Rhone

Appellation for sparkling wine in the middle section of the Rhône wine-growing region in France. The vineyards are located in the immediate vicinity of the town from which the region takes its name, Die, on the Drôme river, an easterly tributary of the Rhône. The Romans were the first to plant vines here. This is confirmed by the historian, the elder Pliny (24–79 AD), who wrote in 77 AD that the wine from this region was the best naturally sweet wine in the empire. There were, and still are, two variants. The first one is called Clairette de Die Mousseux and is a varietal sparkling wine made from Clairette grapes using the champagne method. This AC was abandoned in favour of Cremant de Die in 1998. The second variant is a very slightly sparkling wine, known in the past as Clairette de Die Tradition. This is made from Muscat Blanc Petits Grains (minimum of 75%) and Clairette, using the special méthode dioise. This is now covered by the AC Clairette de Die Méthode Dioise Ancestrale.