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
What is the climate in Loire?
- Pays Nantais: Maritime
- Anjou, Saumur & Touraine: Maritime with continental influences
- Centre-Loire & Upper Loire: Continental
Which portions of Loire lie within which major land-forms?
- Pays Nantais & Anjou: belong to the Massif Armoricain
- Touraine & Centre-Loire: Paris Basin
- Upper Loire: Massif Central and its ranges
What soil types are found in Loire?
- sedimentary soils
- soils created by the decomposition of igneous & metamorphic rock
- wind-blown sands
Rank the grapes grown in Loire from widest to least planted.
- Cabernet Franc (25%)
- Sauvignon Blanc (16%)
- Chenin Blanc (15%)
- Melon de Bourgogne (14%)
- Gamay (7%)
- Chardonnay (4%)
- Pinot Noir (3%)
-
Grolleau (3%)
Other (13%)
There is a wide range of grape varieties grown here. Each sub-region is dominated by a different set of principal grapes.
What canopy management techniques are used in Loire to optimize the ripeness of the fruit?
- Short pruning
- De-budding
- Green harvesting
These techniques together with climate change have let to earlier harvests.
When are grapes harvested in Loire?
- harvest begins around September 15
- Melon from Pays Nantais & grapes for sparkling wines are harvested first
- Cabernet Franc & late-harvest Chenin Blanc are last
- botrytis affected grapes are picked in stages (tris) and continues well into November
When is hand harvesting used in Loire?
This is required in certain appellations (e.g. Cremant de Loire) and is necessary for late-harvest wines in order to select the grapes infected with botrytis.
What vine training methods are used in Loire?
Various training systems are used, but the most common are:
* Guyot
* Cordon
What winemaking practices are used for white wine in the Loire Valley?
This region focuses on preserving the wine’s natural acidity & freshness.
* quick harvest
* followed by fermentation in thermoregulated tanks
* some use of large oak vats (400-600L)
* most do not go through malolactic conversion
* many are aged on lees
* many are bottle in the spring
Is chaptalization permitted for white wine production in Loire?
Only in certain years and under certain conditions.
Which is the principal grape variety used for dessert wines in Loire?
Chenin Blanc; the grapes must be overripe or infected with botrytis.
Other grapes used in specific AOCs are:
* Malvoisie (Pinot Gris)
* Romorantin
What methods are used for sweet wines post fermentation?
- A few producers age some of their sweet wines in wood, very little new oak is used. The slight oxidation that results from old oak adds complexity to the wine.
- Simple sweet wines are bottle quickly after fermentation to preserve the fruit flavours.
- Great wines spend time (8 months to several years) aging in the cellar before bottling.
How are roses in Loire produced?
- Direct press
- Saignee
Off-dry rose from Anjou-Saumur, fermentation is stopped by chilling to retain some sweetness.
How are red wines produced in Loire?
- Red grapes are destemmed
- Maceration for 1-4 weeks
- Fermentation in vats or barrels
- malolactic conversion is encouraged to reduce acidity & impart a more supple mouthfeel
- Some Gamay undergoes semi-carbonic maceration
Is chaptalization permitted for red wine production in Loire?
This is prohibited in certain AOCs.
How are the sparkling wines of Loire produced?
Methode traditionnelle (mainly)
What percentage of wine produced in the Loire are AOC, IGP, or Vin de France?
- 83.5% AOC: In a wide range of styles.
- 9% IGP
- 7.5% Vins sans IG (Vin de France)
What is the largest regional IGPs in Loire?
Val de Loire IGP (formerly known as Vin de Pays du Jardin de la France)
The majority of production is white.
