AOC Clairette de Die

Climate: Mediterranean with influence of the Vercors mountain climate

Soils: Chalky sandstone / Chalky marls / Chalky alluvial terrasses

Altitude: Between 200 to 700 metres

Website appellation: https://Clairette-de-die.com/fr/

Production surface area in 2023:  1 545 HA

Total production in 2023: 68 608 HL

Average annual yeld: 44 HL/HA

Export: 11%

Recognition in AOC by the I.N.A.O.: 1942

Communes : 30 communes in the Drôme valley

Main grape variety 

• Muscat à petits grains blanc

   

Secondary grape varieties

• Clairette, 
• Clairette rose, 
• Muscat à petits grains rouges

Specifications for the appellation

Most written evidence agrees that winegrowing in this area dates back to the 2nd century BC.
In 70 AD, Roman author Pliny the Elder wrote in his Natural History about the “production of sparkling wine by the Vocontii” - the forefathers of the Diois. Legend has it that the Vocontii would take their jars of wine to the Drome river and leave them submerged for the winter. When they retrieved the jars in spring, they found the contents
had turned to a sweet, sparkling liquid - a “precious nectar”. These days we know it as Clairette de Die appellation wine. The word “clerette” first appeared in 1748 in correspondence from a notary in Châtillon-en-Diois. Over the years, the planted area continued to expand, reaching its peak around the mid-19th century, when the vineyards measured some 6,000 hectares. But around 1870, the phylloxera crisis wiped out up to 80% of plantings and only 1,000 hectares remained. Clairette de Die was originally sold in 220-litre barrels.
It was not until 1925 that the format we know today began to appear – glass bottles plugged with natural cork, restrained by a wire muselet.
For many years, Clairette wine was confined to its home region. Transportation was difficult in such a mountainous landscape, and wine made by the Méthode Ancestrale could prove unstable. It was finally introduced nationwide when the area opened up in the 19th century, and in 1942, Clairette de Die was awarded AOC status.

The climate here can be described as Mediterranean, but is also affected by the nearby Vercors Mountains. This balance of the Alpine and the Provençal gives the vines the benefits of warm Mediterranean sunshine coupled with much cooler Alpine temperatures. In summer the days are very hot, and the nights substantially cooler.

The landscape here is very rugged, characterized by the erosion of the Subalpine Chains in the Secondary. High cliff faces surround the area; the soils are made up of matter eroded from these limestone cliffs, combined with black marl formations and chalky clay.

These mountain vineyards are some of the highest in France, planted on slopes overlooking the Drôme Valley. The vines growing between 200 and 700 metres above sea level are planted in small plots along the hillside. The appellation spans 30 villages.

Clairette de Die Méthode Ancestrale: the blend includes at least 75% of Muscat à petits grains (Muscat à petits grains blanc and Muscat à petits grains rouge), supplemented with Clairette blanche, Clairette rose and Gamay. Colour ranges from very pale yellow to golden, with a fine, regular bead; aromas are typically of white flowers such as rose, wild briar and honeysuckle with a touch of white fruit. Prise de Mousse occurs spontaneously in-bottle: fermentation is started slowly to preserve the natural sugars. Before all these sugars turn into alcohol, the wine is transferred into bottles where it is stored for several months. During this time, fermentation continues, prompted by the sugars and yeast naturally present in the grapes. It ceases naturally when abv reaches 7-8%.
Méthode Brut: Made with 100 % Clairette grapes, Clairette de Die Brut undergoes a second fermentation, resulting in a very fine mousse which make it pleasantly light and fresh on the palate. The sparkle is bright and clear, the essence of elegance.