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.
white wines from the region of Loire Valley go well with generally quite well with dishes of pork, shellfish or spicy food such as recipes of savoyard crozet gratin, mussels with marinara or chicken with rice and curry cream.
On the nose in the region of Loire Valley often reveals types of flavors of pineapple, lemon peel or white pepper and sometimes also flavors of bruised apple, yeast or savory. In the mouth in the region of Loire Valley is a with a nice freshness.
Considered one of the most renowned living figurative painters, Peter Doig was commissioned to create the Mouton Rothschild 2020 label by the Bordeaux first growth’s owners, Philippe Sereys de Rothschild, Camille Sereys de Rothschild and Julien de Beaumarchais de Rothschild. The official unveiling ceremony happened last night (30 November) in Bordeaux’s Palais de la Bourse, which revealed both the original artwork and the newly-printed label on a large-format bottle. Introducing the artist ...
To showcase the project’s capacity to make art more accessible, the iconic Tuscan winery hosted a festive gathering at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York City to announce the results of the Vendemmia d’Artista 2019 ‘Il Vigore’ auction. Coordinated by Sotheby’s, the online auction raised £267,000 for the museum’s Mind’s Eye programme, which helps blind and low-vision people experience art using all the senses. Swedish artists Nathalie Djurberg and Hans Berg were ...
Prices have been rising on California fine wines, and especially Screaming Eagle, said Liv-ex this week. Its California 50 index, which tracks the price performance of Screaming Eagle, Harlan Estate, Dominus, Opus One and Ridge Monte Bello, has increased by around 32% in the last year. ‘High quality and heightened demand have led to rising prices,’ said Liv-ex, a global marketplace for the trade. Its figures provide more evidence of a strong 12 months for the fine wine market in general, and fol ...
