In short: crémant is the smart sparkling wine for raclette. Made using the traditional method, like Champagne, it brings bubbles and freshness for much less money. Choose a brut or an extra brut: Crémant de Savoie or Crémant du Jura for a mountain pairing, Crémant d’Alsace or Crémant de Bourgogne for finesse, Crémant de Loire for liveliness. Many are non-vintage: pick a recent bottle.
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Want bubbles with your raclette, but the budget already went on three kilos (over six pounds) of raw-milk cheese? Crémant is your friend. It’s Champagne’s regional cousin: same method, same fine bubbles, different accent. And since it’s made in the Alps and the Jura, it has every right to pull up a chair at a raclette table.
Why crémant goes with raclette
Crémant is a sparkling wine made using the traditional method: the second fermentation, the one that creates the bubbles, happens right in the bottle. It then ages stacked on its side, in contact with its lees, for at least nine months for Crémant d’Alsace or Crémant de Loire, which gives it finesse and a light bubble.
With raclette, the bubbles and acidity do the cleanup: they cut through the richness of the melted cheese and revive your appetite between rounds. A brut crémant is also perfect with the aperitif, alongside air-dried beef and cornichons. Just one rule: keep it dry. A sweeter demi-sec crémant will clash with the salty cheese.
The best appellations to look for
France has eight crémant appellations, united in a national federation: Alsace, Bordeaux, Bourgogne, Die, Jura, Limoux, Loire and Savoie. Here are the ones that fit a raclette best.
Crémant de Savoie: the terroir pairing
The youngest French crémant according to the Guide Hachette: it became an appellation in 2014. The specification requires at least 40% Jacquère in the blend, and at least 60% Jacquère and Altesse combined. It’s a wine to drink young, with a mineral, fresh, even lively palate. With a Savoie raclette, it’s the ultimate regional pairing, in the same vein as Apremont.
Crémant du Jura: Comté’s neighbor
Recognized in 1995, it combines Chardonnay and Savagnin for the whites, and may use Poulsard, Trousseau, Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris. The Guide Hachette states a minimum of nine months on the lees. Whites dominate; the rosés, rarer, are fresh and fruity. A very good choice for a mountain raclette or a version made with Jura cheese.
Crémant d’Alsace: the home favorite
Defined by a decree of August 24, 1976, Crémant d’Alsace accounts for about a quarter of Alsace Wines’ production. According to the trade body, it’s the leading AOC sparkling wine drunk at home in France after Champagne. Pinot Blanc is the main grape for the whites; Riesling adds liveliness, Pinot Gris richness, and Chardonnay finesse. The rosés are made exclusively from Pinot Noir. A Riesling-based brut or extra brut is a formidable weapon against the richness of the cheese.
Crémant de Bourgogne: the closest to Champagne
Based notably on Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, just like in neighboring Champagne. Burgundy has created two top-tier designations: “Eminent”, with at least 24 months on the lees, and “Grand Eminent”, with at least 36 months, reserved for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay (with a little Gamay tolerated in the rosés) and the first pressing. According to an official quoted in the regional press, crémant makes up about 13% of Burgundy’s production.
Crémant de Loire: the liveliest
Recognized in 1975, it’s made in Anjou, Saumur, Touraine and Cheverny. INAO (France’s appellation authority) highlights hand-picking into small crates, gentle pressing and aging on the lees for at least 9 months, often in galleries carved into the local tuffeau limestone. The whites suggest white peach or apricot, the rosés small red berries. Its freshness makes it an excellent raclette partner.
Vintages: many non-vintage crémants
Many crémants are sold without a vintage, and the Guide Hachette classes those from Savoie, the Jura and Burgundy among the wines to drink young. There are vintage crémants, often aged longer, with buttery, brioche notes according to Alsace Wines. Rather than a vintage ranking, here’s what the trade bodies say about the latest harvests, the ones that go into the bottles on the shelf now or coming soon. We give no opinion on 2024 in Alsace, Burgundy, Savoie and the Jura, or on 2023 and earlier: we did not find a reliable assessment.
| Vintage | Quality / profile | When to drink |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 (Alsace) | The earliest harvest ever seen, kicked off on August 19 with the grapes destined for crémant, 20 to 25 days earlier than normal. No opinion on quality, for lack of a reliable assessment. | Non-vintage and vintage crémants to come |
| 2025 (Burgundy) | According to the BIVB (Burgundy Wine Board), small, healthy grapes and a vintage of great quality; crémant was picked in two waves, a structured, expressive base in August, then fresher, more delicate grapes after the September rains. | Crémants to come |
| 2025 (Loire) | The first Chardonnay picked shortly after August 15 for sparkling wines; InterLoire announces a very promising vintage with moderate volumes. | Crémants to come |
| 2024 (Loire) | In Anjou-Saumur, freshness and aromatic finesse, “particularly for rosés and sparkling wines” according to InterLoire. | Now |
Serving crémant
- Temperature: between 6 and 10 °C (about 43 to 50 °F): the Guide Hachette gives 6 to 8 °C (about 43 to 46 °F) for Crémant de Bourgogne, the Comité Champagne 8 to 10 °C (about 46 to 50 °F) for its own sparkling wine. Half an hour in a bucket of water and ice is enough.
- Glass: a tall, rounded glass that narrows at the top, rather than a coupe: aromas and bubbles show better in it.
- Sweetness level: brut or extra brut. Avoid demi-sec with the cheese.
- How much: in our opinion, about half a bottle per wine-drinking adult over the evening; have an airtight stopper on hand to keep the bubbles between rounds.
More raclette wines
Back to the complete guide to wines for raclette. To trade up on bubbles, read our page on Champagne. And for a still wine from the same family, Alsace Riesling or Apremont work wonders.
Frequently asked questions
Does crémant go with raclette?
Yes. Its bubbles and acidity cut through the richness of the melted cheese and refresh your palate. Choose a brut or an extra brut rather than a demi-sec.
Which crémant should you choose for a raclette?
A Crémant de Savoie or Crémant du Jura for a mountain pairing, a Crémant d’Alsace for its liveliness and availability, a Crémant de Bourgogne for a Champagne-like profile, a Crémant de Loire for its freshness.
What’s the difference between crémant and Champagne?
Both are made using the traditional method, with a second fermentation in the bottle. Champagne comes only from the Champagne AOC and must spend at least 15 months in the cellar; crémant is made in eight other French appellations, with, for example, at least 9 months on the lees in Alsace or the Loire.
Do you need a vintage crémant?
No. Many crémants are non-vintage and work very well. A vintage crémant, often aged longer, brings brioche notes that are lovely with a well-aged raclette.
Sources
- Alsace Wines: the Crémant d’Alsace AOC (in French)
- INAO: Crémant de Loire (in French)
- Guide Hachette des vins: Crémant de Savoie AOC (in French)
- Guide Hachette des vins: Crémant du Jura AOC (in French)
- Agra: the eight crémant appellations want a common banner for export (in French)
- Decanter: new Crémant de Bourgogne ranking (Eminent, Grand Eminent)
- La Gazette France: 2025, a quality vintage for Burgundy wines (in French)
- Harpers: BIVB 2025 harvest report
- Pleinchamp: in Alsace, the harvest starts on August 19 (in French)
- InterLoire: 2025 vintage (in French)
- InterLoire: 2024 harvest (in French)
- Comité Champagne: serving Champagne (in French)
- AOC Vin de Savoie specification (BO-AGRI, July 6, 2023)
- Guide Hachette des Vins: AOC Crémant de Bourgogne
- Boisset: Eminent and Grand Eminent (first pressing)
