Gratien & Meyer Festillant Sparkling Sans Alcool view 1

Gratien & Meyer Festillant Sparkling Sans Alcool view 2

Gratien & Meyer Festillant Sparkling Sans Alcool

Gratien and Meyer Festillant Sparkling Sans Alcool

Sparkling Wine

34 Reviews

If fizz must be de-alcoholised, it's reassuring to know that it started life in the expert hands of Gratien & Meyer, makers of The Society's best sparklers. The fruit is from Gascony, there is just one fermentation, in the bottle, and the alcohol is eliminated by a process of vacuum distillation. Serve well chilled on its own or complement its lemony, appley notes with a dash of fruit cordial.

£4.50 Bottle

£27.00 Case of 6

In Stock

Code: WA281

Wine characteristics

Sparkling Wine
4 - Medium/off dry
75cl
Within one year of purchase
0% Alcohol
no oak influence
Cork, plastic

Gratien and Meyer

Gratien & Meyer – a jewel in the Loire Valley’s Anjou-Saumur region – was founded by Alfred Gratien in 1864, then aged just 23, and in the same year he established the well-respected Champagne house that is his namesake. The ‘Meyer’ refers to Albert Jean Meyer, an enthusiastic wine expert from Alsace with whom Alfred Gratien joined forces ten years later in 1874, the same year of course in which The Society was founded. When Alfred died in 1885, the Meyer family was entrusted with the company and has continued to uphold its excellent traditions.

The Society first discovered the wines of Gratien & Meyer in 1906 when some Saumur was shipped to our cellars in London. The company quickly became The Society’s choice for our sparkling wines, and today Gratien & Meyer are still responsible The Society’s Saumur and Saumur Rosé as well as The Society’s Celebration Crémant de Loire, all of which are bestsellers.

The Gratien & Meyer house is based on the outskirts of Saumur, in the heart of the Loire’s Anjou region. The river helps to moderate the climate, which is similar to, but less severe than that of Champagne, while the region’s hillsides store daytime heat and the cool nights provide moisture.

Gratien & Meyer buy grapes, must and wine from carefully selected growers in the region. In recent years they have invested in their own vineyards (first crop 2018!), aiming to cover around 50% of their 1.8 million bottle production in due course.

In Saumur, the region’s ...

Gratien & Meyer – a jewel in the Loire Valley’s Anjou-Saumur region – was founded by Alfred Gratien in 1864, then aged just 23, and in the same year he established the well-respected Champagne house that is his namesake. The ‘Meyer’ refers to Albert Jean Meyer, an enthusiastic wine expert from Alsace with whom Alfred Gratien joined forces ten years later in 1874, the same year of course in which The Society was founded. When Alfred died in 1885, the Meyer family was entrusted with the company and has continued to uphold its excellent traditions.

The Society first discovered the wines of Gratien & Meyer in 1906 when some Saumur was shipped to our cellars in London. The company quickly became The Society’s choice for our sparkling wines, and today Gratien & Meyer are still responsible The Society’s Saumur and Saumur Rosé as well as The Society’s Celebration Crémant de Loire, all of which are bestsellers.

The Gratien & Meyer house is based on the outskirts of Saumur, in the heart of the Loire’s Anjou region. The river helps to moderate the climate, which is similar to, but less severe than that of Champagne, while the region’s hillsides store daytime heat and the cool nights provide moisture.

Gratien & Meyer buy grapes, must and wine from carefully selected growers in the region. In recent years they have invested in their own vineyards (first crop 2018!), aiming to cover around 50% of their 1.8 million bottle production in due course.

In Saumur, the region’s famous ‘tuffeau’ (limestone) soils are ideal for sparkling wine production as they provide brilliant acidity. The cool Gratien & Meyer cellars are also dug deep into these chalky soils, and haven’t changed much since the house was founded.

The winery, on the other hand, has undergone great modernisation in recent years to ensure that tradition can be balanced with the relevant technological advances. Combined with the meticulous attention of Production Manager Florence Haynes, who joined Gratien & Meyer in 2015, this has ensured Gratien & Meyer wines are better now than ever before.

The key to great Loire sparklers is the blend. While Saumur regulations on this are rather strict – a maximum of 40% cabernet franc and 20% chardonnay can be used – an advantage for Crémant de Loire is that any percentage of the permitted grape varieties can be used.

Every year, The Society’s Celebration Crémant de Loire is expertly blended by Florence, with GM Olivier Dupré and Society buyer Jo Locke. Florence and her team first sample all of the base wines they have and put together a shortlist of what they believe are the best parcels, but the final blend is made on the day. Although generally we use different portions of the typical chenin blanc, chardonnay and cabernet franc, we have in recent years used small portions of the region’s other grapes, including pinot noir. The wines then age for a year or two in Gratien & Meyer’s cellars before reaching our members.

Of all the zero-alcohol sparklers, this is my favourite. Alcohol is removed by vacuum distillation, creating a grapey bubbly with an apple-orchard finish.

Jane MacQuitty

Friday 12th Aug 2022

Daily Express

Gratien & Meyer make one of The Wine Society's best sparklers (Saumur Brut NV since you ask) and their alcohol-free fizz is easy on the wallet and the palate. Pears, apples and citrus combine for a...

Gratien & Meyer make one of The Wine Society's best sparklers (Saumur Brut NV since you ask) and their alcohol-free fizz is easy on the wallet and the palate. Pears, apples and citrus combine for a deliciously sweet finish.

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Matt Nixson

Saturday 15th Jan 2022

Hampstead & Highgate Express

Looks the part, eventhough the flavour hints somewhat more at lemonade.

- Liz Sagues

Thursday 4th Dec 2014

The Times

Another best buy fromthe sparkling specialist Gratien & Meyer, with light, crisp, orchard appleand pear fruit.

- Jane MacQuitty

Saturday 6th Jan 2018

Prima

Very lively bubbles,pear and apple fruit characteristics, tangy and fresh with some residualsweetness. Great with sweeter dishes.

- Alex Hale

Saturday 2nd Feb 2019

Daily Express

This alcohol-freesparkling wine from Loire-based Gratien and Meyer is a nice alternative toChampagne. Considering the price, it's well worth trying if you're looking forsomething light and fruity. ...

This alcohol-freesparkling wine from Loire-based Gratien and Meyer is a nice alternative toChampagne. Considering the price, it's well worth trying if you're looking forsomething light and fruity. You might struggle to spot the fact it's 0%. Infact I'd go as far to say it's not just for Dry January.

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- Matt Nixson

Saturday 4th Jan 2020

The Times

… a joyful, light,grapey, green apple-styled fizz.

- Jane MacQuitty

Saturday 4th Jan 2020

Sussex Express

… just off dry, withgood fruit content, clean, crisp and refreshing. Although naturally lacking inbody with no alcohol, it is very drinkable and indeed enjoyable. A pale-yellow colour with golden...

… just off dry, withgood fruit content, clean, crisp and refreshing. Although naturally lacking inbody with no alcohol, it is very drinkable and indeed enjoyable. A pale-yellow colour with golden tinges and aromatics featuring apple andcitrus notes. Lively, long-lasting mousse with a fruity, light body,underpinned by a very light touch of sweetness. Excellent length for a sparklerof this type. It was also a great addition to a bowl of fresh strawberries, cutin half and sprinkled with a little sugar and chopped mint. Terrific price ...and with a sleek, classy presentation, it even looks like a bottle ofchampagne.

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- Richard Esling

Monday 29th Jun 2020

Liverpool Echo

A delight of bubbles but without the guilt of alcohol. It is lovely and refreshing when served really chilled. It tastes of lemons and apples and is ever so slightly sweet, but not overly so. I added ...

A delight of bubbles but without the guilt of alcohol. It is lovely and refreshing when served really chilled. It tastes of lemons and apples and is ever so slightly sweet, but not overly so. I added a little fresh orange juice so I enjoyed what appeared to be a Bucks Fizz which delivered all the pleasure but without the alcohol.

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- Jane Clare

Saturday 2nd Jan 2021

House Of Coco

If fizz must be de-alcoholised, it’s reassuring to know that it started life in the expert hands of Gratien & Meyer, makers of The Wine Society’s best sparklers. The fruit is from ...

If fizz must be de-alcoholised, it’s reassuring to know that it started life in the expert hands of Gratien & Meyer, makers of The Wine Society’s best sparklers. The fruit is from Gascony, there is just one fermentation, in the bottle, and the alcohol is eliminated by a process of vacuum distillation. Serve well chilled on its own, or complement its lemony, appley notes with a dash of fruit cordial.

Read more

Monday 29th Mar 2021

thebespokeblackbook.com

A lovely de-alcoholised French fizz from a Champagne house. Medium dry and fresh tasting with little in the way of over-dominant sugar, it is easy to drink in plenty with no guilt. Just imagine ...

A lovely de-alcoholised French fizz from a Champagne house. Medium dry and fresh tasting with little in the way of over-dominant sugar, it is easy to drink in plenty with no guilt. Just imagine drinking Champagne in the garden all day without the crippling I’m-over-30-and-just-can’t-handle-it-anymore hangover the next day. That’s the dream right there!

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- Christina Blaney

Friday 26th Mar 2021