The Loire Valley Flashcards
1
Q
Loire Valley History
A
- The Loire has a long history of winemaking and trading due its ready access to the Atlantic, being the home of French kings until Louis XIV and, before the coming of the railway, its proximity to Paris allowing wine to be transported by river.
2
Q
Percentage of total Loire hectares planted
A
- Pays Nantais 22%
- Anjou-Saumur 37%
- Touraine 31%
- Central Vineyards 10%
3
Q
Pays Nantais
A
This region takes its name from the city of Nantes and is situated close to the Atlantic Ocean. The principal grape variety is Melon (sometimes called Melon de Bourgogne or Muscadet).
A significant volume of the Folle Blanche variety (known locally as Gros Plant) is also grown, making very acidic wines that are sold locally and nationally.
4
Q
Pays Nantais Percentage of plantings
A
- Melon 62%
- Chardonnay <10%
- Gamay <10%
- Folle Blanche <10%
- Cabernet Franc <10%
5
Q
Pays Nantais climate & soils
A
- The Pays Nantais has a cool maritime climate with cool springs, warm and humid summers and the threat of rain at any time through the growing season but especially in March/April (affecting flowering) and in September (affecting harvest). However, predominantly well- drained soils help to offset the regular rainfall.
- Despite the proximity of the Atlantic, spring frosts are a serious problem, setting back the whole region in 1991. This event led to the loss of what was a booming export market to the UK. Frost has been a serious problem in recent years. Producers are putting in more frost prevention measures, particularly wind machines as well as heaters and burning straw bales.
6
Q
Pays Nantais (Melon)
A
- Melon has been the only allowed variety in the Muscadet appellations.
- It is quite a hardy variety, making it well suited to a cool region but buds early making it prone to spring frosts.
- It ripens relatively early, reducing the threat of rain at harvest and can produce high yields.
- It has good resistance to powdery mildew. It has tight bunches of fruit and is susceptible to downy mildew and botrytis bunch rot, both of which thrive in the humid climate. Timely and, as necessary, repeated spraying is required, adding some cost.
7
Q
Pays Nantais (Melon wine characteristics )
A
- Melon makes a wine with high acidity, a light body and low to the low end of medium alcohol.
- The wines typically have low aromatic intensity (green apple), which is often made sur lie (see below).
- The wines are acceptable to good in quality with some very good examples and inexpensive to mid-priced.
- From 2018, basic Muscadet AOC may include up to 10 per cent of Chardonnay.
8
Q
Pays Nantais (vineyard Management)
A
- A humid cllmate means that growers must monitor vineyards closely and spray to prevent fungal diseases.
- With a marginal climate for ripeness, progress has been made in recent decades to improve canopy management. In order to facilitate ripeness, canopies are more open than they were and leaf removal is carried out to ensure maximum exposure of grapes to the sun and to reduce the risk of fungal disease. However, care has to be taken that fruit is not sunburnt on the side of the rows facing the sun in the afternoon.
- Similarly, attention is now paid to the ripeness of skins and seeds in determining the harvest date. However, in hot years, the danger is that sugar levels may reach unacceptably high levels before the skins and seeds are fully ripe.
9
Q
Pays Nantais (winemaking)
A
- Chaptalization is permitted up to 12% abv potential alcohol and is practiced in cooler years.
- Muscadet is typically fermented and aged in large, shallow underground glass-lined concrete vats, though stainless steel is also used. The idea is to keep the wine as neutral as possible and then to age the wine on the lees.
- Malolactic conversion is typically avoided, preserving the high acidity typical of the style.
- With efforts to raise the profile of Muscadet, winemakers are also experimenting. Examples include skin contact and fermentation in barrel, amphora or concrete eggs, these vessels adding cost.
10
Q
Pays Nantais (Sur Lie)
A
- This technique is highly typical in the Pays Nantais and is a way of filling out the body of what would otherwise be very light- bodied wines.
- After the alcoholic fermentation is completed, one racking is allowed to remove the gross lees. After this, the wine remains in contact with the fine lees through the following winter and until bottling.
- Ageing on the lees also retains the freshness of the wine and may retain a small amount of carbon dioxide, which is part of the style of these wines.
11
Q
Pays Nantais Appellations
A
- Muscadet Sèvre et Maine AOC (Largest)
- Muscadet AOC (second Largest)
- Muscadet Coteaux de la Loire AOC
- Muscadet Côtes de Grandlieu AOC.
12
Q
Pays Nantais Maximum Yields & Style
A
- The maximum yield for Muscadet AOC is 70 hL/ha. The other three AOCs are limited to 55 hL/ha.
- The wines are typically dry, with low intensity aroma of green apple and grassy notes, high acidity and a light body. The wines are typically acceptable to good quality (with some very good wines) and inexpensive in price.
13
Q
Pays Nantais (sur lie terminology)
A
- The labelling term sur lie may be added in any of the four appellations. Sur lie wines must be bottled between 1 March and 30 November of the year following harvest and in the winery in which they were made; this later bottling in comparison to many white wines adds cost.
- These regulations also mean that négociants can only buy grapes, must or bottled wine, and not wine to be aged sur lie.
14
Q
Pays Nantais (Muscadet cru communaux)
A
- In addition, ten Muscadet cru communaux, have been launched, including Clisson, Gorges and Le Pallet.
- If the grapes are grown exclusively in one of the defined areas, the name can be added, for example, Muscadet Sèvre et Maine AOC Clisson.
- These wines have a lower maximum yield at 45 hL/ha. The wines have to be kept on the lees for 18 months (Le Pallet) or 24 months (Clisson, Gorges), adding cost. However, they cannot be labelled as sur lie as the requirement for long lees ageing means that they are bottled after the date required for sur lie. The wines are typically rounder and more complex with longer finishes.
15
Q
Pays Nantais (Wine Business)
A
- Muscadet was a huge success in the UK market in the 1980s, and as a result, 13,000 ha were planted. However, the frost of 1991 saw production drop by two-thirds. This pushed prices up at a time when new world wines, especially Australian wines, were becoming popular. More recently, Muscadet has sought to reposition itself as a source of terroir-specific wines of high quality with good value for money. Exports of wines from the Pays Nantais are 15 per cent by volume
- Négociants continue to play an important role, accounting for over half of sales, though this is less than in the past. Many smaller local négociants have been bought up by larger companies. Castel, Grand Chais de France and the Loire-based Ackerman now account for a large proportion of négociant sales.
- The Pays Nantais promotes its wines together with those Anjou-Saumur and Touraine via InterLoire (Interprofession des Vins du Val de Loire
16
Q
Anjou-Saumur and Touraine principle grape varieties
A
- The principal grape varieties in the middle Loire are Chenin Blanc for dry, off-dry and sweet white wines and Cabernet Franc for red wines and as one contributor to rosé wines. However, Sauvignon Blanc is a key white variety in Touraine.
17
Q
Anjou-Saumur: top varieties, percentage of plantings
A
- Cabernet Franc - 42%
- Chenin Blanc - 24%
- Grolleau Noir - 7%
- Cabernet Sauvignon - 5%
- Chardonnay - 4%
- Other Varieties - 17%
18
Q
Touraine: top varieties, percentage of plantings
A
- Cabernet Franc - 31%
- Chenin Blanc - 21%
- Sauvignon Blanc - 21%
- Gamay - 10%
- Malbec - 3%
- Chardonnay - 3%
19
Q
Anjou-Saumur and Touraine climate
A
- The moderating influence of the Atlantic Ocean decreases progressively in Anjou-Saumur and then Touraine. In Anjou-Saumur, the maritime effect is more marked.
- Touraine has a continental climate with cold winters and warm summers, but this is not as extreme as in the Central Vineyards. Both Anjou-Saumur and Touraine have around 700 mm of rainfall, adequate for viticulture.
- However, the rains falls throughout the year: spring rain can affect flowering and fruit set, regular summer rain increases disease pressure and rain in late summer and early autumn can affect harvest.
- The best-exposed sites are generally used for still wines, as they need a greater level of ripeness than grapes for sparkling wines.
- In Anjou, the River Layon and its multiple tributaries help to create the misty conditions ideal for the spread of botrytis at the end of the growing season, enabling the production of botrytis-affected wines.
20
Q
Anjou-Saumur and Touraine Soils
A
There is a wide range of soils, including clay-limestone, flint-clay, sand, gravel and tuff. There is more schist and limestone in Anjou and more chalk in Touraine. Overall, key properties include the good drainage and water retention characteristics of limestone elements. Due to high lime content in the soils, rootstocks such as Fercal and Riparia Gloire de Montpellier are used to protect the vines from chlorosis.
21
Q
Anjou-Saumur and Touraine Grape Varieties
A
- Chenin
- Cabernet Franc
- Grolleau Noir
- Gamay Noir
- Cabernet Sauvignon
22
Q
Chenin Blanc Grape Characteristics
A
- Chenin Blanc buds early making it prone to spring frosts. It ripens late making it vulnerable to the onset of autumn rains.
- It is a vigorous variety and if allowed, can carry high yields.
- It is prone to powdery mildew, botrytis bunch rot (as well as to the positive effects of botrytis for making sweet wines) and trunk diseases.
- As Chenin Blanc ripens unevenly, for the best quality it has to be picked on several passes through the vineyard. This limits the amount that mechanical picking can be employed. Where growers are seeking a wine with a high proportion of botrytis-affected grapes, multiple passes through the vineyard and picking by hand are necessary, adding to cost.
23
Q
Chenin Blanc wine styles
A
- In the middle Loire it produces a wide range of styles, sparkling wine, dry, off-dry and sweet wines.
- Here, the dry and off-dry wines have medium intensity aromas of green apple and lemon (sometimes with a steely, smoky character), medium alcohol, and noticeably high acidity, often balanced with some residual sugar for an off-dry style.
- They are typically good to very good in quality and inexpensive to mid-price, with some outstanding quality and premium priced options (e.g. Domaine Huet).
24
Q
Chenin Blanc winemaking
A
- Chenin Blanc is fermented at cool to mid-range temperatures. As a result, fermentation can last several months. Large old oak or stainless steel containers are typically used as fermentation vessels.
- Typically, malolactic fermentation is avoided, and wines are aged in neutral containers, not new barriques.
- The aim is to retain primary fruit aromas and flavours.
25
Q
Cabernet Franc grape characteristics
A
- Cabernet Franc is an early budding variety, making it prone to spring frost. It is also prone to coulure and therefore to a reduction in yields. As a mid-ripening variety, it can often be picked before autumn rains begin. If it is not ripened fully, the wines can taste excessively leafy.
- Better canopy management (avoiding dense canopies, leaf removal) along with warmer summers has reduced the incidence of overly herbaceous Loire Cabernet Franc.
- It is winter hardy, which makes it a good variety for cool areas.
26
Q
Cabernet Franc wine styles
A
- In the middle Loire, the wines typically have medium to pronounced intensity red fruit (redcurrant, raspberry), floral (violet) aromas and, as noted, can have leafy aromas, a light to medium body, medium tannins and high acidity.
- In the Loire Valley, Cabernet Franc tends to be used to make single varietal red wines or be part of a rosé blend.
- In eastern Touraine, the limit of the area where it will ripen fully, it is blended with Cot, the local name for Malbec.
27
Q
Cabernet Franc Winemaking
A
- Cabernet Franc is typically crushed, fermented in concrete or old wood vats that allow punch downs and/or pump overs.
- Many producers prefer to use ambient yeasts and it is typical to age the wine in used oak barrels of a range of sizes.
- As with Chenin Blanc, the aim is to retain primary fruit aromas and flavours. Some more expensive wines may be aged in a proportion of new French oak barriques.
28
Q
Grolleau Noir
A
- This is an early budding and mid-ripening variety. It is prone to botrytis bunch rot. It is used mainly as a blending variety in rosés, especially Rosé d’Anjou and Rosé de Loire.
29
Q
Gamay Noir
A
It is generally made by carbonic maceration, as in Beaujolais. Some Gamay is found in Anjou; however, it is principally grown in Touraine as well as in the Central Vineyards.
30
Q
Cabernet Sauvignon
A
Being a late ripening variety Cabernet Sauvignon performs best in the Loire in temperate Anjou and here only really in the warmest sites where early budding is possible. For red wines, it is frequently blended with Cabernet Franc. It is also used in rosé blends.
31
Q
Rose Winemaking
A
- Many Loire rosés are made by direct press. Short maceration is used on some rosés. Winemaking then proceeds as it would for white wine with short ageing (3–4 months) in neutral containers.
