Inter Rhône welcomes new AOC

The appellations of Château Grillet and Clairette de Die are among seven wine and spirit AOCs/GIs to fall under the umbrella of trade body Inter Rhône.

As of 1 January, the AOC of AOC Château-Grillet, Crémant de Die, Clairette de Die, Chatillon en Diois, Coteaux de Die, GI Eau de vie de vin des Côtes du Rhône (or Fine des Côtes du Rhône) and GI Eau de vie de marc des Côtes du Rhône (or Marc des Côtes du Rhône) are now officially part of the Rhône, making the southern French region the second largest in France in terms of vineyard are and production.

The Rhône now comprises 32 AOCs and 2 Gis, with the latter being the first eaux-de-vie that Inter Rhône has represented. Michel Chapoutier, president of Inter-Rhône, said that they, “add to the diversity of the region’s high-quality product range. It’s a huge boon for the whole of the Rhône Valley”.

The largest addition to the Rhône by far are the four Diois AOCs, which cover 1,600 hectares of vineyard and various styles and varieties.

Among the most famous are the sparkling wines of Clairette and Crémant de Die, while there are small amounts of still Clairette made in Coteaux de Die and red, white and rosé made in Châtillon-en-Diois.

Fabien Lombard, President of the Clairette de Die and Diois Wines Syndicate said: “It gives me great pleasure to become part of the wonderful Rhône Valley vineyards family. Now we can all go forward in this great adventure together.

“It was Inter-Rhône’s drive and efficiency that first attracted us to them, and now we know we can rely on their organisational abilities and energy to help us develop our wine-tourism programme in France, and to raise awareness of our appellations abroad. I’m convinced that there’s a positive synergy between the Rhone Valley’s still reds and its sparkling wines, which we can channel to our advantage.”

Château Grillet meanwhile at just 3.5ha is the smallest of all the Rhône AOC> Located in a natural amphitheatre, the vineyard is planted with Viognier and is entirely owned by François Pinault who also owns Latour and Clos de Tart.

Eric Rosaz, executive officer Inter-Rhône, said: “This is very good news indeed. These new AOCs and GIs will broaden our scope, and their interest in our organisation is testament to our significance for wine professionals in the Rhône Valley, endorsing our protocols and practices.  Inter-Rhône is increasingly being recognised as a place for debate and dialogue, management and support.”