The AOC NYONS land

The soil
The present soil of the Baronnies is constituted of sediments accumulated in the alpine sea 200 million years ago. These tender materials came from the surrounding reliefs and from the decomposition of organisms living in the waters. In the north of this sea (at the moment Vercors) and in the south (Mont–Ventoux) the rocks are much harder. 65 million years old. The rising of the Pyrenees provoked a North-South thrust and gave birth to a succession of anticlines and of synclines oriented East-West. Four million years later the rising of the Alps exercised a new East-West pressure which provoked modifications in the principal lines. The anticlines broke and snapped to give the countryside of today in which the water courses of the Eygues and of the Ouvèze and their tributaries force a passage.
The climate
The Baronnies are part of the Mediterranean world but the relief brings a mosaic of microclimates. On the whole one finds a pronounced drought and a strong heat amplified by the presence of the Ventoux massif which acts as a barrier to the rain carrying winds from the south. The Baronnies are the driest region of the Southern Alps (773 mm/year). The rains are rare and fall in Autumn and Spring often in the form of storms sometimes violent involving significant gullying. The dominant wind is the ‘mistral’ (wind of the north). However, the existence of a local wind the ‘Pontias’ should be noted, this wind follows the valley up to Nyons. The sunshine is exceptional, more than 2700 hours per year as well as brightness of the sky and the clarity of the air notably in winter. The Nyonsais soil is well adapted to the requirements of the Tench.
The requirements of the Tench variety
Temperature
Progressive frosts
The olive oil and the Mediterranean diet
Benefits for the health

The olive oil and the Mediterranean diet constitute for the scientific community a topical subject. Thus on the initiative of the European Commission, experts met on the 11 April 1997 in Brussels to establish a consensus on the olive oil and the Mediterranean diet. The olive oil constitutes the principal source of fat content of the Mediterranean diet. The beneficial virtues of this diet, in terms of the prevention of certain cardiovascular illnesses are widely known nowadays, a reduction in the rate of LDL cholesterol, being accompanied by a low incidence of coronary illness. Studies published recently show the beneficial effects of the olive oil and of the Mediterranean diet.
Professor Mancini, from Naples, Italy has shown that the Mediterranean diet based on olive oil certainly constitutes the best dietary solution for the diabetic, with a reduction in the cholesterol level and an improvement in the control of the blood sugar with an increase in the sensitivity to insulin. He has also demonstrated that the Mediterranean diet encourages the reduction in the blood pressure.
Doctor Panza (Bari, Italy) studied in 278 patients the relation between the cognitive decline and the diet. According to the results of his work, it is possible that olive oil opposes the decline of the mental faculties in old people. Olive oil and the Mediterranean diet are more than ever current topics.

Orchard approximately of Nyons

First Cold Pressure

Flowers of olive-tree in May