Vouvray AOC

I love having professionals you can just say do it, you know, rather than some of the people in my house, I get afraid when they get the corkscrew.

Vouvray.

No

problem.

Awesome.

Always good.

So we're drinking two obscure, not that obscure, but Aligote and Chenin Blanc, Vouvray, Chenin Blanc, which are two of my favorite white wines, especially Chenin Blanc to me.

Yeah, me too.

But when I first saw it, it was still closed.

I was like, "Oh, this is where it is." And that was about, I don't know, maybe like a three-kilometer walk from where I was staying, and then further out, about 10 kilometers from there, is the village of Vouvray.

Aha.

Yeah.

And I, I love Vouvray.

It's one of my favorite wines.

So I told myself, you know, when the weather is nice, I'm gonna walk there because, like I said, it has been so rainy.

Wow.

Yeah, so no, it wasn't really about that, but...

I was underage to purchase alcohol in the state of New York, and no one batted an eye if I went in and bought a bottle of Cote d'Aron or Vouvray for a recipe.

They

didn't card you?

And all along the way, you get what are known as the central vineyards, which includes Sancerre and Puy-Fumé.

And then you move through Chinon and Vouvray and all of these places out to Muscadet near the Delta.

And this is way inland and relatively high elevation and has a lot in common with Beaujolais to the east.

And strangely, though, Beaujolais...

If you head just east of there, you're going to find some amazing Chenin Blanc.

Vouvray is one of the most popular regions for Chenin.

Look for Sec, S-E-C, if you want a dry Chenin Blanc from Vouvray.

Look for Mouleau, M-O-E-L-L-E-U-X, if you want a sweet version.

Samour, S-A-U-M-U-R, may be more famous for their red wines, which is made from Cabernet Franc, but they also have white wines, which are generally made with Chenin Blanc.

These soils provide good drainage while retaining sufficient moisture for balanced vine growth.

One of Touraine's most famous appellations is Vouvray, produced exclusively from Chenin Blanc.

Depending on vintage conditions, Vouvray can produce dry, off-dry, sweet, and traditional method sparkling wines.

The area's two-faux limestone provides excellent conditions for vine growth and has also been quarried extensively, and creating those underground caves that provide the ideal conditions for aging sparkling wines.

And across every style, Chenin Blanc's naturally high acidity provides freshness, balance, and outstanding aging potential.

Chenin Blanc's naturally high acidity allows it to produce dry, sparkling and sweet wines.

Schist soils are associated with Savannier.

Tufo limestone is important in Samoa and Vouvray.

It's sort of the bigger Cabernet Francs, that kind of stuff.

You also see Vouvray here, which we'll talk about a little later on.

And then now we're sort of moved into this the much looser area of the Loire.

So you sort of get central Loire.

I think they're super exciting.

Um, I will pretty much always buy one if I see it on a wine list, cause it just makes me happy.

Um, you've got Vouvray.

Vouvray is most sort of the most famous Chenin Blanc appellation.