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.
Cabernet Franc is one of the oldest red grape varieties in Bordeaux. The Libourne region is its terroir where it develops best. The terroirs of Saint-Emilion and Fronsac allow it to mature and develop its best range of aromas. It is also the majority in many blends. The very famous Château Cheval Blanc, for example, uses 60% Cabernet Franc. The wines produced with Cabernet Franc are medium in colour with fine tannins and subtle aromas of small red fruits and spices. When blended with Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, it brings complexity and a bouquet of aromas to the wine. It produces fruity wines that can be drunk quite quickly, but whose great vintages can be kept for a long time. It is an earlier grape variety than Cabernet Sauvignon, which means that it is planted as far north as the Loire Valley. In Anjou, it is also used to make sweet rosé wines. Cabernet Franc is now used in some twenty countries in Europe and throughout the world.
pink wines from the region of Loire Valley go well with generally quite well with dishes of veal, pork or game (deer, venison) such as recipes of veal with cream and mushrooms, chicken bonne femme or rabbit with basquaise sauce.
Getting the wines right over the holidays is arguably just as important as the feast. You want the right bottles to elevate the festivities and impress your guests, which is why this month’s Wine Club offering took some careful consideration. In the Decanter Wine Club holiday special, we, together with Wine Access, have curated a selection of appropriate wines that will take centre stage on your dining table. Both Everyday Excellence and Rare Luxuries have six impressive bottles that would make ...
Stephen Burton, 57, and Andrew Fuller, 55, face up to 20 years behind bars if they are convicted of duping the collectors. They set up a company called Bordeaux Cellars to conduct the alleged scam. It offered investors the chance to earn high returns by making collateralised loans secured against rare bottles of the world’s finest wines, including Domaine de la Romanée-Conti and Screaming Eagle. However, the returns were ‘too good to be true’, according to court papers filed in New York by US di ...
The focus is upon a new series of back label additions which will be: Viticultor – Elaborador: viticulturist/winemaker aka vigneron Embotellador – Elaborador: bottler Comercialitzadora: commercial wine agent aka negociant Work on these changes began at their 15th anniversary back in 2016 and has been ongoing since. Despite this length of time, part of their introduction has clearly been spurned by the recent wine fraud case wherein hundreds of thousands of their (and other locals DO’s) bac ...
