A unique sparkling wine, Clairette de Die, is made using an ancient process that may even pre-date Champagne. Die is located 30 miles east of the Rhone river near the town of Valence. It's isolated vineyards fall in the departement of Drôme where the vineyards' chalky soils retain water during the long, dry summers and altitudes up to 700 meters are among the highest in France.

Wine has been made in Die since Roman times. Clairette de Die uses one of the oldest methods for producing sparkling wine called Methode Diose. The original dioise process involves keeping the pressed and filtered juice at sub-zero temperatures until it has slowly fermented to about 3 percent alcohol by volume. It is then bottled and the second fermentation is activated by the natural grape sugars still present in the wine. The wine then spends 4 months on the lees before being rebottled underpressure. The result is a refreshing, grapey wine with ample fizz made from Muscat Blanc a Petits Grains and Clairette grapes. (Wine/Appellations)