Grignan-les-Adhémar, name adopted in 2010 for an extensive (1,361 ha/3,362 acre) appellation on the eastern fringes of the southern rhône for mainly red wines. (Its original name, Coteaux du Tricastin, was abandoned because it was too readily associated with a nearby nuclear power plant.) Although the climate here is definitively mediterranean, the higher vineyards and more exposed terrain produce rather lighter wines than those of the Côtes-du-Rhône which they resemble. The best wine comes from sheltered, south-facing slopes, but acidity levels are usually noticeable beneath the superficial warmth of the southern vine variety perfume. The region was substantially redeveloped by pieds noirs returning from North Africa in the late 1960s. Large areas of scrub were cleared and planted with southern Rhône vine varieties. Grenache and Syrah are the principal vine varieties grown. Of the permitted white varieties, Grenache Blanc, Clairette, Bourboulenc, Marsanne, Roussanne, and Viognier may also be included. The wines are similar to those of the much larger ventoux appellation to the immediate south, which was also promoted to full appellation contrôlée status in 1973.
