Loire Flashcards
What is the area from Angers to Orleans in Loire known as?
Le Jardin de la France (The Garden of France)
This name dates back to the 16th century and references a royal craze for importing “rare” vegetables from Italy and the gardeners to tend them. The central portion was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000.
Which is France’s largest white wine-producing region?
Loire
- 2nd largest sparkling wine producer
- 3rd largest overall producer of AOC wines
Which two wine trends have found a point of divergence in Loire?
The natural wine movement thrives here.
Some biodynamic vignerons, who must follow very specific production practices from vine to wine, take issue with the complete void of regulations for natural wine production.
How has Loire benefited from global warming?
- Melon de Bourgogne reaches greater levels of ripeness, enabling this grape to be fashioned into even more distinctive wines in the Muscadet AOC
- increasingly reliable patterns of warm, dry autumns are creating quality sweet wines from Layon
What is Fines Bulles?
Translated to “fine bubbles”, this is a category of sparkling wines held in high esteem in Loire:
* Petillant
* Mousseux
* Cremant
Which Loire appellations are often overlooked?
The 4 of Upper Loire. There is a movement to market these as “Volcanic Loire”, but two vineyards (Saint-Pourcain & Cotes d’Auverge) have significant plantings on sedimentary soils.
What was the consequence of the Vouvray decision for the requirement of vinification to occur within the appellation boundaries?
This shut out two of its top producers who own land within Vouvray, but vinify it across the river at their wineries in Montlouis-sur-Loire.
* Francois Chidaine
* Domaine de la Taille Aux Loups
How much area does Loire vineyard land encompass?
140,000ac/57,100ha (2019)
What percentage of wine production in Loire is white, rose, red and sparkling?
- 44% White
- 25% Rose
- 18% Red
- 13% Sparkling
What is the meaning behind Loire’s name?
The name is taken from the Latin word for “liger” meaning silt/sediment.
The name is fitting, as sand bars are common.
What difficulties have there been with the Loire river?
- the current is so strong that river traffic only flowed in one direction: downriver
- traffic was very difficult for a third of the year, as the water level could be low: for years, wines travelled in flat-bottomed boats called “gabarres”, “sapines” or “auvergnates” to Nantes (on arrival, the boats were disassembled and used for building material).
Where is Loire located?
North of Bordeaux, south of Normandy, east of the Atlantic Ocean and west & southwest of Bourgogne.
The river originates from springs at the base of Mont Gerbier de Jonc in the Massif Central’s Cevannes Mountains. It empties into the Bay of Biscay.
How long is the Loire river?
It stretches slightly more than 620mi/1,000km from its headwaters to its delta on the Atlantic Coast.
What topographical features contributes to the climate in Loire?
- Loire River; it helps warm the vineyards that flank it.
- Tributaries of the Loire River: these also assist in creating favourable mesoclimates suitable for ripening grapes
Name the sub-regions of Loire.
- Pays Nantais (Lower Loire)
- Anjou, Saumur & Touraine (Middle Loire)
- Centre-Loire & Upper Loire
