Loire Valley Wine Holds Court

Recently named one of the 10 Best Wine Travel Destinations of 2015 by Wine Enthusiast Magazine, the Loire Valley Wine Region is a wine lover’s dream destination. With its affordable wine, magnificent chateaux, and draw dropping scenery happily ever after comes easily in the heart of France.

Thibault Poisson, Monique Soltani, & Gilles Feray Chateau Moncontour Vouvray, France

In this video, Wine Oh TV’s Monique Soltani travels to the Loire Valley wine region for an epicurean excursion into Vouvray and Chinon. This is the third and final video of a three part video series covering the Loire Valley Wine Region.

In the first video, we learned about the history of the Loire Valley Wine Region and took a look inside one of the Loire Valley’s most famous castles. The Duke of Blacas showed us his digs and explained how his Chateau d’ Usse inspired the Sleeping Beauty fairytale and Walt Disney. In the second video, we learned about the wines of Loire Valley’s Anjou and Saumur. In the third and final video we look closely at Vouvray and Chinon.

Vouvray is the largest white wine appellation in the Anjou-Saumur-Touraine region, producing Chenin Blanc wines in a wide range of styles. Vouvray is located in the Touraine district just east of the city of Tours and is one of the best known wine regions of the Loire Valley. The wines are dedicated almost exclusively to Chenin blanc and are known for their acidity and ageability, with some still holding up after 100 years. Chenin Blanc produced in Vouvray comes in a variety of styles from dry to sparkling to sweet dessert wines.

Styles and Residual Sugar Content

Sec (Dry): less than 9 grams of residual Sugar

Tendre, Demi-Sec (off dry): 9-15 grams of residual sugar. This is the classic Vouvray style and does not require label designation

Moelleux (Sweet): above 15 grams of residual sugar, often considerably more

Monique Soltani at L’ Ardoise Restaurant Chinon, France

After that we head to the historic town of Chinon, well known for its wines, its castle (the Château de Chinon) and its historic town. Chinon is the appellation covering wines produced around the historic town of Chinon, in the central Loire Valley. Since 2000, Chinon has been registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This area has been producing wine for many centuries. Unlike most of the Loire Valley, Chinon wines are mostly red. Chinon red wines are mainly Cabernet Franc but the wine making area does allow for about 10% Cabernet Sauvignon.

Winemaker Rodolphe Raffault & Chef Christophe Duguin at Au Chapeau Rouge Restaurant Chinon, France

Located on the bank of the Vienne River the medieval town is small but size but not in significance. Chinon played an important and strategic role during the Middle Ages, having served both French and English kings. It also played a pivotal part in the 100 Years’ War between England and France. It was in the Castle of Chinon where Joan of Arc urged French ruler Charles VII to rise up against the English. Today Chinon and the rest of the Loire Valley continues to attract history buffs and wine lovers alike.

Thank you to Loire Valley Wines for sponsoring and organizing this trip and making it possible for me to share what I learned with all of you!