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Contrary to expectation, the département of the Loire in France is close to its source in the Massif Central in the Rhône-Alpes Region, rather than in the wide, gentle valley full of chateaux which we tend to think of. And rather strangely the wines of this area are classified as Loire Valley wines, when they really are quite distinctively different to the rest of the Loire Valley vineyards.
The main appellation is Côte Roannaise near the town of Roanne (42 Loire, Rhône-Alpes) to the west of the Loire river around the larger villages of Ambierle and Villemontais - see map
It is here that Englishman Simon Hawkins and his wife Isabelle purchased and developed his vineyard at the Domaine de Fontenay some 20 years ago.
The wines are all based on the Gamay grape, which tends to produce fruity but light reds and rosés. I visited the domaine over 10 years ago with a group of wine enthusiasts who were otherwise learning something of the French hospital system. It was really useful to meet up with a English winemaker, who could explain his (evolving) approach to wine-making and share some of the frustrations and successes of his new career. Simon was genuine and open to even the most naive of questions.
However, the wines we tasted then were OK, but a bit light in body and structure - and I had rather dismissed them as a pleasant if unexciting alternative to Beaujolais - albeit with the added value of knowing where the wines came from.
It was more recently that I came across the wines of Domaine de Fontenay again - and what a transformation awaited me. In the meantime both the vines had matured, and so had Simon’s approach to wine-making. Out went many of the modern wine-making techniques with a return to a more traditional approach - so now he makes wines with no added selective yeasts, no sugar, no filtering and no additives; using a traditional press on low yields.”We feel that there is a certain irony in that it is the Englishman who is using the methods that local growers’ grandfathers used and which they now consider to be outdated.”
The best expression of this approach is the “l’Authentique” which is 100% Gamay “The grapes for this wine are always picked later than the rest of the crop as we are aiming to optimize phenological maturity, so as to be able to extract to our hearts content without the risk of herbaceous flavours creeping in. The wine is built around a structure of ripe tannins using a 20 day or so fermentation with a high temperature peak. This wine is matured until ready to bottle in the early summer . Particular attention is paid to airing the wine at strategic moments to maximise fruit flavour. We aim to produce a serious gamay with a long finish and direct fruit. Some earthy notes will emerge with bottle age.”
I was genuinely suprised and impressed with this wine. It had depth and complexity of flavour, smooth in the mouth - a classy wine which far surpasses any Gamay I have tasted before - bearing little resemblance to the light, jammy Gamays I usually get to taste.
Full marks to Simon Hawkins - another example of someone passionate about his/her wine who aims to produce something distinctive and traditional, rather than just following the crowd and producing easily marketable, bland mass-market wines.

For more on Domaine du Fontenay (including Bed & Breakfast on the domaine) see www.domainedufontenay.com
In the UK you can buy their wines through 3DWines - and even own a row of vines!

June sees the conjunction of 2 events which combine the magic of French wine with the joy of summer gardens.

In LONDON, over 160 otherwise private gardens open their doors (or gates) for 2 days on 9th and 10th June 2007 oin the Loire Valley Wines Open Garden Squares weekend.

You will be able to discover many of London’s hidden treasures, ranging from stately set-pieces and formal landscapes through to some of London’s more eccentric and unusual open spaces. Along the way you can sample a range of Loire Valley Wines.

Amongst the many gardens you can even visit those at Holloway and Wandsworth Prisons (ominously the website adds “special conditions apply”!) There is also Islington’s Canonbury Square which was named as the 2006 Loire Valley Wines Legacy Garden. Here the east side of the square received a major makeover including the planting of a small vineyard and rose bed as its centrepiece - reflecting the planting of the vineyards in the Loire Valley.

Over in France from June 30 to September 2, Beaune, capital of Burgundy hosts its Water Garden Festival - an ideal way of enhancing a visit to a major wine centre, and interesting old town.

For its third edition, the festival Cours Water Gardens takes you along to discover the various districts of Beaune with many various and ludic animations: kitchen gardens of the residents, flowered meadows, transitory gardens designed by schools of landscape designers, visits of course deprived exceptionally open to the public, and a visit of “strange Beaune” through its various monuments and statues which marked out its History, without forgetting the spectacles of street for smallest and largest.

For more info see www.ot-beaune.fr

Muscadet has tended to be an overlooked and under-estimated wine - too closely associated with Berni Inns, Black Forest Gateau and the Prawn Cocktail. And as with German wines of that era the market was flooded with cheap, thin wines which ruined its reputation.
Muscadet is named for the grape from which it is made rather than its place of origin. The Muscadet, also called the Melon de Bourgogne, was brought to the Loire centuries ago from Burgundy. It flourished in the Pays Nantais, the region around Nantes (44 Loire-Atlantique, Pays de la Loire), producing wines that perfectly reflect their maritime environment, and which make a natural partner for the Atlantic seafood which is the prime produce of the region.

Muscadet is the largest white wine appellation in France. It includes Muscadet AOC and three regional appellations, Muscadet Sèvre et Maine, Muscadet Coteaux de la Loire and Muscadet Coteaux des Grands Lieux. Each winery must have its wines approved by an official tasting board before it can use the appellation.

Muscadet which has been produced and aged in accordance with certain strict guidelines may be designated “Muscadet Sur Lie. - and these are the best wines to look out for. Keeping the wine in the barrel (on the lees or “sur lie”) all winter, allows the wine’s aromas to develop, and carbonic gas produced by this process imparts a liveliness on the palate. Only wines made from the best vineyards are permitted to use the Sur Lie designation.

At its best Muscadet retains a fresh acidity, but with sufficient body and almost a creaminess to counterbalance the sharpness - this makes it an ideal companion to fish and shellfish.

Sauvion/Chateau de Cleray is one of the best producers - their website has lots of info and some recipes for a variety of local and some oriental dishes.

For more info on the region see www.nantes-tourisme.com

As seems to be the French custom, we tend to receive New Year greetings from our friends and colleagues in France, rather than Christmas cards. Yesterday greetings arrived from our favourite Loire winemaker - Antoine Leduc at Domaine Leduc-Frouin in Martigné-Briand in Anjou (49 Maine-et-Loire, Pays de la Loire). The card informs us that 2 of their rosé wines won medals at the Loire Valley Wine Competition in 2006 - the delicious sweet Cabernet d’Anjou gaining a Gold!

But this is where Loire rosé wines can be confusing for the uninitiated, which is a shame as the quality of Loire rosés has been transformed from the rather insipid sugary offerings which were around when we started in the wine business 20 years ago (gasp!!). At that time such wines were foistered on an undemanding UK market, and that legacy probably still influences prejudices about Loire Valley wines, especially rosés. Now the problem is not quality, but choice of style.

Rosé de Loire AC is a dry rosé made predominantly from Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes. It tends to be smooth, lively and easy to drink. It can be made almost anywhere in Anjou and Touraine… “red fruit aromas (cherry, raspberry) as well as some spice. Its fresh and full-flavour make it ideal to drink with a meal”

Rosé d’Anjou AC is made mainly on the south bank of the Loire around Angers - (i.e. in Anjou) and its principal grape variety is the Grolleau which gives the wine a very fruity edge - but can also include Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pineau d’Aunis,Gamay and Cot (or Auxerrois or Malbec). This tends to be a medium dry to sweet wine …“On the nose, there are both fresh and citrus fruits. It also has a delicate refreshing taste and can be drunk at any time”

Cabernet d’Anjou AC however can only be made from the Cabernet-Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon grape varieties in Anjou and are medium sweet to sweet in style - that from Domaine Leduc-Frouin being decidely sweet, but with fruit sweetness rather than sugary - and with enough bite from the summer fruit character to ensure it is not cloying - remarkably well-balanced and intense - a true revelation with spicy food, but also surprisingly successful with other savoury dishes. You could of course drink it happily by itself - although it will work better in warmth and sunshine rather than the depths and murkiness of a English winter…..“a very appealing deep pink wine with hints of violet. On the nose, there are red fruits (strawberry, raspberry) as well as peaches and apricots. On the palate, its smoothness and finesse make it an ideal partner for a sweet and sour dish.”

Read more about the wines of Domaine Leduc-Frouin in Anjou - click here

The winemakers of Bourgueil set up their stalls in the town of Tours (Boulevard Heurteloup) on Saturday 17 March 2007 to show off their latest vintage. 46 vignerons will be offering samples to taste - plus there will be several food stalls to tempt you.
Bourgueil (37 Indre et Loire, Centre) is a small Loire appellation between Tours and Saumur, a few kilmetres north of Chinon. Production is primarily for red wines (plus a very small production of rosé) made from the Cabernet Franc grape (although up to 10% Cabernet Sauvignon can be added). There is also the smaller appellation of St Nicolas-de-Bourgueil which has the same grape varietals, and which I challenge most imbibers to distinguish from Bourgueil AC (or Chinon AC for that matter).I used to think of Cabernet Franc reds as a little dry and dusty, but in good years they can develop a wonderfully fruity style (raspberries?) whilst still full-bodied and with noticeable tannins - and recent good summers have helped to produce more attractive wines.
For more info on Bourgueil wines see www.vinbourgueil.com
Majestic has Bourgueil AC Les Cent Boisselées 2003 for £7.99 - “Made by the illustrious wine maker Pierre-Jacques Druet, this wine has pure Cabernet Franc blackberry fruits, with extra power, depth and intensity from a wonderful vintage. “

A trip to the Loire Valley should brighten up a dull February. For the weekend of 24/25 February 2007 you can visit the Fete des Vins d’Anjou at Challonnes-sur-Loire (49 Maine-et-Loire, Val d’Anjou - see map) on the weekend of 24/25 February 2007.
This sounds much more fun than the Loire Valley Wine Fair in Angers at the end of January, which is a serious trade event.
But at Challonnes you will get the chance to tase wines from the 29 appellations of Anjou-Saumur (and no, I cannot list them all!) plus a wine exhibition; a wine tasting and a tour of the cellars;
an exhibition of agricultural and wine-growing equipment (wow!); “a wine brotherhoods parade complete with enthronements” (i.e. probably an excuse for rather portly men to dress up in silly garb to re-enact quasi-historical cermonial) and a contest to find the “Best Anjou Tasters”
The quality of Loire Valley wines has improved considerably in recent years, and you may be pleasantly surprised at the richness of many Cabernet Franc reds.

I’m not sure yet if our favourite Anjou winemaker - Antoine Leduc at Domaine Leduc-Frouin, (whose wines we used to import and which always impressed) will be there - but if not you could always make a little detour to visit the domaine. Two of his wines have recently been written up in “la Revue du Vin de France”, the most serious of the French wine magazines. His red Anjou AC 2005 gets 17½/20,whilst the exceptional dessert wine Coteaux du Layon AC Nectar 2002 gets an impressive 19/20!

For more on Domaine Leduc-Frouin see www.leduc-frouin.com

For more info on the Anjou Wine Festival see www.fetedesvins-anjou.fr/

BBC Radio 4’s You & Yours programme aired an article today on Biodynamic wines. As Robert Joseph concluded the whole thing sounds weird and a bit looney BUT it does seem to work! Just a shame they chose to illustrate it with a wine retailing at £29.99!! (It was from Western Australia)

“Detailed knowledge of astrology and astronomy dictate the timing of all aspects of cultivation, harvesting and winemaking. Special sprays of homeopathic strengths are used to increase fertility of the soil and to protect the vines from pests and diseases.”

In France the most famous proponent is Nicolas Joly and his Savennières vineyard “Coulée de Serrant” - a single vineyard appellation in the Loire Valley.These are dry white wines from the Chenin Blanc grape that achieve impressive concentration and lengevity - for more see www.coulee-de-serrant.com
Yapp Brothers stock the 2000 vintage in the UK - admittedly at £45 per bottle.

Listen Again at www.bbc.co.uk

Just off the A10 Autoute (l’Atlantique) a few kilometres north of Niort (79, Deux-Sevres, Poitou-Charentes - see map) the town of Pamproux has a different twist on the wine harvest festival (festival des Vendanges) - throughout the week-long festival from 6 - 15th October 2006 visitors are encouraged to help with the grape harvest through the provision of a wide variety of musical offerings - some even in the vineyard. It should all add up to a jolly week, although be warned that grape-picking is murder on your back, and you tend to get filthy as the juice from split grapes is very sticky.

The wines here are the Vins de Pays Charentais, mainly white wines from grapes that also serve as the basis for Cognac. Ugni Blanc and Columbard are the traditional varieties but more Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc are evident, which add body and richness to what otherwise can be rather thin acidic wines (ideal for Cognac!). I have tasted some very good light, fresh whites from the region. I cannot say the same for the reds which I’ve always found a little disappointing. However if you want to try some of the best wines from the area, Swallow Fine Wines in Salisbury and online are offering a mixed case of wines from Domaine Gardrat.

The INAO, Institut National des Appellations d’Origine, is the body charged with approving and managing the French Appellation Controllée system - and not just for wine - meat, cheese, garlic, cream. black sausage, cider………
Andrew at www.spittoon.biz drew my attention to the recent creation of some new AOCs - for Orléans, Orléans-Cléry and Chaume.
Chaume (49 Maine-et-Loire, Pays de la Loire - see map) has until now been one of the Coteaux du Layon Villages - Premier cru des Coteaux du Layon - an area renowned for producing superb dessert wines from the Chenin Blanc grape. But now it is an appellation in its own right - Chaume AC! - somehow I think it sounded better as part of the Coteaux du Layon. And here lies the problem - the proud winemakers in Chaume will have worked hard and have lobbied harder to get their village’s wines recognised as being in a category of their own, and are doubtless rejoicing at their deserved success. Similarly for Orleans AC and Orleans-Clery AC, which I am sure are very palatable wines.
BUT - does it really make their wines any more marketable, especially as many consumers will never have heard of it?
I can see that elevation from a potentially humble Vin de Pays to the elevated rank of Appellation Controllée can make a difference, but these other sub-classifications and do not help anyone in the end - except for a little civic pride.
I suspect that if you ever get to taste an Orléans-Cléray AC (a cabernet franc-dominated red), it will owe more to an individual producer making a really good wine and getting some adventurous wine merchant (probably a small indpendent) to taste and then stock it. I doubt it will owe much to its AC status.
One such adventurous wine merchant who does the Loire well is Yapp, who stocks several wines from the Coteaux du Layon AC, a Jasnières AC and a Thouarsais! VDQS.

In France our favourite producer of Coteaux du Layon wines is Antoine Leduc at Domaine Leduc-Frouin.
Recommended Book on dessert wines: Stephen Brook’s Liquid Gold: Dessert Wines of the World

Jane MacQuitty in the Times has some recommendations for wines to match rich game dishes:-
Savigny ler Cru La Bataillère aux Vergelesses 2002 from Albert Morot (Majestic Wine, £16.99) - ” zesty, cherry fruit”
Gevrey-Chambertin Le Meurger 2002 (Morrisons £14.99} - “roses and Marmite-scented”
Nuits-Saint-Georges Labouré-Roi 2004 (£15.99 Morrisons) “fine, fat, leafy spice”
In her other recommendations she has:-
Crozes-Hermitage AC 2003 (Sainsburys £6.99) “rich and savoury” and
recommends Touraine Sauvignon as a good alternative to Sancerre and much cheaper.

In the Independent Richard Ehrlich also looks at wines to accompany game:-
Volnay Clos de la Cave des Ducs, 1er cru, Domaine Carré Courbin 2000 (£27.50, Berry Bros and Rudd) “just the right amount of aroma and juicy berry fruit”
Gevrey Chambertin, Vieilles Vignes, Domaine Heresztyn 2002 (£20.99, Waitrose) “abundant cherry and strawberry fruit with a silky veneer of spicy oak and soft tannins” He also recommends:-
La Grille Sauvignon Blanc, Vin de Pays 2005 (Sainsburys £4.99) “fresh, young Loire Valley white with shades of Sancerre”

In the Guardian/Observer Tim Atkin offers:-
Rive Haute Sauvignon Blanc, Vin de Pays du Gers 2005 (£5.99 each for three, Wine Rack) - “zesty, grapefruity”
Petit Chablis, Cave des Vignerons 2005 (£7.99, Waitrose) “refined, unoaked, beautifully weighted”
Also Victoria Moore suggests
Château la Pierrière Côtes de Castillon 2004 (£5.33 when you buy three, Threshers) “prettily perfumed (think redcurrant leaves and blackcurrants)” to accompany beef brisket.

Jonathan Ray in the Telegraph includes the following in his special selection from the independent merchants:-
Saumur Blanc, Vignerons de Saumur 2004, Loire (Yapp)
Jurançon Sec 2005, Domaine Larredya (Berry Bros & Rudd)
Montagny, Bonnevaux 1er Cru 2004, Olivier Leflaive, Burgundy(Corney & Barrow)
Corbières AC A d’Aussières, Château d’Aussières 2003(Lay & Wheeler)
Lirac, La Fermade, Domaine Maby 2002 (Yapp)
Beaujolais, Vieilles Vignes 2005, Alain Chatoux, France (Berry Bros & Rudd)