Sparkling Winemaking: Méthode dioise ancestrale

This is an unusual variation on the méthode ancestrale above and the transfer method, producing wines similar to asti. It is used for the sweet wine clairette de die méthode ancestrale, most of which is made by the local co-operative. The base wines are fermented in stainless steel tanks at very low temperatures over several months. The wine is then filtered to remove most but not all of the yeast, bottled, and fermentation continues in bottle until an alcoholic strength of between 7 and 8.5% has been reached. The wine is disgorged six to 12 months after bottling (the minimum time on lees is four months) before being filtered again and immediately transferred to new bottles. The use of liqueur de tirage and liqueur d’éxpedition is both prohibited and unnecessary.