Session 1 - Loire Valley

Loire Valley
Session Date: December 2nd (2006)

For session one - the PSwc will be tasting the wines of the Loire Valley in France. Most of the written material about the Loire describe it as being the most diverse (and underrated) of all French wine regions. [See wines for tasting below]

Located along the river Loire, the region is large, with 180,000 acres under vine [see map above-right](by contrast, California is huge, having over 400,000 acres under vine) The climate is cool and temperate - which fosters grapes with higher acidity. Vineyards here tend to be lower-tech and straightforward, with a greater emphasis on terroir (or "a sense of place").

The Loire has over 60 appellations [see map below], or AOC (classified districts required to produce certain types of grapes and/or blends of grapes). We will focus on a few main ones: Muscadet (whites made with Melon de Bourgongne), Anjou-Saumu (which, for us, will focus on Rose and sparkling wines, made mostly from Cabernet Franc & Chenin Blanc), Chinon & Bourgueil (reds made from Cabernet Franc), Vouvray (whites made from Chenin Blanc), and Sancerre & Pouilly-Fume (whites made from Sauvignon Blanc).

The main grapes grown in the Loire Valley are:

Cabernet Franc (Red - medium bodied) - related to Cabernet Sauvingnon and often used in Bordeaux wines. Often rustic, it shows herbaceous flavors along with blackberries, raspberries and red currants. Cabernet Franc grown in Chinon tends to be soft, where as in Bourgueil it tends to be firmer.

Melon de Bourgogne (White - light bodied) - often called Muscadet, it is light, tart, dry and neutral-tasting. A blue-collar grape, with little pretense. In the Loire, wines tend to have mineral edge and floral tastes.

Chenin Blanc (White - medium bodied) - range from bone-dry to sweet. Rounded but acidic, with flavors of honey, lime and vanilla. The Loire is home to textbook Chenin Blancs.

Sauvignon Blanc (White - medium bodied) - Acidic, dry and crisp. Flavors include herbs, grass, straw, hay and exotic fruit. Some even say cat pee! While many know Sauvignon Blanc through New Zealand vineyards (where the wine is most pronounced), in the Loire it is more balanced and smokey.

Session One Wines (Appellations to Taste - West to East)

Here is a list of major wines to be included in Session 1. This acts like a registry. If you purchase a wine from this list - send an email to cblukens@gmail.com (or post a comment). I will then update the list. If we get more than one wine from one appellation - that's fine. If you are going to purchase your wine the day of the session, look to see what's not taken and try for it. If not - get anything on the list. If you find a Loire wine outside this list, and it seems recommended, let me know or bring it. The recommended price range is $15-20 (unless you wish to spend more). The best Loire vintages of late are: 2002 & 2005.

* Muscadet [White (grape = Melon du Bourgogne)] 1 bottle coming

* Rose d'Anjou [Rose (containing mostly Cabernet Franc & Cabernet Sauvingon,)] 1 bottle coming

* Saumur [White (Chenin Blanc)] 1 bottle coming

* Chinon [Red (Cabernet Franc)] needed

* Bourgueil [Red (Cabernet Franc)] 1 bottle coming

* Vouvray Sec (dry) [White (Chenin Blanc)] needed

* Vouvray DemiSec (medium dry) [White (Chenin Blanc)] needed

* Vouvray [Sparkling] 1 bottle coming

* Sancerre [White (Sauvingnon Blanc)] needed

* Pouilly-Fume [White (Sauvingon Blanc)] needed (note: this is different from Pouilly-Fuisse - which is from Burgundy)

Session One Appetizers

The focus is on wine, not necessarily wine/food pairings (but we have to have snacks! A few things will be provided...) Yet, any of the following food items pair well with most/all of Session One wines. Feel free to bring anything listed here as a finger food, appetizer, or small dish:

* Goat cheese, cold cuts, ham, pork, sausage, turkey, salad, (roasted) veggies, anything dill.

Credits

Pictures:

France map (www.terroir-france.com/wine/loirevalley.htm)

Loire Valley AOC map (www.wineweb.com/map_france_loire.html)

Loire vinyards picture (www.brewman_smugmug.com)

Texts:

Dorenburg, Andrew & Page, Karen. What to Drink with what You Eat. (New York: Bulfinch, 2006)

Keevil, Susan. Wines of the World. (New York: Doring Kindersley, 2004)

MacNeil, Karen. The Wine Bible. (New York: Workman, 2001)

Parker, Robert. Parker's Wine Buyer's Guide. (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2002)