Drink of the Week: Domaine Bechtold Crémant d’Alsace

When it comes to sparkling wine from France, Champagne tends to steal the spotlight, particularly around the holidays. But I’m a firm believer in year-round bubbles for any occasion, or no occasion at all. Which is why, on a brutally cold Wednesday, a friend and I ordered some Thai takeout and popped a bottle of Domaine Bechtold Crémant d’Alsace. Lively, fresh, and delightfully drinkable, the wine was exactly the ticket for a dark, uneventful, post-holidays weekday.

For those unfamiliar, crémant is a sparkling wine produced in France and Luxembourg utilizing the same méthode traditionnelle used to make Champagne. The grapes must be manually harvested, pressed in whole bunches with limited must extraction, and be aged on the lees for a minimum of nine months. The sparkling wine is then (often) sold at a fraction of the cost of Champagne. In Northeastern France, the region of Alsace produces more than 50 percent of the country’s crémant.

At Domaine Bechtold, fourth-generation winemaker Jean-Marie Bechtold harvests from certified organic and biodynamic vineyards. His crémant blanc extra brut is half Chardonnay and half Auxerrois, aged nine months in stainless steel followed by two years in the bottle. Racy and electric, the wine was bursting with fresh citrus zest, grounded by earthy mineral notes and a slightly creamy texture. It was a revelation alongside spicy green curry, and I wouldn’t think twice to pop another bottle any day of the week. $23.99, winelibrary.com