“This is the product that performs best in terms of sales. These wines are progressing and appeal to all social categories and all ages”confides Pascale Bonneau, facilitator at the Haut-Poitou wine union.
“These are wines which, by nature, are not necessarily very strong, compared to spirits. If they are consumed wisely and we get behind the wheel, there are not many risks”adds François Martin, winegrower on the Martin estate, in Val-en-Vignes, in Deux-Sèvres.
“Regarding Crémant de Loire, the harvest must be done by hand. For the brine, it is made by machine »
The Martin estate, in Deux-Sèvres, produces fine bubble brine and Crémant de Loire. Protected by an AOP, their manufacturing meets precise specifications. “Regarding Crémant de Loire, the harvest must be done by hand. For the brine, it is made by machine »explains François Martin.
The manufacturing method used by the estate is that of traditional winemaking. “In wine, we find yeasts. To feed themselves, they need sugars. Part of these yeasts, which break down sugar, will form alcohol and another will form carbon dioxide. It is dissolved in wine. Once the yeast has broken down all the sugar, it has no more food. They die. They will therefore create deposits along the entire length of the bottle. During second fermentation, they are stored flat. »
Rearing on slats
This phase has a name: rearing on slats. The minimum time spent on slats depends on the specifications: “For the fine bubble brine, it’s nine months. For Crémant de Loire, nine months plus three months. And for champagnes, eighteen months. Yeasts bring fat and finesse to the wines. Concerning a bottle of high-end Crémant de Loire, you can keep it for three years on a latte”specifies the winemaker.
The last step is disgorging. “We turn the bottle 45 degrees, we uncap it, the deposit is ejected by the pressure. It is then necessary to make the addition: we add classic wine, a brut or a liqueur. The wine becomes semi-dry. »
Sparkling wines are popular during the end-of-year celebrations.
© (Photo NR, Jérôme Dutac)
15,000 bottles each year
The Martin estate cultivates 65 hectares of vines for all alcohols, including around fifteen hectares for bubbles and white wines. “In our region, Chenin is the main grape variety. You can also make a blend with Chardonnay or red grape variety”specifies François Martin. The production of Crémant de Loire represents 15,000 bottles each year.
Carole Kohler, owner of three hectares of vines grown organically in Thouars, also applies this same traditional method. “I am preparing a vintage of 2,000 bottles, bubbles, for 2025. For the moment, they are nine months old and fermenting. I prefer it to be soft in terms of texture. »
The Anjou Saumur wine federation estimated the production for the 2023 harvest of AOC wine at 34,000 hectoliters (hl), including 11,600 hl of Crémant de Loire Protected Designation of Origin (AOP) and 6,900 hl of fine bubble Saumur. the north of Vienne. For this same harvest, in Nord-Deux-Sèvres, 50,000 hl including 7,500 hl of Crémant de Loire and 11,600 hl of fine bubble brine were produced.
