Tasting

A Crémant de Bordeaux Brut smells of green apple, lemon and white blossom, often with peach or pear joining in. The mousse is fine and creamy, the acidity fresh, the finish crisp rather than bready. Sweetness is barely noticeable. A rosé tastes of strawberry and redcurrant.

Good examples include Lateyron in Montagne, Cloître des Cordeliers in Saint-Émilion, Ballarin, and the merchant house Calvet. Each house blends its varieties differently, so it's worth comparing several bottles.

A Gaillac méthode ancestrale is a different story: it smells of apple and pear, looks slightly hazy if the yeast has stayed in the bottle, and has a gentle fizz. One well-known example comes from Domaine Plageoles, which bottles a Mauzac Nature as a sparkling wine.

Serve well chilled, at around 6 to 8 degrees Celsius. Too cold suppresses the fruit; too warm, and the carbon dioxide turns overly boisterous. A tulip glass works better than a flat coupe: the aroma gathers, and the bubbles keep rising for longer.

When opening, first loosen the wire cage, hold the cork firmly and turn the bottle, not the cork. That way, the gas escapes with a quiet sigh instead of a bang, and nothing foams over. With a Gaillac that still has yeast in it, it's worth opening extra carefully, since the wine is often under real pressure.

The glass reveals a lot. With a Brut, the foam should rise briefly after pouring and then settle into a thin ring at the rim; a rosé should show a color ranging from pale salmon to delicate raspberry. With a Gaillac, color and haziness aren't flaws — they're often simply a sign that the yeast is still in the wine.