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CMS Certified Exam > Loire Valley > Flashcards

Loire Valley Flashcards

1
Q

What is France’s longest river and last wild river in Europe?

A

The Loire

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2
Q

How long is the Loire river?

A

629 miles.
It starts at the Massif Central and flows into the Atlantic Ocean.

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3
Q

What are the main sub regions of the Loire Valley?

A
  • Central Vineyards
  • Touraine
  • Anjou-Saumur
  • Pays-Nantis
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4
Q

What are the main grape varieties of the Central Vineyards?

A
  • Sauvignon Blanc
  • Pinot Noir
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5
Q

What is the climate like in the central vineyards?

A

This is a true continental climate
- Cold winters
- Warm, dry summers

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6
Q

What are the different soil types in the central vineyards?

A
  • silex (flint)
  • terres blanches (kimmeridgian marl)
  • caillottes (stony fossils)
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7
Q

What are the two main AOPs of the central vineyards?

A
  • Sancerre
  • Pouilly-Fume
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8
Q

What style of wine can the Pouilly-Fume AOP make?

A

White wine only made from Sauvignon Blanc

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9
Q

What style of wine can the Sancerre AOP make?

A

Sancerre is usually white wine made from Sauvignon Blanc, but this AOP also allows red and rose wine made from Pinot Noir

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10
Q

What are the red and rose wines from the Sancerre AOP labeled as?

A
  • Sancerre Rouge
  • Sancerre Rose
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11
Q

What are the white wines from Sancerre and Pouilly-Fume like?

A
  • Steely
  • Herbaceous
  • Mineral driven
    With rising temperatures, they can take on more tropical/pineapple notes like the Bordeaux Sauv Blanc
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12
Q

What container is Sancerre and Pouilly-Fume usually produced in?

A

Stainless steel

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13
Q

What are the Pinot Noirs from Sancerre usually like?

A
  • Extremely light
  • Usually less body and higher acidity than the Cote Chalonnaise pinot noir
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14
Q

Which AOP in the central vineyards is reserved for white wines made from the Chasselas grape?

A

Pouilly-sur-Loire AOP

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15
Q

What styles of wine will most AOPs in the central vineyards make?

A

Dry white wines made from sauvignon blanc and red/rose wines from Pinot Noir

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16
Q

Where is the Loire Valley’s best Sauvignon Blanc found?

A

In the central vineyards.
(Pinot Noir, while lighter in style can be exceptional here, especially in warmer vintages)

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17
Q

What are the outlying appellations of the central vineyards?

A
  • Orleans AOP : wines made from Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier
  • Orleans-Clery AOP: red wines only made from Pinot Noir
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18
Q

What are the main white varieties of Touraine?

A
  • Chenin Blanc
  • Sauvignon Blanc
  • Sauvignon Gris
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19
Q

What are the main varieties of Touraine?

A
  • Gamay
  • Groslot
  • Pineau d’Aunis
  • Cabernet Franc
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20
Q

What is the climate like in Touraine?

A

Continental climate with maritime influences
- The winters are not as cold as the central vineyards
- This region receives more rainfall and humidity than the central vineyards

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21
Q

Touraine has many confluences of rivers which is great for what?

A

Botrytis

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22
Q

What are the soils like in Touraine?

A
  • Tuffeau and limestone outcroppings
  • Varennes (sandy alluvial)
    These soils help the grapes retain acidity even in warmer vintages
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23
Q

What are the important bodies of water in Touraine?

A
  • Loire River
  • Cher, Indre, and Vienne tributaries of the Loire
  • Loir river
    the Loir river does not meet the Loire river in this region but there are 3 appellations along it that are considered part of Touraine still
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24
Q

What are the styles of wine produced in Touraine?

A
  • dry red and white
  • rose
  • sparkling
  • off-dry to sweet white wines
25
Q

What are the 6 most important AOPs in Touraine?

A
  • Chinon AOP
  • Bourgueil AOP
  • Saint-Nicholas-de-Bourgueil AOP
  • Vouvray AOP
  • Montlouis-sur-Loire AOP
  • Touraine AOP
26
Q

What kind of wines are allowed in the Chinon AOP?

A
  • dry whites from chenin blanc
  • dry red and rose from cabernet franc
27
Q

What kind of wine is allowed in the Bourgueil AOP?

A

dry red and rose from cabernet franc

28
Q

What kind of wine is allowed in the Vouvray AOP?

A
  • dry to sweet white, and sparkling made from chenin blanc

A max of 5% orbois is allowed but this is seldom encountered

29
Q

What kind of wine is allowed in the Touraine AOP?

A
  • red and rose wines made from all red varieties
  • white wines made from sauv blanc unless they are village designated
30
Q

What is the style of gamay usually like in the Touraine AOP?

A

It’s usually sold as a primeur in the beaujolais nouveau style

31
Q

What are the 5 villages in the Touraine AOP that are allowed to add their name to the appellation in honor of their superior wines?

A
  • Mesland
  • Azay-le-Rideau
  • Amboise
  • Oisly
  • Chenonceaux

Each village makes a different style of red based mostly on cot (malbec) and gamay

Villages can make white wine from either sauv blanc or chenin blanc

32
Q

What kind of wine is allowed in the Saint-Nicholas-de-Bourgueil AOP in Touraine?

A

dry reds and roses from Cabernet Franc

33
Q

What kind of wine is allowed in the Montlouis-sur-Loire AOP in Touraine?

A

Dry to sweet and sparkling white made from Chenin Blanc

34
Q

What subregion is the Loire’s largest and most diverse?

A

Anjou-Saumur

35
Q

What grape varieties are used in Anjou-Saumur?

A
  • Chenin Blanc
  • Cabernet Franc
36
Q

What is Chenin Blanc known as locally in Anjou-Saumur?

A

Pineau de la Loire

37
Q

What is the climate like in Anjou-Saumur?

A
  • maritime climate with continental influences
  • wet springs and falls bring rot
38
Q

What is the soil like in Anjou-Saumur?

A

The soil is varied
- Blueschist
- Gravel
- Sand
- Alluvial
- Small mixes of tuffeau

39
Q

What are the major tributaries to the Loire in Anjou-Saumur?

A
  • Loir
  • Layon
    The Layon is shallow and warm, which creates morning mist, perfect for botrytis.
40
Q

What style of wine is made in Anjou-Saumur?

A

Every style

41
Q

What are the important AOPs to know in Anjou-Saumur?

A
  • Anjou AOP
  • Anjou Villages AOP
  • Savennieres AOP
  • Coteaux Layon and Coteaux de l’Aubance AOP
  • Bonnezeaux and Quarts de Chaume AOPs
  • Saumur AOP
  • Saumur-Champigny AOP
42
Q

What type of wine is made in the Anjou AOP?

A
  • dry to sweet whites
  • red and rose made from any allowable grape
    This is considered the “umbrella AOP”
43
Q

What style of wine is made in the Anjou Villages AOP?

A

Dry reds only from Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon

44
Q

What style of wine is made in the Savennieres AOP?

A

Dry to sweet white wines made from Chenin Blanc.
(Usually dry)

45
Q

What is some of the best wine like from the Savennieres AOP?

A

complex, honeyed, and rich with age

46
Q

What are two sub-appellations of Savennieres AOP?

A
  • Coulee de Serrant (made famous by Nicholas Joly for biodynamics)
  • Roche Aux Moines
47
Q

What are considered the sweet wine districts in Anjou-Saumur?

A
  • Coteaux Layon and Coteaux de l’Aubance AOP
48
Q

What are some facts about the way wine is made in Coteaux Layon and Coteaux de l’Aubance AOP?

A
  • Harvesting tries are mandatory
  • Grapes are harvested later in the year
  • Medium sweet to sweet white wine made from Chenin Blanc
49
Q

What is the wine like in - Bonnezeaux and Quarts de Chaume AOPs?

A
  • dessert wines
  • both located within the Layon AOP
  • Botrytis affected Chenin Blanc
  • Require manual harvest tries
  • the richest dessert wine in the Loire
  • Declassified in bad vintages
  • high minimum RS content
50
Q

What kind of wines are made in the Saumur AOP?

A
  • Dry whites from Chenin Blanc
  • Rose and red from Cabernet Franc
  • sparkling wines from any grape varietal
51
Q

What style of wine is made in the Saumur-Champigny AOP?

A
  • red wine only from cabernet Franc
    This is a light, bright, elegant floral expression of Cabernet Franc
52
Q

What grape variety is allowed in Pays Nantais?

A

Melon B AKA Melon de Bourgogne, AKA Muscadet

53
Q

What is the climate like in Pays Nantais?

A
  • true maritime climate
  • threats of frost and rot persist
  • little fluctuation of temperature throughout the year
  • The atlantic ocean is a major influence
54
Q

What is the soil like in Pays Nantais?

A
  • schist
  • silica
  • clay
  • granite
55
Q

What rivers meet the Loire in Pays Nantais?

A

Sevre and Maine rivers

56
Q

What is a common winemaking practice in Pays Nantais?

A

aging wine in the bottle on the lees or ‘sur lie’

57
Q

What is the most important AOP to know in Pays Nantais?

A

Muscadet sevre-et-maine AOP

58
Q

What are the 3 subzones of the Muscadet sevre-et -maine AOP?

A
  • Clisson
  • La Pallet
  • Gorges
    *Wines labeled by subzone may not have ‘sur lie’ on the label
59
Q

What are some other AOPs in Pays Nantais to be familiar with?

A
  • Muscadet AOP
  • Muscadet Coteaux de la Loire AOP
  • Muscadet Cotes de Grandlieu AOP

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