Part of the
Effervescence Unleashed program is to highlight the various sparkling wine regions and methods used throughout the world. One of these is
Crémant de Bourgogne, a regional appellation for sparkling wine in the Bourgogne region of France. According to
The Bourgogne Wine Board (BIVB), "the appellation Crémant de Bourgogne is restricted to effervescent wines made from still wines (called vins de base) by the traditional method (1)".
The grapes from which the vins de base for Crémant de Bourgogne are made come from a wide variety of soils in vineyard districts throughout Bourgogne. They range from the chalky subsoil of the Joigny district in the north to the granites of southern Bourgogne, via the limestones and marls of the Côtes where most of the wines of this appellation are grown. The primary grape varieties are Pinot Noir and Chardonnay (minimum 30%) with secondary varieties: Gamay (20% maximum), Aligoté, Melon, Sacy. Aligoté is a white grape variety known for its high acidity and is often used in blends to add structure and freshness. The Melon grape, also known as Melon de Bourgogne, is a variety of white grape primarily grown in the Loire Valley and is known for producing lean, mineral, and saline-driven white wines. Sacy is a light-skinned grape variety grown in the Yonne department in the far north of Burgundy.
This La Burgondie Brut Rosé ($12) was purchased at Trader Joes for an under $12.99 Sparkling buy and is composed of 80% Pinot Noir and 20% Gamay. It is dry, but comes across sweeter with the abundance of strawberry flavor and minor minerality. We paired the sparkling rosé with The Winemakers, a book written by Jan Moran and featured during the BevFluence book series held at the Chicago Speakeasy. The love story and part-thriller is a good read, even for the less romantically inclined, and highlights winemaking in Napa Valley and Montalcino, Italy, with a side note to Bordeaux, France.
Happy sipping and reading.
(1) The traditional method, also known as méthode traditionnelle, is a process used to produce high-end sparkling wines. This method involves a second fermentation that occurs in the bottle, which is where the wine gets its bubbles. After the initial fermentation, the base wine is blended, and a small amount of sugar and yeast is added to each bottle. The bottles are then sealed and stored horizontally in a wine cellar to undergo the secondary fermentation. During this process, carbon dioxide is trapped in the bottle, creating the bubbles characteristic of sparkling wine.
After the secondary fermentation, the bottles are gradually tilted to an upside-down position and rotated slightly each day in a process called riddling. This helps to collect the sediment, or lees, in the neck of the bottle. The neck of the bottle is then frozen, and the cap is removed, ejecting the frozen sediment in a process called disgorgement. Immediately after disgorging, the bottle is topped up with a mixture of sugar and wine, known as the dosage, to adjust the sweetness level of the wine before it is corked and sealed.