the closest in style to non-vintage Champagne which is Grand Emine must be aged for minimum of three years and this Cremon is definitely the closest in style to vintage Champagne. Now let's move on to the fourth difference in between Champagne and Cremon which is... It's good to know that not all the Champagnes can improve with the age. On the other hand some vintage Cremon can really benefit from aging in the bottle. However vintage Champagne produced from the really good year and skilled winemaker can age for years. Generally speaking Cremons have higher pH content than Champagne and the lower amount of pH it's crucial for longevity in sparkling wine. As I mentioned before there's lots of different grape varieties permitted in each region that Cremon is produced but today my main focus is to show you two Cremons that are the closest in style to Champagne. The first one is JCB No. 21 Brut. Wine on the nose it's really pronounced. Charming almas of baked apples, peaches, bit of nectaries but also beautiful citrus character. On the palate wine it's really fresh, full of citrus and stone fruits. It's dry but not too dry, have a beautiful brioche character, very characteristic to Champagne and the retail price it's less than 35 US dollars. The second Cremon is Grand Lys produced by Caroline Lestime. 2018 vintage extra brut and 100% Pinot Noir. Wine on the nose it's definitely tripping out, showing aromas of baked apples, red fruits, some toastiness, brioche, yeasty character, all the elements that vintage Champagne should have. On the palate this wine is really concentrated and quite dry because it's extra brut, showing also beautiful aftertaste of baked apples, queens and even spicy notes. And the finish it's really really long. This Cremon is a fantastic alternative to vintage Champagne for sure. By the way both wines are imported by Liberty Wines Ireland and both of them available at thecorkscrew.ie. Finally the last difference in between Champagne and Cremon it's of course the price. Generally speaking Cremon are way cheaper and more affordable than Champagne. Why? Because of the cost of the land and cost of the grapes. Good quality Cremon can be easily found under 35 US dollars. However good quality Champagne will cost you definitely more than 50 bucks per bottle. Thank you very much for watching. I hope you enjoyed this video and by the way don't miss my next one about the differences in between vintage and non-vintage Champagne. So stay tuned, don't forget to subscribe and see you next time!