Fury and charges of 'egotism' as Loire's Baumard challenges Grand Cru
Loire producer Domaine des Baumard has provoked fury by challenging the new Quarts de Chaume Grand Cru appellation in France's Supreme Court.
Loire
The Loire valley is home to a wide range of wines, from Muscadet in the west, through Saumur-Champigny and Chinon, to Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé in the east.
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Grapes
The diversity of the region is evident in the assortment of grapes used.
Melon de Bourgogne is used for Muscadet, while Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc feature heavily in appellations such as Vouvray and Saumur-Champigny.
By the time you reach Sancerre at the eastern end of the valley, Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc are more commonly found.
Appellations to know
The Loire Valley’s many wine appellations follow the meandering Loire river, the longest in France, and can be approximately divided into three sectors:
The Upper Loire
Sancerre
Grape varieties Sauvignon Blanc for the whites, Pinot Noir for the reds and rosés.
Terroir Clay and limestone slopes, Kimmeridgian marl, silex and flinty soils
Pouilly-Fumé
Grape varieties Sauvignon Blanc, plus a small amount of Chasselas under the Pouilly-sur-Loire appellation
Terroir Limestone, silex, marlstone and clay
The Middle Loire
Famed for its Chenin Blancs, the Middle Loire also produces world-class Cabernet Franc and is home to one of the largest sparkling wine appellations in France.
Anjou, Anjou Villages, Anjou Villages-Brissac
Main grape varieties Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Gamay and Grolleau for reds. Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay for whites
Terroir Anjou Villages has schist-based soils for ageworthy reds. Anjou Villages-Brissac stretches overs ten communes, also on schist-based soils
Bourgueil
Grape variety Cabernet Franc (up to 10% Cabernet Sauvignon is also allowed)
Terroir 50% gravel terraces, 50% Turonian limestone (tuffeau)
St-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil
Grape variety Cabernet Franc (up to 10% Cabernet Sauvignon is also allowed)
Terroir 75% gravel terraces and 25% Turonian limestone (tuffeau)Chinon
Grape variety Cabernet Franc (up to 10% Cabernet Sauvignon is also allowed) for the reds, Chenin Blanc for the whites
Terroir Alluvial terraces, limestone slopes and clay soils
Top producers Domaine Bernard Baudry, Domaine Philippe Alliet, Charles Joguet, Olga Raffault
Coteaux de l’Aubance, Coteaux du Layon, Coteaux du Layon Villages, Bonnezeaux and Quarts de Chaume
These five appellations produce sweet wines made from Chenin Blanc, using either late-harvest or botrytised grapes.
Terroir A large diversity of soil types, including sandstone, schist and quartz
Montlouis-sur-Loire
Grape variety Chenin Blanc.
Terroir Turonian tuffeau and clay
Saumur
Terroir Calcareous-clay (argilo-calcaire), with a high clay content
Grape variety Chenin Blanc
Saumur Puy-Notre-Dame
Terroir The famous tuffeau made up of sedimentary rock from the Turonian era, composed of chalky, sandy marine limestone
Grape varieties Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon
Saumur-Champigny
Terroir Tuffeau, as above
Grape variety Cabernet Franc
Côteaux de Saumur
Appellation name for a tiny amount of sweet wine made from Chenin Blanc
Saumur mousseux and Crémant de Loire
Sparkling wines produced primarily with Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay and Cabernet Franc
Savennières
Grape variety Chenin Blanc
Terroir Schist. Two lieux-dits have cru status: La Coulée de Serrant (7ha) and La Roche-aux-Moines (17ha)
Touraine
Terroir Large diversity of soil types, including flinty clays, sand and gravel
Main grape varieties Côt (local name for Malbec) and Cabernet Franc for the reds. Sauvignon Blanc and Chenin Blanc for the whites. Pineau d’Aunis, Gamay and Pinot Gris for the rosés
Vouvray
Grape variety Chenin Blanc (up to 5% of Orbois is also allowed)
Terroir Calcareous clay (argilo-calcaire), with flint-clay
The Lower Loire
Best known for its ‘Sur Lie’ bottlings of Muscadet, produced from the Melon de Bourgogne grape.
Muscadet Sèvre-et-Maine, Muscadet Coteaux de la Loire, Muscadet Côtes de Grandlieu, the Muscadet village crus, Muscadet
Grape variety Melon de Bourgogne
Terroir Sandy soils around the lake of Grandlieu, southwest of Nantes. Soils rich in foliated metamorphic rocks such as silica, schist and gneiss. A mosaic of soil types such as amphibolite and gabbro
Quick Links Loire Wine Reviews | Loire Valley travel guide
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InterLoire 'bureaucratic' and misuses funds: Chidaine
François Chidaine, a leading figure in Loire viticulture, has resigned from InterLoire’s executive claiming the organisation is incompetent and bureaucratic.
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Quarts de Chaume to become Loire Valley's first Grand Cru
Quarts de Chaume in Anjou is awaiting ministerial approval to become the Loire's first Grand Cru.
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Loire producer faces jail for protest labels
A small Loire producer of natural wines faces two years in jail or a hefty fine for labelling his wines wrongly.
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Bordeaux exports up 26%, but Alsace, Languedoc, Loire down
In a difficult economic environment, French wine exports have risen dramatically so far in 2011.
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Loire follows Bordeaux, Burgundy with 'earliest ever' harvest
The Loire is the latest wine region to announce that its harvest will be one of the earliest on record this year.
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Regional Profile - Anjou Saumur, Loire
One of the Loire’s most diverse regions, Anjou-Saumur offers wines in a wide range of styles, the greatest being reds from Cabernet Franc and sweet whites from Chenin Blanc. JIM BUDD looks at the best producers and the great vintages
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Into the valley: Loire Valley wine
A dividing line between northern and southern France, the Loire Valley is filled with colour, beauty and regional differences
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In the cellar
A drive around the Loire Valley with a couple of trusty companions provided the starting point for building a cellar, by PAUL JOHNSON
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Sparkling wines
To the west of France, the Loire has many of the same climatic influences as Champagne. ROGER VOSS gives a guide to the best sparkling wines produced in the region
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Wines of the Loire Valley
ALAN SPENCER highlights the top producers and the top wines of the Loire Valley, running through the appellations and styles
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Loire Grapes: red and white varietals
ROGER VOSS runs through the famous - and the lesser known - red and white Loire varietals
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Loire wine stars
JACQUELINE FRIEDRICH guides us through ten of her favourite new producers in the Loire.
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Honeyed words: a sweet wine future
JOHN DOWNES MW talks to Bernard Germain, sweet wine evangelist and owner of the revered Loire estate Château de Fesles
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Whites Of Their Eyes
Despite the current situation, until relatively recently red grapes ruled the vineyards of the central Loire. JIM BUDD explores the whites that now dominate the region.
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The Four Horsemen
ROGER VOSS visits the four appellations which are home to the finest reds of the Loire Valley.
