THURSTQUEEN WORLD TOUR: THE LOIRE VALLEY
The Loire Valley is one of those regions that’s perfect if you want to drink like a classy bitch but have too many student loans you need to pay off and don’t want to break the bank. There, I said it.
Wines from the Loire Valley come in a kaleidoscope of colors — with something for everyone.
Generally speaking, their alcohol percentages are more moderate so you’ll be able to have several glasses and feel relatively hangover free the next day. It’s what makes them so got damn great.
Another great thing about these wines? Acid. And no, I’m not talking about trippy, psychedelic acid. The acid I’m talking about refers to a wine’s acidity. Acidity is very important. So important in fact, it’s considered one of the 4 fundamental traits in wine. The other traits, which we will inevitably be discussing throughout this blog are tannin, alcohol, and sweetness.
Acidity is what gives a wine that sort of tart and sour taste. Wines that have balanced or higher acidity can be very attractive because acid cuts beautifully through fatty foods.
So let’s talk about the Loire. We can divide the Loire into 4 parts —
LOWER LOWER LOIRE:
This is close to the Bay of Biscay & the Atlantic Ocean. Some people call the region Pays Nantais, and white wines are made here. It’s mostly flat over here, and the climate is maritime — which means cold, damp winters, chilly springs, warm and humid summers and windy autumn breezes. The soil here is usually fairly rocky and sandy, that gives these wines good minerality. This is where my one of my favorite varietals — Melon de Bourgogne — is found.
MIDDLE LOIRE:
I know this sounds kind of like something out of the Hobbit, but there’s a lot of really good shit in here. You’ve got the vineyards of Anjou, Saumur, and Touraine in the Middle Loire. The weather here is even more temperate and there are a mosaic of soils here. There’s limestone, schist — a very dark soil that makes wines very structured — clay, sand, and gravel. Sparkling wines are made here as well.
CENTRAL LOIRE:
This is kind of like the Sachs Fifth Avenue region of the Loire, you’ve got Sancerre here and flank Burgundy. These wines can be a bit on the pricier side, but are worth coughing up some of the extra dough. This part of the Loire sits between three rivers: the Loire, the Cher — not the singer — and the Indre, so it’s a bit chillier over here. There are chalky limestone soils and fossilized oyster shells can sometimes be found underneath the vines here.
UPPER LOIRE:
This part of the Loire contains Auvergne and some nearby vineyards. This part of the Loire is considered one of the more “indie” parts of the Loire. The wines are harder to find in the US. There’s lots of granite soils over here with your usual suspects of sand and gravel. The climate here can be warmer, with more extreme temperature fluctuations.
Primary Grapes…
Chenin Blanc — Chenin Blanc to the Loire is what Gisele Bundchen is to Brazil. It’s a freaking star, and winemakers in the Loire love to use it because it’s so versatile. Chenin Blanc is a varietal that makes white wines.
Chenin Blanc has beautiful, lemony and chamomile qualities when it grows in this climate. It’s light to full bodied, juicy, brilliantly acidic and can be used in both still, sweet and sparkling wines. Chenin has a gorgeous, ravishingly honeyed quality to it — especially when it’s in Vouvray, a wine that is commonly made in the Loire Valley.
Sauvignon Blanc — I’m gonna say one word: Sancerre. If you’ve already heard about the Loire, it’s probably because you’re familiar with, “Sancerre,”which is a region in the Loire Valley that makes the equivalent of the Hermes Birkin Bag of all expressions of Sauvignon Blanc. Sauvignon Blancs from other regions look upon Sancerre with envy, wishing they could be her. But Sancerre be like — “Don’t hate me cuz I’m beautiful.” *sips tea*
I love Sancerre, I really do. But It’s expensive and has continued to grow in terms of price over the past couple of years as the demand has skyrocketed.
I’m all about promoting wines $30.00 and under, and with Sancerre, it can be difficult to find wines that really overdeliver. Plus, I do believe that great expressions of Sauvignon Blanc can be found anywhere.
I’m sure Sancerre fans would say I’m just hating. What I can tell you, is when I am feeling very extra, I will order Sancerre at a restaurant even though a part of me secretly dies whenever I end up paying $16 plus for it on a menu somewhere.
If you can find me a Sancerre under $30.00 that is a stunner and overdelivers, reach out to me! I’d love to give it a try and write about it.
Melon de Bourgogne — If you’ve ever had Muscadet, then congratulations! You’ve had Melon de Bourgogne.
I can tell you firsthand that I am obsessed with this varietal. But I think the reason why is because I am from San Diego and am very much a beach bum. If you like smelling crisp ocean air or scarfing down an entire plate of oysters, you definitely are going to want to hit up some Melon.
Melon — Muscadet — whatever you want to call it, has some impressive acidity. It’s got beautiful briny flavors with notes of lime and lemon.
If you love drinking lagers like Heineken or Stella, you’re probably gonna want to get in on some Muscadet. Muscadet definitely has some lager-ish qualities. This is because Muscadet is usually aged sur lie.
What happens here is during the aging process, the wine remains in contact with the dead yeast particles adding some extra complexity and flavors to the wine. It’s not gross, I swear.
Sur Lie causes Muscadet to be extra zesty when you drink it, almost like a little dance on your tongue. Don’t get skeeved out by the whole, sur lie thing, Muscadet is great (and super inexpensive too.) There’s nothing like this wine with some dark chocolate with some sea salt, or potato chips, or Moules Frites… I could go on…
Cabernet Franc — If you’re the type of person who likes a bit of spice — you know, jalapeños on your pizza, tabasco sauce on errythaanggg — then you may like Cabernet Franc. Cabernet Franc is delightfully savory, with gripping acidity and high tannins.
This quirky little grape — or varietal — has aromas of bell pepper, strawberries, and sour cherries. It’s a type of wine that people either love or hate; very much like Lana del Rey, hardcore techno, or films by Baz Luhrman. You either vibe with it or you don’t.
If you’re feeling frisky and want to give Cabernet Franc a chance definitely check out wines from Chinon.
Gamay —Gamay is a grape more commonly associated with Bourgogne and the HGIC (Head Grape In Charge) of Beaujolais.
If you’re a white wine drinker and are venturing into the wonderful world of reds, Gamay is definitely a grape for you to try. It’s got gorgeous flavors of cherry jello, violets, and huckleberries. Some expressions of Gamay even have aromas of banana!
Gamay is definitely one of the LBDs of red wine. And by LBD I mean, “little black dress,” as in, “freaking goes with everything and can be served chilled.” I like Gamay because it yields a lighter bodied, higher acid wine that is perfect to drink … anywhere. It’s a great picnic wine, but it’s also phenomenal with Thai Food and Netflix. So the next time you’re thinking of ordering some Springrolls, make sure you’ve got some Gamay chilling in your fridge.
PICK OF THE WEEK…
Bougrier ‘V’ Vouvray 2018 $14.99: Total Wine
Honestly? This cat embodies all I that I felt when drinking this wine. From @famillebougrier @pragmatic_collection.
If you’re the type of person who says, “I like to drink dry rosé from Provence,” because ooo you fancy, than this may not be the wine for you.
The Bougrier “V” Vouvray is on the sweeter side as far as Vouvrays go, but that does not mean it’s not a great bang for your buck — especially when you’re having it with spicy foods. There’s something about that honeyed quality that makes this wine freaking SING with foods like burritos slathered in salsa from Trader Joe’s, Pad See Ew loaded with all the Sriracha, Chili Covered Mangoes, or Korean BBQ.
Honestly, this wine reminds me of all things comforting. Its ethereal and elegant — and the color is like a delicately pale golden sunbeam, which immediately cheers me up. When I breathed it in, it immediately transported me back to High School with this amazing perfume I used to wear. It smelled like marshmallows, spun sugar, and lemon cake. There’s a leanness to this wine and a crisp acidity that balances out that extra sugar so it works. It’s not flabby, and is definitely on the more focused side as far as wines go.
When I drank it, it made me feel like I was 16 again, when the only complicated shit I had to worry about in my life was my uncontrollable hormones and who was gonna take me to Prom.