Wine in the French Alps
If you are visiting France, and you love sparkling wine, it’s time to forget Champagne. There are many other sparkling wines all over the “Hexagone”, like the sparkling wines from the town of Die in the French Alps.
Die is a beautiful little town in the Drôme department in southeastern France, surrounded by mountains. It became a Roman capital at the beginning of the 2nd century. While the Roman Empire was showing signs of weakness, between the years 285 and 305, a fortified wall was constructed around the town. Today, there are still plenty of Roman remains in the town. The St. Marcel Gate is in the ancient town walls, which were built in the 3rd and 4th centuries. Die has other gems like the Chapel of St. Nicholas in the old bishops’ palace.
But Die is best known for its wonderful sparkling wines – principally Clairette de Die and Crémant de Die, which are made using the clairette, aligoté and muscat grape varieties..
On a recent visit to Die with Jean-Charles and Laurent, we first had lunch, and ate raviolis, a local speciality, reflecting Die’s proximity to Italy. We then visited the “cave cooperative”, Jaillance Die, to learn more about the history of Die, and taste some of their beautiful wines.
Finally we got down to business with some wine walking. As you can see in the photos, the Die vineyards are set in the midst of a dramatic mountainous landscape. They must be one of France’s most beautiful wine landscapes, but also challenging for ageing walkers like me!
I visited Die as a day trip from Veynes (pronounced “Ven”), which is deeper into the Alps, and where Jean-Charles and Laurent live. The train and bus trip down from Paris goes through spectacular mountain scenery, and should be a “must see” for any visitor to France.
Logistics
It’s a long trip by public transport from Paris. Train to Grenoble, then change for Vif, and finally a bus to Veynes Devoluy.