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 Blanc is a grape variety that originated in Burgundy, mutated from Pinot Gris. Today, it is grown in Alsace where it is called klevner when blended with auxerrois. The continental climate, with its cold winters and hot summers, is particularly suited to pinot blanc. It is resistant to frost in winter and in summer, the roots draw the minerals it needs from the warm soil. Its bunches are made up of small berries with thick skins and melting pulp that produce fruity, spicy wines, balanced between acidity and alcohol. pinot blanc is also used for crémants and sparkling wines. Pinot Blanc is also used for Crémant and sparkling wines. It is widely grown in Italy, where it covers almost 7,000 hectares, and is also found in Germany, Austria, Canada and South Africa.
sparkling wines from the region of Loire Valley go well with generally quite well with dishes of shellfish, poultry or appetizers and snacks such as recipes of fried rice with shrimp and chicken, royal couscous or baked tortilla.
On the nose in the region of Loire Valley often reveals types of flavors of green apple, nectarine or thyme and sometimes also flavors of passion fruit, chalk or melon. In the mouth in the region of Loire Valley is a powerful with a nice vivacity and a fine and pleasant bubble.
Freixenet Copestick has revealed a host of plans for its newly acquired English winery, Bolney Wine Estates in Sussex, as it embarks on its first English wine venture. With the ink barely dry on the deal, which was signed late last Friday (14 January), Freixenet Copestick MD Robin Copestick is not short of ideas when it comes to improving the already successful English winery. Describing Bolney as ‘the perfect match’ for Freixenet Copestick, he said: ‘When we arrived at Bolney in early September ...
In 1932, the Italian government expanded the boundaries of Chianti to incorporate neighbouring territories where grapes and chianti-style wines had long been produced. And in 1967, four years after the enactment of the Italian DOC system (Denominazione di Origine Controllata), the first official Chianti DOC was created, including seven sub-zones: Colli Fiorentini, Colli Senesi, Rùfina, Colli Aretini, Colline Pisane and Montalbano, plus the original Chianti Classico. The entire area was elevated ...
Let’s have a look at Saint-Véran vineyard and discover the magnificent and very diverse landscapes of this appellation situated in the South of Bourgogne. Saint-Véran is one of the 5 Village appellations with Pouilly-Fuissé, Pouilly-Vinzelles, Pouilly-Loché and Viré-Clessé. Like them, it produces only white wines from the Chardonnay grape. What makes it special is that the vineyard is cut in two dinstinct parts by the vineyard of Pouilly-Fuissé. As anywhere else in the vineyard in Bourgogn ...
