Is Crémant The New Champagne?

Fizz lovers: listen up. You know those evenings when you fancy a glass of sparkling, and prosecco doesn’t feel quite special enough, but champagne feels a bit OTT? Say hello to crémant, the sparkling wine that’s flying off the shelves right now. 

Last year, 114.5 million bottles of crémant were sold, according to statistics from the Fédération Nationale des Producteurs et Élaborateurs de Crémant – an increase of 5.9 percent on 2023. Meanwhile, sparkling wine brand Henkell Freixenet recently reported a 16 percent increase in sales of crémant, and Morrisons now sells six times the amount as it did six years ago.

Interest in the drink has been slowly on the up for the past couple of years: last year, Waitrose revealed sales were up by 29 percent (beating Spanish rival Cava) and one in nine bottles of sparkling wine sold at the supermarket is now a crémant. ‘That’s mind-blowingly phenomenal,’ said Alexandra Mawson, the company’s champagne and sparkling wine buyer. ‘We have never seen crémant sales as big as we are at the moment.’ In March 2026, Waitrose plans to add a new crémant to its roster as a response to the surge in demand. 

Champagne sales, on the other hand, are down: according to the Comité Champagne, shipments fell by nearly 10 percent last year. So what’s behind the shift in drinking habits – and what is crémant anyway? 

Crémant vs Champagne: What’s The Difference?

There’s an old French saying that ‘it’s better to drink a good crémant than a bad champagne’. Often viewed as a cheaper alternative to champagne, or at least a middleman between prosecco and champagne, crémant has been around for years, but it’s sparkling in the spotlight right now – perhaps partially as a result of the cost-of-living crisis, which means we’re looking for savvier ways to get our bubbles fix.

Crémant is a French sparkling wine made in eight different regions across the country, including Burgundy, Bordeaux and the Loire Valley. Although the wine is created outside of the Champagne region, it uses the same production methods, known as ‘methode traditionelle’ – which means the secondary fermentation occurs in the bottle, giving it a rich, velvety texture. Prosecco, on the other hand, is made using the ‘tank method’.

A key difference between crémant and champagne is the grapes: while champagne uses three key varieties (Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Meunier), crémant can be made from a range of grapes including Chenin Blanc, Cabernet Franc and many more.

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Both champagne and crémant must be aged ‘on lees’ (yeast cells left over from fermentation), which gives the fizz its bread-like aromas. However, they differ on timings: rules stipulate crémant must be aged for at least nine months, while champagne is longer – at least 12 months for non-vintages, or at least three years for vintages. 

What Are The Different Types?

There are eight different appellations, but the most common in the UK are:

• Crémant d’Alsace 
• Crémant de Limoux
• Crémant de Loire
• Crémant de Bourgogne

Over 50 percent of the sparkling wine is made in Alsace: varieties from here have crisp apple and orchard fruit flavours, and a buttery brioche texture.

Which Foods Does It Pair Well With?

With its variety of different types, crémant can be paired with lots of foods. With its high acidity and bubbly nature, the drink works well with fish and seafood, such as scallops, oysters, prawns and smoked salmon, plus French cheeses like brie and camembert. Certain varieties are also good with rich desserts, such as fruity tarts and pastries.

How Should Crémant Be Served?

According to winery Maison Jalliance, ‘crémant should be served chilled, at between six and eight degrees Celsius, to bring out its delicate bubbles and complex aromas.’ Either flutes or tulip glasses are optimal, ‘allowing the wine’s aromas to rise to the nose’, and when opening the bottle avoid losing the foam by holding the cork firmly after removing the wire. ‘Then tilt your bottle at an angle of about 45 degrees and gently turn the bottom of the bottle while maintaining pressure on the cork.’