 Wine cellars were built in the region from caves created from the excavation of tuffeau rocks used to build the Châteaux of the Loire Valley.The cold, steady temperature of these cellars served ideal for the advancement of sparkling wines made according to the traditional "méthode champenoise" that became popular in the 18th and 19th century.In 1936 Vouvray was created as an "Appellation d'origine contrôlée" (AOC).