Haute Loire is an unofficial name for the wine-producing communes of the Loire Valley located upstream (South and east) from Touraine. It includes two of the Loire's most famous appellations - Sancerre and Pouilly-Fume - along with a number of lesser known appellations such as Orléans, Valencay, Quincy and Côtes du Forez. The concept of a "Haute Loire" sub-region is necessary because the appellations that make it up are not grouped by an administrative or historical region; their main commonality is their proximity to the Loire River. Most other French wine regions correspond closely to an administrative region or department (e.
g. Alsace, Burgundy, Champagne, Provence). There is indeed a department of the Loire, but it is hundreds of miles upstream from the heart of the Loire Vineyard. Ironically, it is home to two of the least known appellations in the Loire Valley: Côte Roannaise and Côtes du Forez.
Like nowhere else on the Loire, these two regions specialize in red and rosé wines made from Gamay. Their style of wine and their sandy, granitic soils mean that they have more in common with Beaujolais (just 50 km to the east) than with any other Loire appellation.
Ribs have travelled a long way! In the Middle Ages it was indeed cultivated in the Yonne region. In Bordeaux, it was used in the production of vins clairets and was present in the Loire Valley where today it is only used in the AOC Touraine and Rosé d'Anjou. It goes by different names: Malbec in Bordeaux or Auxerrois in Cahors, in the Quercy vineyards, where it flourishes.it is a very old red grape variety with medium-sized bunches and berries with melting, juicy and sweet flesh. Very sensitive to frost, disease and temperature changes, it is very productive if preserved and if it reaches a good maturity.côt is used in the vineyards of several major appellations such as the AOC Médoc, Graves, Saint-Emilion, Pomerol, Bergerac, Pécharmant, Buzet, Malepère, Marcillac... Wines made from this grape variety are fruity, tannic, deep in colour and have good ageing potential Cultivated on a surface of 5.000 hectares in France, the côt is also very present in Argentina and Chile.
wines from the region of Haute Loire go well with generally quite well with dishes of pork, shellfish or spicy food such as recipes of pork roll with mustard, garlic shrimp or genuine chicken tagine olive and lemon confit tagine with argan oil.
On the nose in the region of Haute Loire often reveals types of flavors of tree fruit, kiwi or passion fruit and sometimes also flavors of savory, saline or orange. In the mouth in the region of Haute Loire is a with a nice freshness.
Growers in the village of Melambes in Crete saw devastating wildfires cause ‘complete damage to 300 acres (121.4 hectares) of old pre-phylloxera vines’ in July, according to an online crowdfunding page created to support viticulture in the area and help those affected. Although fire burned 90% of the vineyard, it’s hoped some damaged vines can be rescued, said winemaker Iliana Malihin, of her namesake winery and who has spearheaded a community project to revive the site in recent years. Ye ...
The Champagne houses, part of the family-owned EPI Group, announced their B Corp certification after scoring 91.9 points in the assessment by B Lab, a non-profit network founded in 2006 with the aim of improving corporate performance in the spheres of social and environmental issues, plus accountability and transparency. The certification involves an assessment of the social and environmental impact of each brand through more than 200 questions concerning governance, employees, communities and t ...
Only 10? I feel a little like I do when faced with a hefty restaurant wine list. So many lovely wines, so little time to do them justice. My mind tracks the names, vintages and regions in fleeting time, flipping like a kaleidoscope. The effort is always accompanied by that nagging worry you’re missing the absolute gem. All the while, your dinner date is itching simply to get on and tuck into the evening with a good glass of wine. The Tooley household has been through a lot in 2021, including som ...
