Food & Occasion

Crémant du Jura goes especially well with Comté. This hard cow’s-milk cheese from Franche-Comté tastes nutty, sweetish or spicy depending on its age. The carbonation cuts through the fat, and the acidity carries the nutty notes. Morbier, the cheese with the thin dark line through the middle, is also an option.

Which crémant goes with which Comté? With young, mild cheese, a light, fruity Brut; with aged Comté, a crémant with long lees aging, because its nutty notes mirror the cheese.

With raclette and fondue savoyarde, cheese dishes need acidity and bubbles, because both clear the palate again. Crémant de Savoie is the sparkling alternative to the usual white wines of the mountains.

Tartiflette made with Reblochon, potatoes, bacon and onions is a winter dish of the Savoyard mountains. Diots, the region’s sausages, and the Saucisse de Morteau from the Jura are smoky and robust. A rosé with red fruit goes well with them, because its acidity cuts through the fat.

Lake whitefish and Arctic char come from the Alpine lakes. They pair well with a Crémant de Savoie made from Jacquère and Altesse, because the fish is delicate and the wine fresh but not heavy.

In autumn the cows come down from the high pastures into the valley, and many villages celebrate this Désalpe with markets and cheese. Family celebrations in Savoy and the Jura also often begin with a sparkling-wine aperitif. After a day of skiing, a Crémant de Savoie with raclette makes a convivial start.