THE CLAIRETTE DE DIE SPARKLING WINE
Fruity, sweet and sparkling… the Clairette wine tasting is a delight for the senses and the palate…unmissable…and unforgettable !

The Clairette wine has put the Diois on the map and we take great pride in it ! But what is its secret ? 

Our Gallic ancestors invented the ‘cervoise’ (an ancient type of beer) and …possibly the Clairette too ? The Vocontii, a Gaulish tribe that lived in the region around Die, apparently left wine jars in rivers throughout the winter. Revisited in the spring, these jars now contained a deliciously sweet and sparkling beverage! The legend of the Clairette de Die was born based on the writings of Pliny the Elder. This Roman historian does, in effect, describe the Clairette production process, which consists of halting the fermentation through lowering the temperature.

Clairette is made using two grape varieties: ‘clairette’ grape and the small grained ‘muscat’. After pressing, the grapes are filtered and cooled down. The part-fermented must is bottled. The fermentation occurs thanks to the sugars contained in the grape, yielding a naturally effervescent wine, without any added sugar or yeast. It is the so-called ‘méthode dioises ancestrale’ (the ancestral Diois process). Clairette de Die is THE dessert and celebratory wine of the Diois region.

Beside the Clairette wine we also produce LE CRÉMANT DE DIE.
This dry sparkling wine is perfect neat or in a cocktail with mint leaves or a dash of Cognac, it will complement your starters and goes particularly well with asparagus and smoked salmon. Labelled AOC since 1993 the Crémant de Die is a dry wine, produced according to the ‘Méthode Traditionnelle’ since 2004 with Clairette (a minimum of 55%), Aligoté (between 10 and 40%) and muscat grapes (5 to 10%). (but don’t confuse it with a Champagne !) After pressing of the grapes and an initial fermentation of the must, the wine is bottled with the addition of a ‘liqueur de tirage’ for a second fermentation called ‘prise de mousse’). Then after a long maturing process (up to 3 years!) deposits are removed, a ‘liqueur d’expedition’ is added and the Crémant is finally ready for you to enjoy with your meal.

THE CHÂTILLON-EN-DIOIS VINEYARDS
The latest AOC labelled Châtillon-en-Diois wines are the highest in altitude : the Châtillon-en-Diois red and rosé wines are produced exclusively within the village’s boundaries using Gamay, Syrah and Pinot Noir grapes and the Châtillon-en-Diois white wine is produced across 13 villages from Aligoté and Chardonnay grapes).

La Drôme Département is strongly committed to organic farming, that is why many producers have been developing organic wine-making processes.

These vintages are symbolic of the genuine values carried by the Clairette de Die wine: a product rooted in its terroir, respectful of its traditional methods of production, but also of nature and its diversity.

HAVE YOU NOTICED THE LITTLE STONE SHEDS DOTTED AROUND THE VINEYARDS ? 

They are ‘cabanons de vigne’. The agricultural parcels in the Diois tended to be small and each winegrower had its own shed to store tools and shelter in case of bad weather. It is in Châtillon-en-Diois that you will find the most beautiful examples of these cabanons.