This month the French Winophiles are delving into the sparkling world of Crémant d’Alsace, and I will be focusing in particular on two excellent examples from Domaine Baumann-Zirgel.

Last year I had the pleasure of tasting a myriad of samples from Alsace, thanks to the Alsace Digitasting. And while it totally rekindled my love for riesling, I was disappointed that due to sample bottling constraints, we weren’t able to try any Crémant d’Alsace, the famed traditional-method sparkling wine from the region. So I was thrilled when the Winophiles chose Crémant for this month’s topic, as it gave me a chance to make up for lost bubbly!

Domaine Baumann-Zirgel

Domaine Baumann-Zirgel is a small, family-run organic winery located in Bergheim. This fortified village is one of the few towns in Alsace that has kept its medieval fortified walls intact, even after the bombardments in the area during WWII. It is known for its floral decorations, cobbled main street and brightly painted half-timber houses so typical of Alsatian architecture.

Baumann-Zirgel vineyard view of Bergheim
Overlooking the vineyards towards the village of Bergheim

The winery falls under the classification of “vigneron indépendant”, which means it’s a small, independent operation responsible for tending the vineyards, picking the grapes, making the wines on site and selling them as well. A wine jack-of-all-trades, if you will. This is not as common as you’d think in the land of wine cooperatives and négociants, who buy other people’s grapes.

While Domaine Baumann-Zirgel is a relatively small domaine, it recently acquired new vineyards, growing to 11 hectares, and is in the process of converting its organic vineyards to biodynamic growing practices. This is in line with the Zirgels’ commitment to preserving and protecting the biodiversity of its vineyards. Besides the family, the team is very small (only 3 employees), which is surprising, considering that harvesting is all done by hand.

Baumann Zirgel family
The second and third generations of Zirgel-family winemakers. Photo credit: Les 2 Raisins
Benjamin and Valérie Zirgel pose near their bottling station for Baumann-Zirgel wines
Benjamin and Valérie Zirgel bottling…and sampling! Photo provided by Valérie Zirgel

Baumann-Zirgel wines

Baumann-Zirgel makes a wide variety of delicious wines , some of which I was able to taste through with Valérie Zirgel over video chat last year, including:

  • Mandelberg Riesling 2018
  • Riesling Streng 2019
  • Rimelsberg Pinot Gris 2019
  • Late Harvest Gewürztraminer 2018

All of these organic wines were delicious, and you could practically taste the careful attention winemaker Benjamin Zirgel devotes to crafting them. After tasting these still wines, I knew I just had to try their sparkling offerings. But before we get to those tasting notes, let’s take a minute to get to know Crémant d’Alsace.

Crémant d’Alsace

Crémant d’Alsace is made using the traditional method, the same method used to make Champagne (which is why it’s also known as the méthode champenoise or Champagne method). With Crémant d’Alsace, you’re still getting a high-quality sparkling wine for a fraction of the price of Champagne, without all the marketing gimmicks of “luxury” branding.

Crémant d’Alsace fun facts

  • 27% of the wine produced in Alsace is Crémant d’Alsace.
  • More than 1/2 of France’s bubbly production is Crémant d’Alsace. In fact, it’s #2 after Champagne for bubbly sold in France.
  • The base of Crémant d’Alsace is generally pinot blanc. Other allowed varieties are auxerrois, riesling, pinot gris, chardonnay and pinot noir. By the way, as you can see, we don’t capitalize grape names on this site.
  • All the grapes that go into Crémant must be manually harvested. They are among the first grapes picked at harvest time (grapes picked earlier in the season tend to have higher acidity – perfect for bubbly!)
  • Crémant d’Alsace spends a minimum of 9 months aging on its lees, then at least 1 year aging in the bottle.
  • Crémant d’Alsace earned AOC status in 1976 (from a grammatical standpoint, AOC status also gives it capitalization status).

Now that we have the Crémant d’Alsace basics, let’s get wining!

Baumann-Zirgel Crémant d’Alsace Brut*

Bottle of Domaine Baumann Zirgel Crémant d'Alsace Brut
Baumann-Zirgel Crémant d’Alsace Brut

If you like Champagne, you’ll love this handcrafted vegan and organic bubbly.

🍇 70% pinot blanc, 30 % Riesling

👁️ Pale straw yellow with fine bubbles

👃 Green apples and fresh baked bread at first, evolving as it warms up to reveal lemon, white flower and five spice

👄There is so much going on on the palate! First, the fine bubbles make this traditional-method sparkling wine crisp, mouth-watering and refreshing. It tastes of macintosh apples, pear, flint and toast, with a clean toasty finish.

💲29.95

🍽️ Try with traditional pairings like sushi, oysters and smoked salmon. Or try a less traditional pairing like plain ol’ potato chips!

Many Crémant producers put a symbolic image on their capsules (the cap that goes over the cork and is locked in by the cage), which are collectibles in France. Baumann-Zirgel is no exception. This bottle’s capsule featured l’Alsacienne, an Alsatian woman in the traditional regional dress.

Baumann-Zirgel Crémant d'Alsace capsule with l'Alsacienne
Capsule featuring l’Alsacienne

Baumann-Zirgel Crémant d’Alsace rosé*

Bottle of Baumann-Zirgel Crémant d'Alsace rosé

🍇 100% pinot noir

👁️ Perfectly pale peachy pink

👃 The smell reminds me of searching for wild strawberries on an early summer’s day, followed by a hint of lemon, cranberry, soft lilac and white peach.

👄On the palate, its medium bodied texture is offset by the myriad of soft, fine bubbles. It is bone dry and tastes of light strawberry/peach/raspberry brioche, finishing with a lingering light strawberry.

🍽️ This light, fruity-yet-dry treat is perfect for an apéro on a summer’s day, a light lunch, or to celebrate any special occasion.

💲30.65

Here’s the adorable capsule for this bottle:

Baumann-Zirgel Crémant d'Alsace capsule with stork
Storks on the capsule

Where to buy Baumann-Zirgel Crémant d’Alsace in Canada

Baumann-Zirgel is sadly not represented in Ontario yet, so you likely won’t find these wines at the LCBO. However, the winery is represented in Quebec by Les 2 Raisins. Get in touch with them to order any of their wines (still or sparkling) by the case, delivered to the SAQ of your choice. Sidenote: alas the rosé is currently out of stock. I am told they should have it again before the year is out.

Keep an eye out for Crémant d’Alsace next time you’re looking for a unique bottle to mark a special occasion or celebration!

*These wines were provided by the agent as samples. No remuneration was provided. All opinions are my own.

The Winophiles meet every month on Twitter to chat about French wines. Feel free to join us on Saturday, June 18 at 11 a.m. ET to talk about all things Crémant d’Alsace. And be sure to check out the other winophiles’ contributions this month!