The White Wine Center of France
I recently did a review of a wine from the Loire Valley region of Sancerre, so I thought it would be helpful to give a brief description of the Loire Valley. In general, this area produces some of the lightest and most food friendly white wines in the world, and is definitely a great region for finding great bargains. The three most important white grape varieties are: Savignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, and Muscadet.
The Loire (l'wahr) Valley stretches across northwest France, following the path of the Loire River from central France in the east to the Atlantic Ocean in the west. The rather cool climate, especially in the west, produces relatively light-bodied white wines. The Loire Valley has three sections, each of which features different grape varieties.
I will go into more detail on each region and specific grape variety when the opportunity presents itself.
The Upper Loire:
In the eastern end of the Valley (called the Upper Loire), just south of Paris, are the towns of Ancerre and Pouilly-sur-Loire, located on opposite banks of the Loire River, Here, the Sauvignon Blanc grape makes lively, dry wines that have spicy, green-grape, and minerally flavors. The two principal wines in this are are Sancerre (sahn-sair) and Pouilly-Fumé (pwee-foo-may).
- Sancerre is the lighter and more vibrant of the two. It's perfect for summer drinking, especially with shellfish or light fish.
- Pouilly-Fumé is slightly fuller than Sancerre and can have attractive flinty, mineral flavors. Because it is a fuller weight, Pouilly-Fumé goes well with rich fish, such as salmon, or with chicken or even veal.
These wines are at their best when served young; drink them within four years of the vintage.
The Central Loire Valley:
The central Loire Valley is known for both its white and red wines. The Chenin Blanc grape makes better wine here than it does anywhere else in the world. The Anjou district produces arguably the greatest dry Chenin Blanc wine, Savenniéres. A great dessert white wine made from Chenin Blanc, Coullée de Serrant, also comes from Anjou. Bonnezeaux and Quartz-de-Chaume are two other well known dessert white wines from Anjou that are made from Chenin Blanc.
Near the town of Tours, lies the town of Vouvray (voo-vray). Vouvray wines, also made from Chenin Blanc, come in three styles: dry (sec), medium-dry (demi-sec), or sweet (called moelleux, pronounced m'wah-leuh). However, Vouvray sec is a less austere and less fullbodied wine than Savenniéres. Vouvray also can be a sparkling wine and can be a good value when compared to the more expensive sparkling wines of Champagne.
Less expensive Vouvrays are pleasant to drink young. Even the drier versions are not truly bone-dry and are a good choice if you do not enjoy very dry white wines. They go well with chicken or veal in a rich white sauces, spicy cuisines, or fruit and soft cheese after dinner. Typical flavors of Chenin Blanc are: citrus, grass, green apple, honey, melon, and mineral; Chenin Blanc is traditionally light to medium-bodied.
The central Loire Valley also boast the region's best red wines. Made mainly from Cabernet Franc, they carry the place-names of the villages the grapes come from: Chinon (she-nohn), Bourgueil (boor-guh'y), St. Nicolas-de-Bourgueil (san-nee-co-lah-deh-boor-guh'y), and Saumur-Champigny (soh-muhr-shahm-pee-n'yee). They are all spicy, offer great value, medium-bodied reds that are famously food friendly.
Pays Nantais:
Close to the Atlantic Ocean is the third wine district of the Loire Valley - Pays Nantais (pay-ee nah-tay)m named after the city of Nantes, right where the Loire River empties into the Atlantic Ocean. The area is home of the Muscadet grape (also known as Melon de Bourgogne), is light and very dry, with apple and mineral flavors - absolutely perfect with clams, oysters, mussels, and white fish. It is naturally ideal for summer drinking. Muscadet is the best value in the entire Loire Valley, and you can find very good Muscadet for absurdly low prices.
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