Grape Varieties - Loire Valley

Question 1

What are the permitted white varieties of the Loire Valley?

Answer 1

• Chenin Blanc
• Muscadet (Melon de Bourgogne)
• Chardonnay
• Sauvignon Blanc

Question 2

Describe Muscadet (Melon de Bourgogne).

Answer 2

• Burgundian in origin, 13,000ha planted in 2000.
• Fungal disease significant issue especially in the humid Nantais climate. Hardy and frost resistant however.
• Early ripener with small berries and thick skins.
• Thought to be high acid but requires picking at right point to preserve acidity.

Question 3

What is the most widely planted grape in Anjou-Saumur? What percentage of plantings does it make up and what is it known as locally?

Answer 3

• Chenin Blanc, known locally as Pineau de la Loire or just Pineau.
• Makes up one third of white plantings throughout the Loire.

Question 4

What disease pressures does Chenin Blanc face?

Answer 4

Odium, Downy Mildew, Grey Rot and to its advantage Noble Rot.

Question 5

Describe Chenin Blanc viticulturaly in the Loire.

Answer 5

• An early budder making it prone to spring frost. Contains naturally high levels of sugar and acid.
• Performs well on limestone soils.
• A low yielder in the Loire well suited to the cool climate.

Question 6

Up to how much Chardonnay is permitted in some Loire AOPs?

Answer 6

20%.

Question 7

What percentage of plantings does Sauvignon Blanc make up in the five AOPs of the Central Vineyards?

Answer 7

90%

Question 8

Describe Sauvignon Blanc’s physical and viticultural Characteristics.

Answer 8

• High in acid but low in sugar. Small thick skinned berries that form tight bunches.
• Flowers early making it prone to spring frosts, a problem particularly in the Central Vineyards.
• Performs well on flinty and limestone soils such as the silex soils of Sancerre and Pouilly-Fume.

Question 9

What disease pressures does Sauvignon Blanc face?

Answer 9

Black rot and Downy Mildew.

Question 10

What are the permitted black varieties of the Loire Valley?

Answer 10

• Cabernet Franc
• Cabernet Sauvignon
• Gamay
• Malbec (also know as Cot)
• Grolleau (also known as Groslot)
• Pinot Noir - Central Vineyards only

Question 11

What characterises Cabernet Sauvignon in the Loire?

Answer 11

This far north it struggles to ripen and is almost always blended with Cabernet Franc.

Question 12

What name is Cabernet Franc also known by and what soils does it have a particular affinity with?

Answer 12

Breton. it particularly likes the yellow tuffeau soils of Chinon and Bourgueil.

Question 13

Describe Cabernet Franc.

Answer 13

• Thin skinned and prone to disease.
• Performs well in the damper cooler soils of the Loire.
• Doesn’t always ripen fully especially in cooler years.
• Makes wines with good acidity, raspberry and vegetal notes.

Question 14

Describe Malbec in the Loire.

Answer 14

Difficult to grow, often fails completely, prone to spring frost and disease, almost completely unsuited to the Loire. Deeply coloured tannic wines that are often blended with Gamay.

Question 15

Describe Pinot Noir in the Loire.

Answer 15

• Allowed in the Central Vineyards only.
• Makes light wines, light in colour and tannin significantly less body than the wines of Burgundy.
• Can make good wines on the right site but the best sites got to Sauvignon Blanc.