Loire Valley (wine)

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Loire Valley
Cabernet franc, Melon de Bourgogne, Gamay, Pinot noir and more
Wine producedStill, sparkling wine, dessert wine, rosé

The Loire Valley wine region includes the

fruitiness with fresh, crisp flavors-especially in their youth.[2] The Loire Valley has a long history of winemaking dating back to the 1st century. In the High Middle Ages, the wines of the Loire Valley were the most esteemed wines in England and France, even more prized than those from Bordeaux.[3]

History

Bretons of the area's wine stocks. By the 11th century the wines of Sancerre had a reputation across Europe for their high quality. In the High Middle Ages, the wines of the Loire Valley were the most esteemed wines in England and France, even more prized than those from Bordeaux.[3]

Climate and geography

The Loire River near the town of Champtoceaux in the Anjou wine region.

The Loire river has a significant effect on the

continental climate that is influenced heavily by the Loire and the Atlantic Ocean at the western edge of the region. The climate can be very cool with spring time frost being a potential hazard for the vines. During the harvest months rain can cause the grapes to be harvested under ripe but can also aid in the development of Botrytis cinerea for the region's dessert wines.[3]

Temperature, rainfall and average sunshine time in

Anjou
):

Month Jan Feb March Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Year
Average minimum temperature (°C) 2,1 2,2 3,9 5,6 8,9 11,8 13,6 13,4 11,3 8,4 4,6 2,8 7,4
Average temperature (°C) 5 5,7 8,2 10.4 13,9 16,2 19,2 19,1 16,5 12,7 8 5,6 11,8
Average maximum temperature (°C) 7,9 9,2 12,6 15,3 19 22,6 24,9 24,7 21,8 17 11,4 8,4 16,2
Average monthly rainfall (mm) 62,1 50,8 51,7 44,6 54,4 41,2 43,8 44,9 52,2 59,6 64,5 63,4 633,4
Monthly hours of sunshine (hour/month) 70 92 141 179 201 234 248 237 191 129 89 65 1877
Source : Climatology from 1947 to 2008 - Angers, France

Viticulture and winemaking

Vineyard in the Loire Valley near Saumur

With over 185,000 acres (750 km2) planted under vine, the Loire Valley is about two-thirds the size of the

acidity of the grapes. During these cool vintages the Sauvignon blanc based wines are lighter in color, less fruity and have more pronounced mineral notes. The Cabernet franc based wines are also lighter in color with more vegetal or "weed"-like aromas. In riper vintages, a Loire Cabernet franc will develop aromas of raspberries and lead pencil shavings.[2]

The Loire Valley has a high

canopy management have started to limit yields more effectively.[3]

Winemaking in the Loire is characterised by a general avoidance of

fermentation fully.[3]

Wine regions

The Loire Valley is often divided into three sections. The Upper Loire includes the Sauvignon blanc dominated areas of

Champagne. The Vin de Pays du Jardin de la France refers to any varietally labeled wine, such as Chardonnay, that is produced in the region outside of an AOC designation.[2]

Sancerre & Pouilly-Fumé

Main articles: Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé
Sauvignon blanc is the principal grape of Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé.

Sauvignon blanc and Pinot noir are the principal grapes of this region that is centered around the appellation of Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé. The two towns of Sancerre and Pouilly-sur-Loire (where Pouilly-Fumé is made) sit on opposite sides of the Loire river with Sancerre being about 10 miles (16 km) to the northwest of Pouilly. The Fumé is said to come from the silex flint interspersed with the limestone in the area that can give a smoky gunflint note to the wine. Another possibility for the name is the early morning fog created by the Loire river that can blanket the vineyards. Wines labeled with just Pouilly or Pouilly-sur-Loire are often made from the Chasselas grape.[6]

Unlike many areas of France, the Sancerre region is heavily mechanized with the use of

Didier Dageneau who, until his death in 2008,[7] was an influential voice in the area advocating the reduction of yields and the use of organic viticulture.[5]
Pouilly-Fumé only produces white wines while Sancerre produces red, white and rosé wines. The white Sauvignon blanc based wines from this region has characteristic gooseberry and grapefruit flavors with the Pouilly-Fumé version typically being more full bodied and rich in texture. The red Pinot noir wines are very light in both body and color that are not very similar to other French expression of the grape like those in Burgundy. Smaller appellations in the region include-[2]

The region was under the influence of the Duchy of Burgundy for most of its history which partly the reason why plantings were once heavily dominated by the Pinot noir grape. The Phylloxera epidemic of the 19th century altered that dynamic when many of the Pinot noir vineyards were wiped out by the louse. In their place, plantings of the easier to cultivate Sauvignon blanc vine began to increase. While there are still isolated batches of Pinot noir in the region, Sauvignon blanc is now the most heavily planted.[8]

Anjou-Saumur

Main articles: Saumur (wine) and Anjou wine
Many Loire Valley wines are released in Burgundy style wine bottles.

The Anjou region of the Middle Loire is situated around the town of

synonyms including Pineau de la Loire and Franc-blanc.[9]

The area around Saumur is the third largest sparkling wine appellation in France after the Champagne region and the

Saumur-Champigny produces red wine based on the Cabernet franc grape that is similar in profile to the wines produced in St-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil.[2]

Vouvray and Touraine

Main articles:
Touraine wine
Winemakers in the region build underground wine caves out of tuffeau limestone, as in the Champagne region, in order to store wine at an ideal temperature and humidity.

The region around Vouvray,

Pineau d'aunis, Pinot gris and Pinot noir. The villages of Vouvray and Montlouis are the largest appellations in the region and make only white wines from Chenin blanc. The wines can vary in sweetness from bone dry (often appearing as sec on the wine label) to very sweet moelleux wines that are often infected by noble rot.[2]

For years the Touraine region would compete with the

tuffeau which is the same material used to build many of the famous Loire Valley Châteaux.[5]

Chinon

Main article: Chinon AOC
A Chinon rosé wine made from Cab franc.

The area around Chinon,

served slightly cooler than most red wine.[10]

Muscadet

Main article: Muscadet

The Muscadet region is located at the westernmost edge of the Loire Valley near the city of

Muscat family of grapes.[11] The area's four appellation all produces white wine made from the Melon de Bourgogne grape.[5]
The appellations are-

  • Muscadet-Sèvre et Maine
  • Muscadet-Côtes de Grand Lieu
  • Muscadet-Coteaux de la Loire
  • Muscadet- A generic appellation covering the whole of the Loire-Atlantique department.

The wines of the Muscadet-Sèvre et Maine and Muscadet-Côtes de Grand Lieu appellation are often bottled

filtering. This create wines that can be very cloudy and require decanting to remove sediments but also produces wines that can be fuller bodied and show extra dimensions of freshness.[2]

Chenin blanc grapes

The white wines of the Coteaux du Layon, Montlouis-sur-Loire, Savennières, and Vouvray are based on Chenin blanc and are known for their high acidity when young and ability to develop and age well. The villages of Sancerre and Pouilly-sur-Loire are known for their crisp and herbaceous Sauvignon blancs. Some producers in the area are experimenting with oak aging their Sauvignon blanc to give them more rounder and softer appeal. The villages of Bourgueil, Chinon and Saumur are known for their Cabernet franc based wines that range from light and fruity in Saumur to rich and velvety in Chinon. The Muscadet wines from the Pays de la Loire are made from the Melon de Bourgogne grape and are known for their citrus and mineral notes.[2]

In addition to the main production grapes, several local grapes are also used to make wine in smaller quantities. These include the

Groslot of Touraine and the Gros Plant of Nantes. There is also some plantings of Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Gamay, Malbec, Pineau d'aunis, and Pinot gris, Pinot noir.[2]

A characteristic of many Loire wines (both red and white) is the high acidity which highlights the fresh, crisp flavors of their youth only to go through a "dumb phase" between 2 and 5 years of age when the wines flavors are drastically toned down. Many of the better made examples come out of this period with their full palate of flavors and can continue to age well into 20 years. Some of the Sauvignon blanc based wines like Sancerre buck this trend and instead stay more low key till their third year when they mature and develop their full assortment of flavors before they eventually fade around their 7-10th year. However the best made examples in top vintages can often live much longer.[2] Some classic examples of Vouvray can even reach the levels of longevity commonly associated with Port.[12]

Wineries

Historically the wineries of the Loire Valley have been small, family owned operations that do a lot of estate bottling. The mid-1990s saw an increase in the number of

co-operative to where now about half of Sancerre and almost 80% of Muscadet is bottled by a négociant or co-op.[4]

References

  1. ISBN 0-7566-1324-8
  2. ^
    ISBN 1-74048-050-3
  3. ^
    ISBN 0-19-860990-6
  4. ^
    ISBN 1-56305-434-5
  5. ^
    ISBN 0-7892-0883-0
  6. ISBN 1-84000-332-4
  7. ^ Molesworth, James (18 September 2008). "Didier Dagueneau Dies in Aircraft Crash at 52". Wine Spectator. Retrieved 4 June 2013. Didier Dagueneau, whose piercingly pure wines helped set a new standard of excellence for the Loire's Pouilly-Fumé appellation, was killed Wednesday when the ultralight aircraft he was piloting experienced trouble on takeoff, and crashed.
  8. ISBN 0-7566-1324-8
  9. ISBN 0-7566-1324-8
  10. ISBN 1-84000-332-4
  11. ISBN 0-7566-1324-8
  12. ISBN 1-84000-332-4

External links
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