We all love French Champagne,  but have you ever considered other sparkling wine from France. These sparklings wines (that don't come from Champagne) now use the "Crémant" designation.  Crémant in French means "creamy" and sparkling wines, originally from the Champagne region, designated Crémant were  named because their lower carbon dioxide pressures were thought to give them a creamy rather than fizzy mouth-feel. These wines were rare in comparison to regular, full-pressure Champagne. The Crémant designation was also used for sparkling wines from the Loire valley. Since the late 1980s when lobbying by Champagne producers led to méthode champenoise being forbidden as a designation for the traditional method, the term Crémant was given its present definition. This meant that the use of "Crémant" in the Champagne region was discontinued and today there are seven appellations for sparkling wine which include the designation Crémant in their name:

• Crémant d'Alsace
• Crémant de Bordeaux
• Crémant de Bourgogne
• Crémant de Die
• Crémant du Jura
• Crémant de Limoux
• Crémant de Loire

There is also a Crémant designation outside of France:

• Crémant de Luxembourg

French appellation laws dictate that a Crémant must be harvested by hand with yields not exceeding a set amount for their AOC. The wines must also be aged for a minimum of one year. The Loire Valley is France's largest producer of sparkling wines outside of the Champagne region. The majority of these Crémant de Loire are produced around the city of Saumur and are a blend of the Chardonnay, Chenin blanc and Cabernet franc.

Grapes and Lager have the DE CHANCENY 'CREMANT DE LOIRE' BRUT BLANC NV for sale , which is an excellent example of a "Cremant De Loire".