The Loire Valley is a key wine region in western France. It follows the course of the Loire River on its Long journey through the heart of France, from the inland hills of the Auvergne to the plains of the French Atlantic coast near Nantes (Muscadet country). Important in terms of quantity and quality, the region produces large quantities (about 4 million h/l each year) of everyday wines, as well as some of France's greatest wines. Diversity is another of the region's major assets; the styles of wine produced here range from the light, tangy Muscadet to the Sweet, honeyed Bonnezeaux, the Sparkling whites of Vouvray and the juicy, Tannic reds of Chinon and Saumur.
It's quite telling that this brief overview of the region's wines doesn't even mention the Loire Valley's two most famous wines - Sancerre and Pouilly-Fume. White wines are clearly the strong point of the Loire Valley and represent the vast majority of production. A significant proportion of these are produced under PGI appellations, most commonly the IGP Loire (formerly Vin de Pays du Jardin de la France), which covers the whole region. The main white Grape varieties used for the production of white wines in the Loire Valley are Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Melon de Bourgogne and, more popular than the traditional, Chardonnay.
Pinot Gris is a grey grape variety mutated from Pinot Noir. It has its origins in Burgundy, where it is called pinot-beurot in reference to the colour of the grey robes worn by the monks of the region. Established in Alsace since the 17th century, pinot gris was called tokay until 2007. It is made up of bunches of small berries that vary in colour from pink to blue-grey. It is particularly well suited to the continental climate because it is resistant to the cold in winter and to spring frosts. This variety also likes dry limestone soils with plenty of sunshine in the summer. Pinot Gris is well suited to late harvesting or to the selection of noble grapes, depending on the year and the concentration of sugars in the berries. Pinot Gris wines are distinguished by their aromatic complexity of white fruits, mushrooms, honey, vanilla, cinnamon, etc., and their great finesse. In the Loire Valley, pinot gris is used in the Coteaux-d'Ancenis appellations. It gives dry or sweet wines with pear and peach aromas.
pink wines from the region of Loire Valley go well with generally quite well with dishes of shellfish, lean fish or fruity desserts such as recipes of mussels with cream, back of cod with old-fashioned mustard or apple cake.
On the nose in the region of Loire Valley often reveals types of flavors of strawberries, pepper or spices and sometimes also flavors of red fruit, citrus fruit or minerality.
Sequence from the video « At the heart of the Mâcon terroir » which offer a stroll at the heart of the Mâcon terroir. It offers a focus on Mâcon-Mancey, one of the 27 geographical denominations of the Mâcon appellation. Travel through the terroirs of the Mâcon appellation by watching the full video : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GF20y1aBZh8 Both are available in French and English. Our social media: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BourgogneWines Twitter: https://twitter.com/BourgogneWine ...
Vint said yesterday (17 November) that it has launched a $142,000 collection of Napa Valley 2018 wines, offering a ‘$50-a-share buy-in’ for prospective investors. It’s the latest offering from the US-based start-up, which specialises in offering US Securities & Exchange Commission-qualified (SEC) shares in collections of leading wine names. Vint said the Napa collection includes Screaming Eagle Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 and Kapscandy’s Grand Vin State Lane Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2018, amo ...
A delegation of wine producers from Victoria’s King Valley met with members of the Australian parliament in Canberra to reinforce their campaign to maintain access to the Prosecco name. Their visit follows fresh talks between Australia and the EU on a possible free trade deal, which may impact who gets to use the term Prosecco for sparkling wines in the Australian market. A spokesperson for Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade told the Sydney Morning Herald that EU negotiato ...
