Département in the southeast of France with the capital Valence in the political region Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, which is named after the tributary of the Rhône of the same name. It is located in the middle of the Départements Vaucluse (south), Alpes de Haute-Provence (southeast), Hautes-Alpes (east), Isère (north) and Ardèche (west). The vineyards cover some 20,000 hectares of vines on granite and limestone soils. The climate is temperate and continental. The vineyards are part of the Rhône wine region. The AOC areas are:
The local wine or IGP area covering the entire département is called Drôme. This can be supplemented by the narrower geographical designations Comté de Grignan and Coteaux de Montélimar (formerly these were independent VdP areas). Other independent IGP areas are Collines Rhôdaniennes and Coteaux des Baronnies. Drôme is also part of the two large regional IGP areas Comtés Rhodaniens and Méditerranée. The red and rosé wines, 80% of which are produced, are mainly blended from the Grenache Noir(Garnacha Tinta), Syrah, Gamay, Pinot Noir, Mondeuse Noire and Merlot varieties. The white wines are made from the Viognier, Chardonnay, Marsanne, Roussanne, Altesse, Clairette and Viognier varieties.
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Roman Horvath MW
Domäne Wachau (Wachau)