Crémant production rises in Bordeaux

The 2015 harvest in Bordeaux included a substantial rise in the amount of wine destined for crémant production and a fall in that for rosé.

Production figures from the ‘Syndicat Viticole des AOC Bordeaux et Bordeaux Supérieur’ showed a 2% increase in volume over 2014 to 2.9 million hectolitres.

According to Vitisphere, the union’s president, Hervé Grandeau, was quick to point out that, “it is a great vintage in terms of quality and in fact normal in quantity. There is no lack of wine but no is there a glut.”

After a record year of rosé production in 2014 when figures hit 262,000 hl, there was a sudden drop-off in 2015 of -28% to 189,000 hl.

Rather than a sudden switch in production focus however, the drop is explained by the change in crop levels allowed for rosé. Up to 2014 crops as high as 60 hectolitres per hectare were allowed but this was lowered to 56 hl/ha for the 2015 vintage.

As Grandeau explained, with more Bordeaux producers making pink wines it was necessary to ensure over-production did not “unbalance” the market.

Production of red wines in 2015 remained largely stable at 551,000hl, dry white wine production went down 11% to 245,000 hl but that of sweet wines actually increased 25% to 64,000 hl.

The biggest jump though was in wines for producing Crémant de Bordeaux, which rose 41% to 45,000 hl. Although Grandeau said that vintage conditions in effect decided how much wine – sparkling or otherwise – was produced, the increasing demand for sparkling wine around the world has surely turned heads in Bordeaux?

Indeed, the 2014 production of 32,000 hl was itself a 60% increase on the 2013 crop for Crémant. This February it was also decided to amend the ‘cahier des charges‘ for Crémant de Bordeaux, including raising future crop levels to between 74 and 80 hl/ha.