Méthode Ancestrale (Demi-Sec), Domaine J.Laurens, Limoux

Pleasantly off-dry, this delicately bubbled demi-sec has a soft boiled sweet nose, lovely fresh apple, grape and pear flavours and a light herbal touch and is naturally low in alcohol.

Mauzac Blanc is hand harvested and vinified following the method discovered by monks at Saint Hilaire Abbey in the 16th century. The first fermentation is halted by cooling the vats and the partially fermented wine is bottled the following March (traditionally at the time of a full moon) with its residual yeast and sugar. Second fermentation starts naturally in the bottle as the temperature rises in the spring, and the final wine is lower in pressure and retains more of its natural sugar than traditional method fizzes such as Crémant and Champagne.

With no dosage and no ageing the resulting wine is off-dry and light – just 7% ABV – and it is often slightly cloudy because the lower pressure of this style of wine prohibits the disgorgement of its lees.