Wines from the Loire

As a continuation after the trip, I decided to revise the wines that I had studied under Helen. A precursor is a map from the Loire valley showing all the wine regions. While the Loire produces a wide permutations of wines - red, white, dry, sweet, rose, still, sparkling - they are considered of medium price and medium quality. The four main vineyards are Pays Nantais, Anjou Saumur, Touraine and the central vineyards.

Pays Nantais
The grape used is the Muscadet and Gros Plant. The Appelation Controlee are :
The Muscadet which is a simple, light, dry wine to be drunk young.
The Muscadet des Coteaux de la Loire - very dry wines
Muscadet de Sevre et Maine - The best vineyards, a good wine which may taste nutty, peppery or salty and have a petillance, especially if 'SUR LIE'
VDQS Gros Plant du Pays Nantais - Bitter wines which are good with seafood
VDQS Coteaux D'Ancenis - A little different from the others - the Gamay and Cabernet Sauvignon used for red and rose light, fruity wines. The white is produced from the Chenin Blanc.

Anjou Saumur
For the whites, the grapes are the Chenin Blanc. For the reds, the grapes are the Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. Rose wines made from the two Cabernets plus Gamay and Cot.
Appellation Controllee
Anjou - covers the whole district producing red and white wines
Anjou Rose - good cooperative made fresh fruity wines
Anjou Cabernet Rose - made from cabernet sauvignon and are better quality than ordinary rose.
Saumur - primarily known for a sparkling champagne method sparkling wine. AC Saumur Blanc is a pleasant dry white wine. AC Saumur Rouge is a light dry Cabernet Franc based wine.
Saumur Champigny - best group of vineyards making Saumur rouge.
Anjou Coteaux de la Loire - dry/ medium whites from the Chenin Blanc
Savennieres - Chenin Blanc makes steely dry whites which age well
Coteaux du Layon - Sweet whites from the Chenin Blanc which age well
Quarts de Chaume and Bonnezeaux - the two best ACs producing sweet wine from the Chenin Blanc. They develop slowly and can be suprisingly dry when young. They age well and benefit from 10-20 years.

Touraine

Grape - White - Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc

Red - Cabernet Franc, Gamay

Appellation Controllee

Touraine - Still or sparkling red, white or rose. The Touraine Sauvignon Blanc is light and crisp. they say it lacks the concentration of Sancerre and the Pouilly Fume but its much cheaper:-)

Cheverny, Jasnieres and Vin de Pays des jardins de la Loire - to be drunk young

Bourgeuil and Chinon - reds from cabernet franc, tannic with blackcurrant and strawberry fruit

St Nicolas de Bourgeuil - reds from the cabernet franc again which produces fine reds that mature well

Vouvray - Chenin blanc sparkling and stilll white wines from the chenin blanc that range from bone dry to liquorously sweet

Vouvray Petillant or Mousseux - sparkling white

Vouvray Demi-sec - somewhere between medium dry and medium sweet, they age well with green apple acidity

Vouvray Moulleux - Sweet vouvray with peach and honet flavours after 5-10 years

Montlouis - excellemt and value dry and sweet wines from the chenin blanc

Central Vineyards

Grapes - White - Sauvignon

Red - Pinot Noir

Appelation Controlee

Sauvignon Blanc - easy to drink light, white wines, reasonably priced

Pouilly Fume and Sancerre - dry, crisp white wines with good fruit, go well with local fish

Sancerre Rouge and Rose - light, soft reds with good rose

Quincy and Reuilly - dry white wines tend to be softer and lighter than the sancerre and the pouilly fume, to be drunk young

Menetou - Salon - whites with good acidity and a smokey flavour. The reds are light and easy to drink

And now on to the wines that we tasted:

Cheverny (Grape - Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay)

Appearance - Pale with hardly any colour but it had legs/ Nose - / Palate - Acidic but a buttery soft taste. Its the chardonnay which gives the buttery taste.

The wine is to be had with cold meats and fish

Savennieres (1995) - 13 euros (From Savenners close to Angers, the region which produces sweet wine)

Grape - Chenin Blanc/ Appearance - Its a wine which can be aged and the amber of the wine shows age but the white rim shows that it can still be aged further/ Nose - It was lovely - the flavour of honey and nutmeg, spicy/ Palate - Very nice and it had the effect of mineral rich fruit. If I remember right, I really liked the wine.

To be had with salmon, scallops, fish in cream sauce, coquille st jacques, pastries and olives

Pouilly Fume - 13 euros - the central vineyards

Grape - Sauvignon Blanc; Fume is the grape with a white cover/ Appearance - A younger, fresher wine/ Nose - Fruity with the smell of gooseberry/ Palate - Dry, soft

A break here - this was my first tasting and the comments make no sense but I remember really having liked the whites.

Chateau Tigne - 8.5 euros

Grape - Cabernet franc and cabernet sauvignon/ Appearance - Darker shade than most/ Nose - Fruity/ smokey/ Palate - A dry sensation at the back because of the tannin which leaves behind a bitter taste. Its the cabernet sauvignon which leaves behind the bitter taste when young.

Grape - cabernet franc and sauvignon/ Appearance - Bordeaux red with aging/ Nose - Fruity, raspberries and currants/ Palate - It was acidic once again for my premature palate