Crispy Fishwich + an Organic Cremant d'Alsace from Charles Bauer

A crispy fishwich could pair with beer, but it's even better with a Cremant d'Alsace sparkling wine from France.

Sometimes with organic wine, you might find it easier to forgive any of its "sins" and drink it anyway because it's organic.

However, that is happily not the case with this Cremant d'Alsace from Charles Bauer.

Cremant refers to French sparkling wines made in the traditional method outside the region of Champagne. Secondary fermentation occurs in the bottle along with a minimum aging of 9 months on the lees resulting in its trademark "creamy" texture.

They are typically much less expensive than Champagne but with the same hallmarks of quality. I explored a couple of them previously "alongside" tasting notes from Jancis Robinson.

Tasting French Cremants with Jancis Robinson

Cremants from the Alsace region are distinct because of the grapes have time to ripen in the much warmer climate than Champagne, yielding more fruit forward flavors. Since the juice isn't so tart like many other sparkling wines, little to no sugar is added to them.

Source: The Story Behind Cremant d'Alsace

Such is the case with the Charles Bauer Emotion Cremant d'Alsace Brut. While labeled as dry, it certainly didn't deliver the pucker punch I expected.

I initially tried to pair it with Muenster Grilled Cheese sandwich. Muenster cheese is the American imitation of the washed rind Munster cheese from Alsace.

I just thought a buttery, crispy, ooey, gooey grilled cheese sando would go so well with my sparkling wine.

But I was wrong.

The wine wasn't the problem. I probably just got the wrong brand of Muenster cheese, but it tasted like rubber. When heated between two slices of bread, it tasted like melted rubber. (Sigh).

On a second try, I thought I would cave to the deep fryer. A crispy fishwich goes so well with beer but it could be yum-azing with this wine. Added a side of crispy air fryer fries and some catsup of coarse!

And I suppose one needs to eat salad with fish and chips, so an Alsatian salad delightfully consists of ham, cheese, dijon, parsley, white wine vinegar, parsley, and onion (and not a salad green in sight).

Charles Baur "Emotion" Cremant d'Alsace Brut

40% Auxerrois, 40% Pinot Blanc, and 20% Chardonnay; $20 at K&L Wine Merchants

Certified organic and vegan; aged 24 months prior to disgorgement; planted on clay and limestone soils

The Bauer family settled in the Alsatian town of Eguisheim in the 18th century and remained there ever since. In 1948, Charles Bauer started bottling and selling wine from the family's vineyards. Today the estate is managed by his son and grandson, Armand and Arnaud.

All the grapes for their wines and estate grown and hand harvested. The estate aims for quality over quality in order to produce the finest wines possible. According to Charles Bauer, "A great wine is one where two glasses alone do not suffice, three glasses at a minimum should be drunk!”

Tasting Notes:

• What a nose! pears, white blossoms, ocean fizz, a little bit of yeastiness like champagne
• Soft foam that dissipates quickly
• Tastes like biting into a ripe Bosc pear, kiwi, lemon zest, green apple, and a very pleasing minerality that supposedly other cremants lack
• Starts bold and finish like a tart prosecco
• Picked up more herbaceous notes with the ham and cheese "salad"
• NEXT LEVEL with the fishwich - more nectarine notes, fruit, and all over love fest between fatty fried fish and cremant bubbles
• NOT SO GOOD with the catsup. Crispy potatoes yes, but catsup no. Rings of Metallica, heavy metal, migraines. (Do the French even eat catsup? Doubtful.)

The Last Drop

Wines are like movies sometimes. It's not often I want to watch or drink the same one again. But I would come back to this Cremant D'Alsace from Charles Bauer.

It's got a lot of nuanced flavors; it's organic; and a great price at $20. I would even go back to the website, which is very non-flashy, non-descript, and a bit old fashioned but with a lot of good information, including suggested wine pairings.

The only thing I don't understand is the name. Emotion. Why would you name your wine Emotion?

More Sparkling Wines from Alsace

Learn more about Cremant d'Alsace in these posts from the French Winophiles:

• Cremant Wine Battered Perch; Michigan and French Classics Collide on A Day in the on the Farm
• A Thai Green Curry Lesson + Willm Crémant d’Alsace Brut Rosé on Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Crémant d’Alsace: An Elegant Sparkling Wine from France on Grape Experiences
• Crémant d’Alsace - Exploring the Nuances of France’s 2nd Favorite Sparkling Wine #Winophiles on Crushed Grape Chronicles
• Crémant d'Alsace: A Candidate for Your House Bubbly on Food Wine Click!
• Crémant d'Alsace Paired with Summer Fish Menus on Always Ravenous
• Crab Crêpes Compliment Crémant d'Alsace for Summer #Winophiles on Wine Predator
• Cheese Hour at the Culinary Cabin with Pierre Sparr Crémant d'Alsace Brut Reserve on Somm's Table
• Porch Sipper of the Year: Crémant d’Alsace on Keep the Peas
• Crispy Fishwich + an Organic Cremant d'Alsace from Charles Bauer on Wineivore
• Try This Traditional French Sparkler For Modern Drinkers on l’occasion
• Baumann-Zirgel Crémant d'Alsace - Your New Champagne Alternative on Wining with Mel