Crémant de Luxembourg

From Champagne cellars to a protected name

Late in the 19th century the Champagne house Mercier opened a branch in Luxembourg, at a time when the Grand Duchy belonged to the German Zollverein customs union and much of its own wine, mostly Elbling, went to Germany for blending.

When that market closed after the First World War, growers turned to quality. In 1921 a Luxembourg oenologist back from the cellars of Champagne founded the sparkling-wine house of Bernard-Massard at Grevenmacher; the Institut viti-vinicole followed at Remich in 1925, and the Marque Nationale quality seal in 1935.

The crémant name came with a government regulation of 4 January 1991, which created the Marque Nationale – Appellation contrôlée Crémant de Luxembourg. The growers’ cooperative Domaines Vinsmoselle launched its first Poll-Fabaire crémant that year. The Luxembourg Moselle is one of nine crémant regions that meet at the yearly Concours des Crémants de France et du Luxembourg, alongside eight in France, from Alsace and Burgundy to the Loire.

How it is made

The grapes must be picked by hand and pressed whole, and no more than 100 litres of must may be drawn from 150 kilos of fruit. The base wine is then bottled for a second alcoholic fermentation and has to rest on its lees, without interruption and in the same winery, for at least nine months.

Some cuvées rest much longer, up to 36 months, before the yeast is removed by disgorging and the bottle is corked. The finished wine must hold a pressure of at least 4 bar, with less than 50 grams of sugar and no more than 150 milligrams of sulphur dioxide per litre.

Crémant de Luxembourg can be white or rosé, from a single variety or a blend, with or without a vintage. The official appellation guide names Pinot Blanc as an important base wine for it.

Checked by the state

Every wine that claims the name is tasted by a committee of the national wine brand, which judges its colour, clarity, bouquet and taste. Those that pass carry a rectangular back label reading Marque Nationale – Appellation contrôlée Crémant de Luxembourg, a state-backed guarantee of origin and quality.

Because crémant sits within the Moselle Luxembourgeoise appellation, only grapes grown in Luxembourg may be used. The vineyards follow the Moselle for 42 kilometres, from Schengen to Wasserbillig, along the border with Germany, on slopes cut into limestone.

Producers and a festive habit

Producers range from Vinsmoselle, which sells its crémants under the Poll-Fabaire name, to family houses such as Bernard-Massard of Grevenmacher.

Luxembourg now makes about 3.5 million bottles of crémant a year, and it is a must at receptions, parties and celebrations. In Emblem World, it sits in the Luxembourg drink collection, where people discover and rate local food, drink and music.