crémant

[kray-MAHN] French for "creaming," which in champagne describes wines that are moderately sparkling. This means that they've been made with slightly more than half the pressure of champagne or mousseux-style sparkling wines but more pressure than wines described as pétillant, frizzante or crackling. Even though crémant is included in the name of three appellation d'origine contrôlées (crémant d'alsace, crémant de bourgogne and crémant de loire), their wines are not moderately but rather fully sparkling. The sparkling wines from these three areas are made by the méthode champenoise and have strict regulations regarding their production.