Die and the Diois: Clairette, the Cirque d'Archiane and the Vercors Cliffs
Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France
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250
XP
+100 France
= 350 total
2 days
Die and the Diois: Clairette, the Cirque d'Archiane and the Vercors Cliffs
250 + 100 XP
Clairette de Die méthode ancestrale is made by a single fermentation that finishes in the bottle on the grapes' own residual sugar, with no liqueur de tirage added, from at least 65% muscat à petits grains; it comes out at only 7 to 8 degrees and is about 95% of the appellation's output. Die keeps a 2nd-century Roman arch that was taken down stone by stone and rebuilt into the late-Roman rampart as the Porte Saint-Marcel, and above Châtillon-en-Diois the limestone walls of the Cirque d'Archiane close the southern end of the Vercors, where griffon vultures have been brought back.
Required Activities
1
of 4
Taste clairette de Die méthode ancestrale and clairette de Die brut side by side at a cellar in Die or Châtillon-en-Diois, and tell which is which: the ancestrale is muscat, 7 to 8 degrees and smells of white flowers, the brut is pure clairette and made like champagne
2
of 4
Walk the sentier des vautours from the hamlet of Archiane below the 1,663 m rocher d'Archiane, find the griffon vultures of the Vercors's main colony riding the thermals off the cirque walls, and watch for the diamond-tailed bearded vultures released here since 2010, which first bred on the site in 2022
3
of 4
Stand under the Porte Saint-Marcel on the east side of Die and pick out the carved stones of the 2nd-century arch reused in the late-Roman rampart, then follow the line of that 2 km wall, which enclosed 25 hectares, west along the old decumanus towards the site of the demolished Porte Saint-Pierre
4
of 4
Drive the D518 up to the Col de Rousset and through its 769 m tunnel at 1,249 m, then walk up to the true col on the crest above at 1,367 m and look south over the Diois from one of the sharpest weather boundaries in the Alps, between the northern and southern ranges
Taste clairette de Die méthode ancestrale and clairette de Die brut side by side at a cellar in Die or Châtillon-en-Diois, and tell which is which: the ancestrale is muscat, 7 to 8 degrees and smells of white flowers, the brut is pure clairette and made like champagne
Walk the sentier des vautours from the hamlet of Archiane below the 1,663 m rocher d'Archiane, find the griffon vultures of the Vercors's main colony riding the thermals off the cirque walls, and watch for the diamond-tailed bearded vultures released here since 2010, which first bred on the site in 2022
Stand under the Porte Saint-Marcel on the east side of Die and pick out the carved stones of the 2nd-century arch reused in the late-Roman rampart, then follow the line of that 2 km wall, which enclosed 25 hectares, west along the old decumanus towards the site of the demolished Porte Saint-Pierre
Drive the D518 up to the Col de Rousset and through its 769 m tunnel at 1,249 m, then walk up to the true col on the crest above at 1,367 m and look south over the Diois from one of the sharpest weather boundaries in the Alps, between the northern and southern ranges
Before you go
The cirque d'Archiane is inside the Hauts Plateaux du Vercors nature reserve and the cliffs are a vulture breeding site; stay on the marked sentier des vautours and keep to the climbers' charter agreed with the park. The Col de Rousset road is a mountain pass with a 769 m tunnel and a ski station on the north side; check conditions in winter.
The Col de Rousset road, the D518, is snow-cleared and open all year, but it shuts temporarily in heavy snow and it is a narrow mountain road — check the Drome's Inforoute and the col webcams before you commit a motorhome, and expect fog and ice at the top. In 2026 it was also closed to heavy vehicles from late May to early July for works, with the detour going round by Vassieux-en-Vercors. The Sentier des Vautours at Archiane is an open hill path with no season and no gate.
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Challenge Location
XP Breakdown
Challenge XP
250 XP
France country bonus
+100 XP
Potential total
350 XP
Country bonus earned on completion of your first challenge in France.
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