Loire valley Flashcards
What is the longest river in France?
How long is it?
Where does it start?
Where does it end?
The longest river in France is the Loire. It is 1020 km long. It starts in the Massif Central and ends in the Atlantic Ocean.
Who first planted the Loire Valley?
The Romans, in about the first century AD.
What region produces the most white wine in France?
The Loire Valley
Name the classic white grapes of the Loire. Name the other white grapes of the Loire.
The classics:
Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, Melon de Bourgogne.
The others: Chardonnay, Orbois (Arbois/Menu Pineau), Romorantin, Gros Plant (Folle Blanche), and Chasselas.
What is the most important red varietal in the Loire Valley?
What are the other red varietals?
Cabernet Franc is the most important. The others are Pinot Noir, Gamay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec (Côt), Pineau d’Aunis, and Groslot (Grolleau).
What are the four appellations of Melon de Bourgogne in Pays Nantais?
Muscadet AOP,
Muscadet Coteaux de la Loire AOP, Muscadet Côtes de Grandlieu AOP, and Muscadet Sèvre-et-Maine AOP.
Is filtering allowed for Muscadet Sèvre-et-Maine Sur lie?
No.
What are the three subzones for Muscadet Sèvre-et-Maine added in 2011? What are the additional five added in 2019?
2011: Clisson, Le Pallet, and Gorges.
2019: Château Thébaud, Goulaine, Monnières-Saint-Fiacre, and Mouzillon-Tillières.
With the elimination of the VDQS (Vin délimité de qualité supérieure) tier in 2011, what three new regions in Pays Nantais gained AOC status?
Gros Plant du Pays Nantais,
Coteaux d’Ancenis,
and Fiefs Vendéens.
What is the other name for Chenin Blanc in Anjou?
Pineau de la Loire
What is the grape of Savenierres and what is the soil type?
Chenin Blanc and blue schist mixed with volcanic debris.
What are the two sub-appellations of Savennières?
Roche Aux Moines and Coulée de Serrant.
What is the monopole of Savenniières and who owns it?
Coulée de Serrant and Nicolas Joly.
What are the two sweet wine districts (AOP) of Anjou?
Coteaux du Layon AOP and Coteaux de l’Aubance AOP.
What is the minimum residual sugar (in grams per liter) for sweet wines from the Loire?
34 Grams per Liter
What is the Grand Cru Appelation in Coteaux du Layon for dessert wine?
Quarts de Chaume AOP
What type of wine does Bonnezeaux AOP produce? From what grape?
Dessert wine from Chenin Blanc.
Name two producers of Quarts de Chaume?
Domaine des Baumard and Chateau Pierre-Bise.
In addition to Quarts de Chaume and Bonnezeaux there are seven villages that are entitled to add their names to the basic Coteaux du Layon AOP. What are they? What is the minimum residual sugar per liter for these village labels? And which one has the title of Premier Cru?
Beaulieu-sur-Layon, Rochefort-sur-Loire, Faye d’Anjou, St. Lambert du Lattay, St. Aubin de Luigné, Rablay-sur-Layon, and Chaume. Wines labeled by village must reach higher minimum must weights and are harvested at lower maximum yields. At a minimum 80 grams per liter of residual sugar Chaume is Premier Cru.
What type of wine is Anjou AOP?
Red
What type of wines may receive the Saumur AOP designation?
Dry white, rosé, red, and sparkling.
What varietals are allowed in Saumur Blanc?
Chenin Blanc only.
Saumur Rouge allows which varietals?
Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Pineau d’Aunis.
Over half of Saumur’s grapes are destined for what type of wine with what designation?
Sparkling wines called Crémant de Loire AOP.
What grape is grown in Saumur-Champigny? And what are the soil types?
Cabernet Franc. There is a deep layer of Tuffeau with harder limestone and shale on top.
What are the three most famous AOP for Cabernet Franc in Touraine?
Chinon AOP, Bourgueil AOP, and Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil AOP
What are the three soil types of Chinon? And where do they occur?
Tuffeau, Clay, and Varennes. The sandy, alluvial varennes soils are closest to the river Vienne—a Loire tributary—whereas tuffeau is more common on the slopes. The vins de tuffe originating from these limestone south-facing slopes carry the most promise for depth and ageworthiness
What are the soil types of Bourgeuil?
Bourgueil soils are divided between sand and limestone.
What are the soil types of Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil?
Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil is situated almost wholly on lighter alluvial soils.
What is the other allowable grape in Vouvray?
Orbois.
What are the five levels of sweetness in Vouvray from dry to sweet?
- Sec
- Sec-tendre
- Demi-sec
- Moelleux
- Liquoreux
Montlouis-sur-Loire AOP was once part of Vouvray. What is the one difference in winemaking law there?
Orbois is not allowed in Montlouis-sur-Loire
What is Touraine Noble-Joué renowned for?
A Vin Gris style of Rosé made Pinot Meunier, Pinot Gris, and Pinot Noir.
What are the red wines of Coteaux du Loir made from?
Pineau d’Aunis.
What is the sub AOP of Coteaux du Loir known for its Chenin Blanc?
Jasnières AOP
What grapes are blended in Cheverny AOP?
Sauvignon Blanc is 60-80% with Chardonnay, Orbois (called Arbois here) or Chenin Blanc (called Pineau Blanc de le Loire here).
What grape is used in Cour-Cheverny?
Romoratin.
Valencay also makes the same horrid mistake that Cheverny does. What is it?
They allow Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay to be blended. You can also use Orbois, or Sauvignon Gris (which is forgivable.)
Sancerre and Pouilly-Fume are on opposite sides of the Loire. Which sides?
Sancerre is to the west and Pouilly-Fune is to the east.
What are the three soil types of Sancerre? Describe them.
Silex, terres blanches, and caillottes. Terres blanches is a continuation of the same Kimmeridgian clay that extends into Chablis, whereas caillottes is a stony soil, littered with fossils. Silex has a higher proportion of flint, continuing into the communes of Pouilly-Fumé across the river.
What grape is used for Sancerre Rose and Rouge? What about Pouilly-Fume Rose and Rouge?
Pinot Noir for Sancerre. There is no Pouilly-Fume Rose or Rouge.
What grape is used in Pouilly-sur-Loire?
Chasselas
What grapes are used in Menetou-Salon? What region is Menetou-Salon compare itself to?
Sauvignon Blanc for whites and Pinot Noir for Red and Rose. It compares itself to Sancerre. (Which is silly because it is not.)
What varietals are allowed in Reuilly?
Sauvignon Blanc for Blanc, Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris for Rose, and Pinot Noir for Rouge. The best rosé is 100% Pinot Gris.
What varietals are allowed in Quincy?
Sauvignon Blanc and up to 10% Sauvignon Gris.
Coteaux du Giennois AOP rouge and rose are a blend of what two varietals? What are the blancs?
The rouge and rose must be a blend of Pinot Noir and Gamay, and neither may exceed 80%. The blancs are 100% Sauvignon Blanc.
Orléans makes all blends for their reds, roses, and whites. What are they?
Blanc: Principal Variety: Min. 60% Chardonnay
Accessory Variety: Pinot Gris
Rosé: Principal Variety: Min. 60% Meunier
Complementary Variety: Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir
Rouge: Principal Variety: 70-90% Meunier
Accessory Variety: Pinot Noir
What is pourriture noble?
The French term for botrytis cinera.
Producers of dessert wine in the Loire Valley typically make multiple passes through the vineyard during harvest, otherwise known as?
Tries successives.
In what appellation is Francois Chidaine located?
Montlouis-sur-Loire
In what region is Coteaux d’Ancenis located?
Pays Nantais
The geographic designations of Muscadet Sèvre-et-Maine lie along what river?
Sèvre
What is the name for Pinot Gris in Coteaux d’Ancenis?
Malvoisie
What is the IGP of Loire Valley?
Val de Loire
Who is the producer of “Clos du Papillon”?
Domaine Baumard
What is Aubuis?
A soil type described by Tom Stevenson (2011) as ‘found in the Touraine district of the Loire and highly rated for Chenin Blanc in Vouvray and Montlouis, aubuis is a stony mix of permeable, fertile, calcareous clays that are said to be well suited to white grape varieties
Saint-Pourçain?
Satellite of Loire.
Chardonnay and Sacy with Sauvignon Blanc as blending varietal
Gamay and Pinot Noir as red
