First world problem klaxon; you’re hosting Christmas dinner, and while everyone expects champagne, your wallet is feeling distinctly un-festive. But before you reach for that bottle of Prosecco (and the subsequent Gaviscon), there’s a sophisticated secret the French have been keeping: Crémant – the ideal trade up treat for Christmas.
This sparkling sophisticate is crafted using the same traditional method as champagne – perfected by none other than the famous Benedictine monk Dom Pérignon himself – but produced outside the hallowed Champagne region.
And here’s the festive miracle – it’s sold at a fraction of the price of the sparkling wines of Champagne, they offer exceptional value for money, often coming in at half the price of non-vintage Champagne. With Waitrose reporting a 51% surge in Crémant sales, it seems the secret is well and truly out. If you’re looking to stock up for Christmas, crémant should be your go to fizz.
So, as we deck the halls and prep the turkey, let’s explore some magnificent Crémant and festive food pairings that’ll have your guests thinking you’ve splashed out on the fancy stuff. And the best part? Most of these bottles come in at a very merry £9-£18.
Arthur Metz Crémant d’Alsace Organic & Bio
The ideal apéritif…
We know we promised Crémant and food pairings, but you’ll need a fizz on hand which works well without food. So, kick off your festivities with this organic and biodynamic beauty from Arthur Metz (£15, Ocado). Golden in colour with a fruity and floral bouquet that’ll have your guests swooning, it brings peach, apple, and citrus to the party, with subtle roasted notes that linger longer than your in-laws.
What makes this sparkler particularly special is the meticulous attention that’s paid during production – every grape is hand-harvested, ensuring only the finest fruit makes it into your glass. The result? Unmatched bubble finesse and a generous, smooth sensation that sets the perfect tone for your festive celebrations.
Serve this as an apéritif and watch your guests mentally upgrade your hosting status to ‘seriously sophisticated’.
Grapes: Auxerrois, Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Grigio, Pinot Noir, Riesling
Arthur Metz Crémant d’Alsace Organic & Bio, Alsace, France (£15 Ocado)
Salasar Crémant de Limoux
Ideal for Christmas canapes…
At £13 from Ellis Wharton, this historic house (founded in 1890, darling) brings you a delicate sparkler from vines 300m above sea level. Expect lots of stone fruits & floral notes paired with hints of brioche and toastiness and plenty of bubbles. With notes of lemon zest too, it pairs particularly well well with fatty fried foods like tempura or your M&S Indian street food snacks, as well as soft cheeses, too. It’s ideal, then, for your Christmas morning smoked salmon and cream cheese blinis.
Grape Varieties: 90% Chardonnay and Chenin, 10% Pinot Noir
Salasar Crémant de Limoux, Limoux, France (£13, Ellis Wharton)
Calvet Crémant de Bordeaux Rosé:
Ideal to pair with those Christmas Crémant cranberry bellinis…
This soft and fruity sparkling rosé (£12, Ocado) brings an expressive bouquet of fresh raspberry and lime aromas to your festive cocktail menu. Made with Merlot and Cabernet Franc grapes in the heart of Entre-deux-Mers, it pairs beautifully with cranberries and redcurrants and therefore makes a killer Christmas cranberry bellinis.
Its highly aromatic profile delivers a long and complex finale that makes it perfect not just as an aperitif, but as your Christmas dinner wingman. Those fruity notes will complement cranberry sauce, a cranberry mimosa and even cranberry Wensleydale cheese if you’re feeling adventurous with your festive cheeseboard.
Grape Varieties: 90% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc
Calvet Crémant de Bordeaux Rosé, Bordeaux, France (£12, Ocado)
LaCheteau Crémant de Loire
Ideal with crab…
Looking for something to pair with that showstopping crab starter? This £16 gem from Ocado is your new best friend. With its straight and lively attack (fancy wine speak for “it’s got personality”), well-structured body, and persistent effervescence, it’s got enough zing to make seafood sing. Those notes of lemon, tangerine, and exotic fruits? They’re practically doing a Christmas conga with your crustacean. The persistent effervescence ensures each bite of crab remains as exciting as the first.
Grape Varieties: 70% Chenin Blanc, 20% Cabernet Franc, 10% Chardonnay
Lacheteau Crémant de Loire, Loire, France, (£16, Ocado)
François Martenot Crémant de Bourgogne
Ideal with oysters…
If you’re feeling particularly fancy (it is Christmas, after all), this £18 bottle from Ocado brings all the finesse and aromatic intensity you’d expect from Burgundy. Its pale yellow hue and great freshness make it the perfect partner for oysters – because nothing says “I’ve got my life together” quite like serving oysters at Christmas.
Grapes: 65.41% Chardonnay, 0.59% Pinot noir, 29.74% Gamay, 4.84% Aligoté
François Martenot Crémant de Bourgogne, Bourgogne, France, (£18, Ocado)
Carod Crémant de Die
Ideal with seared scallops…
For just £11.90 (Amazon), this tiny French appellation delivers big on flavour. Coming from small plots along the Drôme valley, this buttery beauty combines aromatic richness with a fresh finish that’s “to die for” (their words, but we’re not arguing).
It’s the kind of wine that’ll have your guests asking where you discovered it. Partner it with perfectly seared scallops for a starter. With its fine, light mousse and lovely pale gold colour, plus those delicate notes of apple and green, it perfectly elevates the delicate sweetness of said scallops.
Grape Varieties: 85% Clairette Blanche, 10% Aligoté, 5% Dry Muscat
Carod Crémant de Die, to die for edition, Die, France (£11.90, Amazon)
Louis Couturier Crémant de Bordeaux
Ideal with pâté…
At just £12 from Morrison’s (or a jolly £10 from Tesco – £9 with Clubcard!), this deliciously fresh Crémant brings the best of Bordeaux to your Christmas table. This generous crémant shows plenty of character with every sip. Expect a symphony of peach and nectarine flavours, with expressive aromas of lemon sorbet and brioche, all enveloped with fine, delicate bubbles.
Smooth and taut in the mouth, it’s perfect paired with creamy pâté for a starter that’ll have everyone thinking you’ve spent far more than you actually have. The wine’s fresh and lemony character cuts through the richness of the pâté while those brioche notes complement the flavour beautifully.
Grape Varieties: 60% Sémillon, 40% Merlot
Louis Couturier Crémant de Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France (£12, Morrison’s and £10, Tesco (£9 with Clubcard))
Calvet Crémant de Bordeaux Blanc
Ideal with bread sauce…
For £11 from Ocado, this golden-yellow beauty with its fine and persistent bubbles offers a fresh and balanced palate that’ll elevate your traditional bread sauce to new heights. Expressing notes of yellow fruit and toasted brioche touches that complement the creamy, nutmeg-spiced sauce perfectly – because someone finally figured out how to make bread sauce sophisticated.
Grape Varieties: 70% Sémillon, 30% Cabernet Franc
Calvet Crémant de Bordeaux Blanc, Bordeaux, France (£11, Ocado)
François Martenot Crémant de Bourgogne Rosé:
Ideal with fruit desserts…
Who says you can’t pair bubbles with dessert? This pale pink number (£18, Ocado) with its fine bubbles and subtle flavours of redcurrant and raspberry is like Christmas in a glass. The attack is wonderfully frank in the mouth (that’s wine speak for “it makes an entrance”), revealing fruity and persistent aromas that give way to a dry and balanced finish.
Those fruity and lengthy aromas make it a dream partner for your fruit-based puddings. Christmas trifle, anyone? This remarkable gourmet partner proves that sometimes the best things in life come with bubbles.
Grapes: 65.41% Chardonnay, 0.59% Pinot noir, 29.74% Gamay, 4.84% Aligoté
François Martenot Crémant de Bourgogne Rosé, Bourgogne, France (£18, Ocado)
Marcel Cablier Crémant de Jura:
Ideal with your festive cheeseboard…
When it’s time for the cheese course (aka the best part of Christmas dinner), reach for this elegant, harmonious Chardonnay-based Crémant (£14.88, Xtrawine). It’s particularly magnificent with cheese from its home region – think Comté or Emmental. Because when in Jura, do as the Jurassians do. The secret to its complexity? Each bottle is aged for at least a year, developing a sophisticated profile of floral notes, ripe citrus flavours, and toasty brioche that will have your cheese board singing carols.
Marcel Cablier Crémant de Jura, Jura, France (£14.88, Xtrawine)
Cave de Lugny Crémant De Bourgogne
Ideal for an all rounder…
This elegant, dry cremant made with 100% chardonnay grapes, grown on the slopes of the Lugny district, in the Mâconnais, Southern Burgundy is a great all rounder. It has a biscuity and honey flavour, with a tiny touch of ginger spice. It pairs perfectly with crab, lobster and oysters. Its brioche notes make it ideal for pate, too. It also works well with Indian inspired curries, should you be turning those turkey leftovers into a Boxing Day curry.
Finally, we’ve just learned that Andy Murry likes to have sushi for his Christmas day lunch (no comment, indeed) but he’ll be pleased to know that this cremant pairs perfectly with with sushi, too.
Grapes: 100% Chardonnay
Cave de Lugny Crémant De Bourgogne, Burgandy, France (£16.99 Waitrose)
The Bottom Line
While champagne might get all the glory, Crémant is the savvy host’s secret weapon this Christmas. With its champagne-worthy quality and Prosecco-beating price tag, it’s the ultimate hack for festive entertaining. These sparkling alternatives bring all the sophistication you need for your Christmas feast, without the eye-watering price tag of their champagne cousins.
So this festive season, let’s raise a glass to Crémant – the sparkling wine that proves you don’t need to remortgage your chimney to serve something spectacular. Your guests will be impressed, your wallet will be relieved, and you’ll look like the most sophisticated host this side of the Channel. Now that’s what we call a Christmas miracle!
And if anyone asks where you discovered these magnificent pairings? Well, some Christmas secrets are best kept under wraps…