Crémant is Germany’s Best Kept Secret

By

Nicole Wolbers

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Volume 10, "German Style" •

German Crémant is one of sparkling wine’s best-kept secrets. The high-quality classification requires strict hand harvesting and whole-bunch pressing to ensure that only the purest juice is used. Since its legalization over a decade ago, it has built a sparkling identity for itself, separate from its more established cousin Sekt.  As one of the world’s best-selling sparkling style, crémant has at some point most likely graced your glass. Wine aficionados appreciate it for its delicate mousse, high quality, and ultimate value. Yet even among those who know and love crémant, few are aware that, far from being the sole property…

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Nicole is on a mission to raise awareness of lesser-known traditional method sparkling wines. Following a successful career as a textile engineer, a move to California made her realize that wine was her true passion. In Santa Barbara, she worked in the best wine store in town while taking wine classes in Napa Valley. Her WSETdiploma thesis led her right into the world of bubbles and gained her a nomination as one of the top candidates of the Champagne Bureau in the UK. Back in Germany, she noticed that the quality of German Sekt had rocketed, but few people knew about it. To change this, Nicole launched schaumweinmagazin.de, which focusses on German sparklers and offers sales, education, and tasting experiences. She now lives in the Berlin area, works as a wine writer, and is a frequent judge at wine competitions. In addition to holding the WSET diploma, Nicole is also a certified Cava Educator.

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