Dirler-Cadé Crémant d’Alsace Brut Nature NV
Background
If you’re not completely familiar with Crémant, you are in for a treat! Crémant is France’s regional traditional method sparkling wine. By law, it must be made using the same laborious double-ferment method as Champagne, but producers are allowed to use grapes native to their particular area. So in Loire, they might make Crémant with Chenin Blanc, in Jura it might be Chardonnay or Savagnin, and here in Alsace, they get to use fun grapes like Riesling and Pinot Auxerrois.
Besides grape varieties, the other major difference between Crémant and Champagne, is that Crémant can be released younger. By law it only has to rest on the lees for 9 months, so it’s generally a little less savoury and less ‘Champagney’. But maybe you happen to know two handsome, bearded wine guys who can find you a producer doing a full 36 months of lees aging? (You do, and we did). That extra age gives this wine a nice nutty, bready savoury backbone that really makes it easy to compare to high-end Champers.
But wait, it’s NOT from Champagne right? It’s from Alsace, the northeastern part of France that shares a border with Germany. This whole region is a rain-shadow (remember that Cheat Sheet?) and the growing season here is long and sunny. They are known for whites that achieve deep ripeness, but keep their fresh fruit acidity. This wine is a blend of Pinot Gris, which has thicker skins and rich body, Pinot Auxerrois, used in Alsace and Germany for it’s mellow acidity, and Riesling which imparts nice peachy stone-fruit flavours.
Dirler-Cadé is a family run, biodynamic winery that began production in 1871. They oversee some historically significant vineyards (40% of their land is classified as Grand Cru!). They make some high-quality wines, and have a serious investment in responsible agriculture. Exactly the kind of producer we like to showcase!
Food Pairing
That extra richness from the juicy, round Pinot Gris and Pinot Auxerrois makes this the perfect kind of wine to have with some dense, lean protein. Chicken breast, pork loin, swordfish, tuna are all pretty ‘proteiny’. That’s why they’re all so good with fatty butter, mayo and olive oil. The rich bodied fruitiness in this Crémant, along with those fine bubbles and bright acid make this the perfect palate-cleanser. Crémant wines are so fun to explore because not only do you get all the bubbles of traditional method (which are great with almost any food), but you get to dive deep into your favourite white grape varieties, and experience them in a fun new way. Drink more Crémant!
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