Clairette de Die AOC - Location, Soil and History

Location, Soil and History

East of the town of Valence, the vineyards of Die in the French department of the (Drôme) on the border area between the northern and southern sub-regions of the Côtes du Rhône AOC area, in the Rhône wine region, at altitudes of up to 700 metres are among the highest in France. The chalky agilliferous soil has the feature of being able to retain enough of its rainwater to maintain a constant supply to the vines during the long dry summers.

Although the Die region stands isolated in an area of otherwise very little wine production between the northern and southern wine producing parts of the Rhône valley, the making Clairette de Die can be traced back over two thousand years. In 1971, the method of production of the Clairette de Die wine, was officially recognised as the "ancestral dioise process" in 1971. Clairette received its first distinction, the AO - appellation d'origine in 1910, and the AOC was established in 1942.