The people of the Diois are rightly proud of the lovely local wine Clairette de Die.
The secret of Clairette is to be found in the careful use of two grape varieties, Clairette and Muscat, a lot of local know-how, and the sunshine of the Diois! The grapes are pressed, the grape juice filtered and cooled, then the half-fermented must is bottled. The sugar found naturally in the grape juice continues to feed the fermentation process. In fact, no added sugar is used at all. The wine produced is naturally sparkling. In the Diois, Clairette is the choice for many “apero” pre-dinner drinks, with desserts and for all manner of festive occasions.

But Clairette isn’t the only wine we make… Crémant de Die is a dry sparkling wine that has been produced here for over 10 years. Known as a “brut”, it is produced using only one grape variety – Clairette. The grape pressing is followed by a first fermentation; then re-bottling is done with the addition of a liqueur de triage which creates the sparkle. After up to 3 years ageing, the lees are withdrawn and a liqueur d’expédition ensures that the bottle you can enjoy throughout the meal is subtly delicious.

Finally, among highest of France (in terms of altitude), there is Châtillon-en-Diois red and rosé (produced only around the village of Châtillon, from gamay, syrah and pinot noir grapes) and Châtillon-in-Diois White (produced in 13 local areas from aligoté and chardonnay grapes). Châtillon wine even has its own “Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée,” or AOC, which signals its high quality.

The "Maison de la Clairette" (House of Clairette) is situated in Vercheny. You can find out all about the local wines of Die. It is open every morning, from Monday to Friday.

And despite all apparent logic, Clairette de Die is not made only in Die, but in 31 local communities around the Diois. You can spend some time enjoying the landscape and discovering the vineyards of the Diois on some of the “vineyard trails” that have been created to make them easy to find.

In our wooded and mountainous environment, vines tend to flourish in hidden folds in the landscape. Although some are obvious, you will find many of our local vineyards only after following the hairpin turns of a tiny local road. The Clairette de Die discovery trails were designed to show you some of the beautiful vineyards where the grapes ripen under our sunny skies.
Varying in length between 30 minutes and an hour and a half, these short excursions have been purposely designed for ease of access so everyone can enjoy them.

A free booklet with details of the 8 Clairette de Die Discovery Trails is available at the tourist office.