Ardeche is an IGP title that covers red, white and rosé wines that are made in the Ardeche department in the south of France. Ardeche sits on the western banks of the Rhone river and is an important part of the northern Rhone wine region: the AOC-level appellations Saint-Joseph, Cornas and Saint-Peray are located here.
The department lies some 60 miles (95km) from the Mediterranean coast on a landscape that ranges from river plains in the south to the mountains of the Massif Central in the north. Generally speaking, the IGP-level vineyards are found in the dry, scrubby foothills of the Cévennes mountains, with the narrow valley of the Rhone reserved for the more prestigious AOC wines.
© Wikimedia/Patrice78500
The Mediterranean climate in the south of Ardeche is well suited to viticulture, and mild winters are followed by hot, dry summers. The cool, northerly Mistral wind is felt throughout the department, although this is often interspersed by moisture-laden sea breezes from the south. This collision of winds can result in sudden heavy rain, particularly in spring and autumn.
As in many of the mountain ranges in the Massif Central, the soils here are dominated by limestone and sandstone. Pebbly, thin soils in the main vineyard areas drain freely and stress vines, leading to good concentration in the grapes.
Ardeche IGP wines are usually made up of the classic Rhone varieties Grenache and Syrah, although plantings of Cabernet Sauvignon and other more international grape varieties are finding a place in the vineyards here. As in many of the IGPs in southern France, varietal wines are becoming more common, particularly to international consumers.
The department – formerly classified under the now-defunct Vin de Pays category of French wine – has one sub-appellation: the Coteaux de l’Ardeche further covers IGP-level wines in the south of Ardeche.
