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Loire Valley Wine

Of all the French wine regions that have received a serious challenge from New World winemakers it is the Loire Valley that has been most guilty of complacency.

Yet the Loire winemakers have fought back and today their wines are better than ever before. Sometimes it takes a shock to shake a wine region out of apathy. In the 80s the Loire Valley - like Bordeaux and Burgundy - was resting on its laurels. Its reputation for quality had been firmly established for many years and never questioned by an adoring public dazzled by the fancy labels and swanky names. But with the coming of the New World winemaking revolution, it was the Loire that was most exposed to competition - largely from energetic young winemakers in New Zealand.

Winemakers in the Loire believed that they had an effective monopoly over a grape that they believed was their own - Sauvignon Blanc. Yet New Zealand winemakers were discovering that the grape thrived in their own climate. This fact - combined with the New Zealand industry's exceptional technological expertise - created Sauvignons that put those from the grape's spiritual home in the shade. When winemakers in the Loire woke up to the fact that their wines were being eclipsed by New World upstarts, they quickly began to clean up their act. In the finest cases the new generation of Loire Sauvignons - notably Pouilly Fume and Sancerre - offer the best of both worlds: they combine the freshness of New Zealand Sauvignon with the minerally grace and charm associated with many of the best French wines.

TASTE TEST 1

Inexpensive Touraine Sauvignon + inexpensive Chilean Sauvignon + inexpensive New Zealand Sauvignon + good-quality Sancerre or Pouilly Fume + good-quality New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc

COMPARE AND CONTRAST

In this test you should see Sauvignon in its multitude of different guises, which can range from thin and watery to rich, opulent and three-dimensional. Which do you like most and which do you think offer the best value for money?

BEYOND SAUVIGNON

Although the Loire is most famous for its Sauvignons the region also offers a number of underrated red and white wines. If you get confused by the complicated lists of names, try exploring the region's wines through the perspective of the principal grape varieties:

Melon de Bourgogne (Muscadet)
Chenin Blanc (Vouvray)
Cabernet Franc (Chinon and Bourgueil)

Of course, plenty of other wines are made in this diverse region, but, for the purposes of filleting, these are the wines with which you should try to familiarise yourself first.

For fresh, neutral whites, Muscadet is a good wine to explore. In the past it had a reputation for being insipid, poor quality plonk but increasingly it is delivering both character and value for money. For many accustomed to the assertive flavours of New World whites, Muscadet might seem a little restrained, but serve it with seafood or subtle fish dishes and you may think differently. The other major white grape variety, Chenin Blanc, might have a poor reputation outside the Loire but it is really the grape at which producers in areas such as Vouvray excel - particularly when they use it to make wines with a delicate, honeyed sweetness. The most successful red grape variety, Cabernet Franc, is becoming increasingly popular in the New World, but don't overlook those from the Loire ; they are exceptionally good value for money and a superb accompaniment to food.

TASTE TEST 2

To put the wines into context try the following line-ups:

good-quality Muscadet + basic Chilean Sauvignon Blanc + basic northern Italian white
good-quality medium sweet Vouvray + Alsace Gewurztraminer + inexpensive Australian Chardonnay
Chinon or Bourgueil Cabernet Franc + Australian Shiraz

THE LOIRE'S COOL REDS

The leafy, assertive character of Loire reds such as those from Chinon and Bourgueil lend themselves to being served at a similar temperature to white wines - they make a refreshing accompaniment to grilled meat on a hot summer's day.


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