Some appellations only come in one colour, like Gigondas in the southern Rhône valley, which is always red (or rosé, but these are rarely seen). From 2023 however, Gigondas will also be able to be a white wine.
The main grape will be clairette, which must represent at least 70% of the blend. Other varieties will be bourboulenc, clairette rose, grenache blanc, grenache gris, marsanne, piquepoul blanc and roussanne, as well as viognier and ugni blanc, but these two may only be included to a maximum of 5%.
Today, around 16 hectares are planted with white grapes. These wines have until now been sold as Côtes du Rhône. But there is a desire within the appellation to make more white wine. The conditions are there, it seems, both in terms of terroir and demand.
Read more: TerreDeVins
