Wine
Regions
Old World
France
Loire
The Loire Valley
The Loire valley follows the Loire river in a kind of crescent shape from
the center of France to the Atlantic coast. The wines of the Loire, are
crisp whites on both ends, Muscadet and Sauvignon Blanc, with richer wines,
Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc, in the middle.
From it's source in the Cevennes Mountains, the Loire flows through about
1000 kilometers (625 miles) and twelve departements of green, peaceful countryside,
ancient towns and fine chateaux before reaching the Atlantic. It is the
longest river in France, and the variations in soil, climate and grape varieties
found along its banks and those of its tributaries are reflected in the
wide range of wines grown in the four major wine-producing districts. Running
east from the Bay of Biscay, the districts are Nantes-Anjou-Saumur, Touraine
and the Central Vineyards.
Red, white and rose, still, petillant and fully sparkling, some sixty
different appellations ranging in style from bone-dry to intensely sweet,
are strung out across half of France. The two crisp white wines at either
end of the Loire are the Muscadet wines of Nantes and the Sauvignon wines
of Sancerre and Pouilly Fume in the Central Vineyards, while the fuller
wines of all types are to be found in the central districts of Anjou-Saumur
and Touraine: Anjou Rose, sparkling Saumur and Vouvray, the rich, sweet
wines of Bonnezeaux and Quarts-de-Chaume in the Coteaux du Layon , and the
red wines of Bourgeuil, Chinon and Champigny
THE LOIRE'S MOST IMPORTANT GRAPE
The Chenin blanc grape produces four distinctly different styles of wine:
dry, semi-sweet, sweet and sparkling. This is due to traditional practices
that have been forced on growers by the vagaries of climate. This grape
has abundant natural acidity and, if it receives enough sun, a high sugar
content. But the Loire is considered a northern area in viticultural terms,
and the wine grower must contend with late frosts, cold winds and variable
summers. Given a sunny year, the grower's natural inclination is to make
the richest wine possible with this sweet and tangy grape, but in many vintages,
only a medium or a dry style can be achieved. Apart from exceptions like
Savennieres, dry Chenin blanc wines are all too often thin, harsh and acidic.
These wines do little to enhance the reputation of the Loire, but they do
have similar characteristics to the wines of Champagne in that they are
disappointing when still, yet glamorous when sparkling. It is little wonder
then, that as the Champagne trade rapidly evolved in the nineteenth century
so the seeds of a sparkling wine industry were sown in Saumur, and today
the Loire boasts the largest such market outside of Champagne itself.