Coteaux du Tricastin (AOC)
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The Grignan-Les Adhemar AOC (formerly the Côteaux du Tricastin) is the northernmost wine-growing AOC in the southern area of the Rhône wine region of France. The wines are produced in 21 communes in the department of Drôme on the east bank of the Rhône River in a triangle bounded by Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux, Montélimar, and
Grignan Grignan (; oc, Grinhan) is a commune in the Drôme department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in southeastern France. It has a Renaissance castle and is mentioned in the letters that Madame de Sévigné wrote to her daughter, Madame de Gr ...
; opposite the
Côtes du Vivarais AOC Côtes du Vivarais is a wine-growing AOC in the northwestern extreme of the southern Rhône wine region of France. The wines are produced in 9 communes of the Ardèche department, and in 5 communes of the department of the Gard. The region is ...
on the right bank. the vineyards straddle both the true Mediterranean and the continental climatic regions where in this part of France the transition is rapid, winter snow being frequent in Montélimar but rare some 20 - 30 kilometres further south. In this transitional area between the northern and southern Rhône wine regions that constitutes the northern limit of the Provence, the climate in Baume-le-Transit and St Paul are more typically Mediterranean climate than the slightly cooler areas dominated by the Lance mountain.Inter Rhône
Retrieved 19 January 2010
According to archeological finds, particularly the remains of the largest Roman wine villa in Donzère dating from the 1st century BC, wine has been produced in the region since the antiquity. Tricastin wines were mentioned in the writings of the Marquise de Sevigné in the 16th century. The wines were accorded an AOVDQS on 19 March 1964, and were awarded their AOC on 27 July 1973.


Wines

A characteristic of the wines from this appellation is their great diversity due to the many and mixed soil types and varied climates. The central part of the region comprises sandstone hills, while the southeast is covered with stones or gravel. The west is mainly alluvial soil with calcairous stones, and the north is covered with large glacial pebbles. Red wines which comprise 95% of the total production, are made from the principal varieties of Grenache noir and
Syrah Syrah (), also known as Shiraz, is a dark-skinned grape variety grown throughout the world and used primarily to produce red wine. In 1999, Syrah was found to be the offspring of two obscure grapes from southeastern France, Dureza and Mondeuse B ...
(10% minimum), with secondary varieties of Cinsault, Mourvèdre
Carignan Carignan (also known as Mazuelo, Bovale Grande, Cariñena, Carinyena, Samsó, Carignane, and Carignano) is a red grape variety of Spanish origin that is more commonly found in French wine but is widely planted throughout the western Mediterra ...
. No single variety may be present at more than 80%. A non defined quantity of secondary varieties must not exceed 30%, or if declared separately, not more than 15% each. Rosé: The same varieties in the same permitted proportions are used as for the red. White wines are produced from Grenache blanc, Roussanne, Clairette blanc, Marsanne, Roussanne, and
Viognier Viognier () is a white wine grape variety. It is the only permitted grape for the French wine Condrieu in the Rhône Valley.J. Robinson ''"The Oxford Companion to Wine"'' Third Edition pg 754 Oxford University Press 2006 Outside of the Rhôn ...
. No variety may be present in excess of 60% All wines must contain a minimum of 11% alcohol.


Economy

The Grignan-Les Adhemar wines are produced by a total of 324 concerns which include 307 growers, 49 private wineries, 13 cooperative wineries, and 8 producer/merchants. INAO statistics show that in 2007, 94,961 hectolitres were produced from 2,566 cultivated at an average yield of 52 hectolitres per hectare. The wines are produced in 21 communes of the Drôme département at the northern limit of the Provence:
Allan Allan may refer to: People * Allan (name), a given name and surname, including list of people and characters with this name * Allan (footballer, born 1984) (Allan Barreto da Silva), Brazilian football striker * Allan (footballer, born 1989) ...
, Baume de Transit, Chamaret,
Chantemerle-lès-Grignan Chantemerle-lès-Grignan is a commune in the Drôme department in southeastern France. Population See also *Communes of the Drôme department The following is a list of the 363 communes of the Drôme department of France. The communes co ...
,
Châteauneuf-du-Rhône Châteauneuf-du-Rhône (; oc, Chastelnòu del Ròse) is a commune in the Drôme department in southeastern France. Population See also *Communes of the Drôme department The following is a list of the 363 communes of the Drôme department ...
,
Clansayes Clansayes (; oc, Clansaias) is a commune in the Drôme department in southeastern France. Population See also *Communes of the Drôme department The following is a list of the 363 communes of the Drôme department of France. The communes ...
, Comonzelle, Donzère, Garde-Adhémar, Granges-Gontardes,
Grignan Grignan (; oc, Grinhan) is a commune in the Drôme department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in southeastern France. It has a Renaissance castle and is mentioned in the letters that Madame de Sévigné wrote to her daughter, Madame de Gr ...
,
Malataverne Malataverne (; oc, Malatavèrna) is a commune in the Drôme department in southeastern France. Population See also *Nicolas Appert *Communes of the Drôme department The following is a list of the 363 communes of the Drôme department of ...
,
Montségur-sur-Lauzon Montségur-sur-Lauzon (; oc, Montsegur) is a commune in the Drôme department in southeastern France. Population See also *Communes of the Drôme department The following is a list of the 363 communes of the Drôme department of France. ...
, Reauville,
Roche-Saint-Secret-Béconne Roche-Saint-Secret-Béconne (; Occitan language, Occitan: ''La Ròcha Sant Segret e Becona'') is a Communes of France, commune in the Drôme Departments of France, department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regions of France, region in Southeastern ...
,
Roussas Roussas is a Communes of France, commune in the Drôme Departments of France, department in southeastern France. Population See also *Communes of the Drôme department References

Communes of Drôme {{Drôme-geo-stub ...
, Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux,
Saint Restitut In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and denomination. In Catholic, Eastern O ...
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Salles-sous-Bois Salles-sous-Bois (; oc, Salas) is a commune in the Drôme department in southeastern France. Population See also *Communes of the Drôme department The following is a list of the 363 communes of the Drôme department of France. The comm ...
, Solérieux,
Valaurie Valaurie () is a commune in the Drôme department in southeastern France. One important landmark is the Church of St. Martin in Valaurie. Population See also *Communes of the Drôme department The following is a list of the 363 communes of ...
.


Name change

Following an accident at the Tricastin Nuclear Power Plant in July 2008, when uranium was released, the sale of Coteaux du Tricastin wine decreased. The wine growers therefore wished to change the name of the appellation to something without "Tricastin", to avoid being associated with the nuclear power plant. In June 2010, INAO signalled its intention to allow a name change to ''Grignan-Les Adhemar'' effective from the 2010 vintage.Nuclear neighbour prompts name change for Tricastin
Decanter 2010-06-11


See also

* Adhemar of Le Puy *
Château des Adhémar The Château des Adhémar is a castle, later converted to a Renaissance style château, in the French town of Montélimar in the Drôme département. It is located on a hill in the centre of the town. History Its origins are found in the 11t ...
* François Adhémar de Monteil, Comte de Grignan * Françoise-Marguerite de Sévigné, comtesse de Grignan * List of Vins de Primeur * Tricastin


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Grignan Les Adhemar Aoc Rhône wine AOCs 1973 establishments in France