Clairette de Die sparkling wines are an undiscovered French treasure. These French sparkling wines are some of the finest in the world. Champagne is the most famous and arguably the best French sparkling wine, and French cremant sparklers are also great. But Clairette de Die is an unknown mystery for most wine lovers, and this is a sparkler that makes a great dessert accompaniment. If you enjoy Italian moscato sparkling wines, Clairette de Die is another wine that you’ll be sure to enjoy.

Clairette de Die is an AOC region of the Rhone Valley in France. The wine has to be made from muscat blanc a petit grains (perhaps better known as muscat canelli) and clairette (often used in the production of vermouth.) The wine must be a minimum of 75 percent muscat and a maximum of 25 percent clairette. Confusingly, the same area also makes cremant-style sparkling wines, which are more comparable to Italian prosecco wines than the sweeter clairettes.

When choosing these clairette wines, choose a young wine, and drink it cold. If you are matching it with a dessert, you want the wine to be sweeter than the dessert itself, making it a great pairing for fruit-based desserts. Think apple pie, baked pears, and cherry clafoutis, and you’ll be on your way to a great pairing.

One of the better Clairette de Die wines on the market is from Jaillance. Made with 90 percent muscat and 10 percent clairette, this is an off-dry sparkler that will appeal to those who prefer more residual sugar in their sparkling wines and to those who are looking for a dessert sparkling wine. This non-vintage “Cuvee Imperiale” features notes of honeysuckle, pear, and lavender and delivers a lot of flavor at an affordable (around $15 a bottle) price point. This is also an easy bottle to keep in the refrigerator as a celebratory bottle of sparkling wine as it will be sure to please even the pickiest palates. Jaillance Cuvee Imperiale Clairette de Die would also be a great sparkler to ring in the new year with, making this fruity and vibrant wine is worth seeking out. Overall, if you enjoy some sweetness to your wines, look for Clairette de Die sparklers, and you’ll discover a wine from France that few Americans are familiar with.

Disclosure: I received a sample of this product from Jaillance for review. No other compensation from Jaillance was received.