This evergreen tree has particular leaves: green on one side and grey on the other. The olive tree is the symbol of Provence and creates extraordinary landscapes in the Baronnies region (to the east). “La tanche” is the name given to black olives cultivated in Nyons. They are harvested between December and January, usually by hand or with special combs.

Once in the mill, the big ones are kept to be served as an aperitif snack and the small ones are cold-pressed to make olive oil. This pure and fruity juice is labeled “AOC” (Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée) which guarantees its origin and quality.

 

Once dug out, the truffle looks like a black tuber with tiny bits of diamonds, veined with white inside of it. It can be the size of a fist. The black truffle (Tuber Melanosporum) the same as in the Périgord region, is unmistakable: it has a strong and wild perfume!

Here in Tricastin, truffles grow under green and white oaks. The production is very changeable therefore, never assured from one year to another.

Côtes du Rhône, Coteaux du Tricastin, Coteaux des Baronnies, Wine from the Valdaine region and comté de Grignan… they all have different perfumes according to their original soils. Be sure to smell you glass before drinking it… it’s also the best way to appreciate it, taken in moderation! Some white wines of the Baronnies region taste like apricot and peach…They actually share the same valleys: vineyards on the highest part and orchards further down.
Wines in Tricastin, around the village of Grignan in the “garrigue” (scrubland), sometimes smell like aromatic herbs and taste like blackcurrant.

The Côtes du Rhône wines, in the plain, around the village of Tulette, have “bouquets of flavors”: raspberry, cherry and acid drops. Those from the Eygues valley have complex aromas: cooked fruits, vanilla, wood… such wines are good for ageing.

To the East of Montélimar, the Valdaine plain produces 92% of the French garlic seeds. Today, we cultivate “Thermidrome” and “Messidrome” which are the original varieties, produced for over 6000 years.
In the 1960’s, the Drôme department, and particularly the Valdaine region, realized a meticulous selection which led to an “IGP” (Protected Geographic Indication) in 2005.

Garlic is the major cooking element in the Mediterranean gastronomy as it has well-known properties. Garlic can come in two forms of production: green garlic (or fresh garlic) and dry garlic, dried in the open-air.

« Picodon » is the name given to a particular goat cheese, small, pallet-formed and very tasty. Picodon has an “AOC” label since 1983, called: “Picodon de la Drôme”. This goat cheese has a non-pressed soft paste, and a slight crust. It is still produced in the ancestral way.

The name Picodon “Dieulefit method” indicates that the cheese is dried and ripened for at least one month and washed several times. This method gives a unique taste to the cheese, in between strength and delicacy.
Some other farmers produce goat cheese with no particular label.