Clairette de Die

Éclosion de saveurs

THE CLAIRETTE DE DIE

The AOCs

~Effervescent or sparkling~

Clairette de Die is the most widely known and the oldest of all the AOCs in the Diois (it obtained the appellation in 1942). It has shared its prestige for a number of years with three other sparkling and still wines, though in terms of the volume of wine produced there is no comparison.  In 2005, the Coteaux de Die produced 144 hectolitres, compare with 86,400 hectolitres for the Clairette, i.e. 600 times less!

Specificities of the three AOCs
Crémant de Die: originally, this dry white sparkling wine was produced solely using the clairette grape variety.  Today, the aligoté and muscat grapes are also part of its composition, providing it with its green fruit fragrances.  An AOC since 1993, it is produced in accordance with the traditional method, with an initial fermentation in the vat and then a second in the bottle.  It is ideal as an aperitif or drunk with a meal.                

Coteaux de Die: this still, dry white wine is produced using 100% clairette grapes. In common with the Crémant, it obtained its AOC appellation in 1993, but production of this wine is still extremely limited.  It is characterised by its subtle green hue and reflections, and is drunk chilled, with seafood, for example.

Châtillon-en-Diois: this is the only wine that is available in white (aligoté and chardonnay), red and rosé (gamay, pinot noir and syrah). A still wine, it obtained its AOC appellation in 1975.  Production of the red and rosé varieties is limited to the vines surrounding the village of the same name, whereas the white variety is produced in thirteen communes.  The red goes well with red meats, and the white with white meats.  The rosé is pleasant as an aperitif.