TonghamTaster’s French Wine Tasting Course – week 9 Loire Sauvignon Blanc Whites

The 12 month on-line course to help you learn about French wines - Top tips on how to get value when buying them - Reasonably priced up-to-date recommendations of what to buy and try in the UK - Bringing you the best of Tongham Village Hall wine tastings.

INTRODUCTION
Sauvignon Blanc is one of the top grape varieties in the world because of the wines produced with this varietal in the Loire Valley. This week we cover these great wines which are still amongst the best, despite the efforts of New Zealand and others to topple them.

Tongham Taster in Sancerre 2008

LOCALITY
The upper Loire, sometimes called Le Berry or the Central Vineyrads, around Vierzon and Sancerre produces the most famous Sauvignon Blanc wines of the Loire. Vierzon has the reputation of being one of the ugliest towns in France but Sancerre is one of those beautiful hilltop towns they seem to have everywhere in France. This area is also famous for goats cheese such as Chavignol, so no surprise that this is one of the top food pairings with this wine. The area of Touraine near Tours also produces some good value Sauvignon Blanc wines.


The vineyards and town of Sancerre

VARIETALS
The grape we are covering this week is just the Sauvignon Blanc varietal, apart from a few notes about the roses from the area which are produced from red grapes. Sauvignon Blanc produces a direct, easy to appreciate style of wine that is always dry– hence its popularity.

THE WINES
There is really just one main style of Sauvignon Blanc in the Loire; a very dry, fruity white without any oak. The world famous AOCs producing this style are of course Sancerre and Pouilly Fume. These two wines are produced almost opposite each other on each side of the Loire. The latter is not to be confused with Pouilly Fuisse which is a wine produced from Chardonnay grapes from relatively nearby Macon in Burgundy. The Sancerres of Pouilly Fume can be the greatest expressions of Sauvignon Blanc in the world when from a top producer in a good year. One of the joys of tasting Sancerre in the region is to discover that they do not all taste the same and experiencing the subtly different tastes that come from thev slightly different soils – different combinations of clay and limestone and different amounts of flint. Over the years I have grown to love the wines from Alphonse Mellot, Serge Laporte, Didier Dagueneau and may others. The best are wonderfully complex but still refreshing. I first visited Sancerre in 1981 and have been back many times over the years.

The other AOCS in the upper Loire that produce this style of Sauvignon Blanc wine are Menetou Salon which is next door to Sancerre to the west, plus Quincy and Reuilly which are even further west clustered just south of Vierzon. Their wines are often good value but expect to pay high prices for good Menetou Salon producers like Domaine Philippe Gilbert or Henri Pelle. Over the years I have grown vary fond of the wines from Quincy with their often vary grapefruity taste.

Way to the west of Sancerre, in the middle Loire, is the AOC of Touraine and this area also produces some good value Sauvignon Blanc but with a subtly different taste due to the terroir. I would have to admit that I tend to be disappointed in them but suspect that is just me.

Inside the winery of Domaine Philippe Gilbert

A more unusual style of Sauvignon Blanc that some producers have experimented with is an oaked style. Examples are Domaine Philippe Gilbert’s Les Renardieres wines in Menetou Salon and Alphonse Mellots Cuvee Edmond in Sancerre. If you are a serious wine drinker, you really should try these and I have seen both available in the UK over the years.

Although nothing to do with Sauvignon Blanc I wish to mention the Roses of the region. I tend to think that Pinot Noir can produce some of the best Roses in the world and although some of the Sancerre Roses can be disappointing, the rose from Domaine Philippe Gilbert in Menetou can be really excellent. I also enjoy the Gris de Gris that Valerie Renaudat produces in Reuilly. It is a Vin Gris (something which we would call a blush wine) from Pinot Gris grapes and again is rather pleasant.

Sancerre Town Square

THE TASTE
Loire Sauvignon Blanc wines tend to have a dry, crisp taste with notes of gooseberry, citrus, grass and even cats pee! There is often also a distint flinty minerally taste that comes from the terroir.

TOP TIPS
• The wines of Menetou Salon, Quincy and Reuilly can be good value alternatives to Sancerre and Pouilly Fume.
• Look out for one of the oaked Sauvignon Blancs if you want to impress a wine buff!
• Don’t buy cheap Sancerre or Pouilly Fume, ie under £12 a bottle – it is almost always a disappointment.

HOMEWORK
For your homework this week you need to buy and try any Loire Sauvignon Blanc. You might want to try one of my recommendations below:

Waitrose – Domaine Naudet 2008, Sancerre – about £13.

The hilltip town of Sancerre, August 2003

Or if feeling flush, Waitrose - Domaine Henry Pellé, Clos des Blanchais 2007 Menetou-Salon – about £16.
or Sainsburys – Alphonse Mellot La Moussierre, Sancerre, about £16.
Or if on a budget – Majestic, La Grille Touraine Sauvignon 2009 Paul Buisse, about £7. Majestic always have an interesting selection of more expensive Loire whites so you might wish to try some of theirs such as the Domaune Vacheron at about £17
You might also consider a trip down to Les Caves des Pyrenes in Guildord to see their selection. It normally includes Henri Pelle from Menetou.

A good reference guide

FOOD PAIRINGS
The Loire Sauvignon Blancs make a great aperitif wine for drinking on their own. After a hard day I like nothing better than a glass of good Sancerre, Pouilly or Menetou. Very refreshing!
The classic food pairing is goats cheese.
Other food pairings would include sea food and fish but don’t stop there, try chicken dishes such as lemon chicken or chicken Marengo as well.

COMING SOON
Next week we move on to the Languedoc-Roussillon area of Southern France and some of its great value red wines.

If you missed the early weeks of this course, it is not too late to catch up. Just click on the French Wine Course link at the top of this page.

Clive’s Random Wines

Our tasting team hard at work!

Our fifthTongham Tasters’ monthly wine tasting event was held at Clive’s house during February and by all accounts he had chosen six wines at random from the shelves of Marks and Spencers. So how good were his “choices” from M&S which were enjoyed by our normal nine regular tasters. Scores below are quoted in the order John E, Clive, Hazel, Steve S, Jane.

Crow’s Fountain 2009 Western Cape Sauvignon Blanc South Africa - £7.99.
This was easily the favourite wine of the evening with six voting it their top wine. John E though that you could tell it was a quality wine from the look and that it was a Sauvignon Blanc from its nose. However, the taste had some guessing it was a blend, which was incorrect. Steve W thought is was noing! (don’t ask!) and Hazel loved this one. Scores were 15, 19, 16, 14, 13. A good value wine.

Puisseguin-Saint Emilion 2009 Chateau La Roseraie Dumont - £7.99
Two of our intrepid tasters had this at No.1 whilst everyone had in their top three. Nobody got close to identifying what it was. John E described it as a wine with a dark soul! However, he wants to buy some. Ian liked its body and identified a nice thyme nose. It bodes well for what the better Bordeaux of the 2009 vintage will taste. Scores were 12.5, 15, 14, 14.5, 18, Well worth a try.

Chapel Down Tenterden English Sparkling Reserve Brut – £17.99
This was a wine that totally split the panel of judges. One had it as their top wine, two had it as second, three had it at third but it also got a fourth, fifth and even sixth spot. From the nose some guessed it as a Chenin Blanc from the Loire but it didn’t have the creaminess. John E thought the bubbles were too big. The bottle, very disappointingly, didn’t give any clue as to the varietals suggesting that it wasn’t remotely a Pinot Noir / Chardonnay blend. Frankly this isn’t very good value – stick to Champagne or Prosecco. However, it was interesting to taste an English wine and we have made a note to visit Greyfriars on the Hogsback as a team to see if our local vineyard can do better. Scores were 7.5, 16, 13, 11, 11.

Muscadet Sevre et Maine sur Lie 2009 La Moulin des Cassardieres - £7.99
Another wine that split the vote. John E loved it but then he is a Muscadet fan. Most had it at No.4 on their list. It certainly isn’t a bad example of the 2009 vintage which is such an improvement over 2008. Scores were 13.5, 12, 9, 10.5, 11.

M&S Australian Shiraz 2010 South East Australia - £4.29
This was another wine that we failed to identify as it didn’t taste like a typical Australian Shiraz at all. Jane got a banana Beaujolais like taste indicating its youngness. A number thought it was a merlot due to its mellowness. John called it jammy but light. Two had it in their top three wines of the evening. Not a bad price so worth considering if you like a light bodied shiraz. Scores were 12, 13, 7, 10, 7.

M&S Vin De Pays D’Oc Gold Label Syrah Rose 2009 - £4.99
For Sheila this was very dry, for Steve S it was bland, for Steve W it dropped of quickly. Jane said it tasted of strawberries. Despite all the comments, nobody rated it that highly three of the panel had it at number four on their lists. Scores were 13, 12, 12, 9, 10. For the price not a bad dry rose but you could do better.

Clive was an excellent host and his conservatory was an excellent location and the food was well paired with the wines Next month we are having the event on a different day – a Friday night March 11th – at Steve S’s. You are welcome to join us.

TonghamTaster’s French Wine Tasting Course – week 8 Loire Chenin Blanc Whites

The 12 month on-line course to help you learn about French wines - Top tips on how to get value when buying them - Reasonably priced up-to-date recommendations of what to buy and try in the UK - Bringing you the best of Tongham Village Hall wine tastings.

INTRODUCTION
The Loire Valley is justly famous for its wonderful Chenin Blanc white wines of the middle Loire around Vouvray and Layon. However, for the casual consumer these can be confusing as the wines vary from dry to off-dry to medium to sweet. What is worse is that this is not always clear from the bottle. Lets try to help! This week we will also cover the lovely sparkling wines of the region.

LOCALITY
The middle Loire that grows the chenin blanc grape stretches quite a way from Anjou and Saumur to Touraine.

VARIETALS
The grape we are mainly covering this week is the Chenin Blanc varietal. It is not as well regarded as Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc, probably because of the confusing variety of styles from one area.
The sparkling wines of the area often contain chardonnay and cabernet franc as well as chenin blanc but can contain all of the Loire grape varieties except for Sauvignon Blanc.

THE WINES

There are many different styles of Chenin Blanc in the Loire Valley and many different appellations.
Dry – the best dry chenin blanc whites come from the Savennieres AOC.
Off Dry – the wines of Vouvray and Mont Louis are often off-dry but can be any style. Many other appellations fit the off-dry category as well. Another worth trying if you like a very honey tasting wine but still relatively dry is Jasnieres.
Sweet – The main sweet chenin blanc wine area of the Loire is the Coteaux du Layon. Within this area the very best wines come from Bonnezeaux and Quarts de Chaume.
Sparkling – The sparkling wines of the Loire are for me really good value but also often high quality. The Chenin Blanc gives them a taste somewhat different to Champagne. Good sparkling wines can be found in the Vouvray, Mont Louis, Saumur and the generic Cremant de Loire appellation.

Saumur

THE TASTE
Chenin Blanc wines tend to have a honey taste and often some floral overtones. Any sweetness tends to be balanced by a crisp acidity in the better wines.
The sparkling wines of the Loire tend to have a real yeasty and creamy taste that I really like.

TOP TIPS
• The sparkling wines of the Loire can be an excellent value alternative to Champagne.
• The still white Chenin Blancs of the Loire are quite unique and still good value. They are good aperitif wines if you have a sweet tooth or otherwise good food wines.

HOMEWORK
For your homework this week you need to buy and try any Loire Chenin Blanc. You might want to try one of my recommendations below:

If going for a dry white – Waitrose – Chateau des Vaults La Jalousie 2009 Savennieres – about £14.
If going for an off-dry white – Laithwaites – Reserve Champalou 2008 Vouvray – about £12.
If going for sweet white and you are local to Farnham – Imbibros – Chateau de la Roulerie 2009 Coteau du Layon – about £8 a half bottle.
You might also consider a trip down to Les Caves des Pyrenes in Guildord to see their selection.

FOOD PAIRINGS
The sweet wines make great dessert wines or are good with Foire Gras or some of the adventurous pairings I suggested for Sauternes in an earlier blog.
The off-dry whites make a good pairing for Thai food.
The dry Savennieres are great with many food items. On this Valentines Day I paired one with a hard cheese course, salmon ceviche, veal escallopes with a porcini and white truffle sauce, and a lemon risotto. All worked really well.

COMING SOON
Next week we continue our wine tour of the Loire Valley and discover my favourite Sauvignon Blanc whites of Sancerre and surrounds.

If you missed the early weeks of this course, it is not too late to catch up. Just click on the French Wine Course link at the top of this page.

TONGHAM TAPAS FIESTA REPORT

Another great sell-out event in Tongham Village Hall! For the fifty guests who came and need reminding or for those who couldn’t make it, this is what we served at the Tongham Tapas Fiesta / Spanish Wine Tasting evening.

Olive and Red Pepper Tapas

Wine and Tapas Course No.1
Dry Fino Sherry
DO Jerez. South West Spain.
Marks and Spencers by Bodegas William Humbert
15% - Bone Dry and Crisp. Made from Palomino Grapes.
Ideal or as an aperitif or with Tapas. The salty, green olive and lemon taste goes extremely well with olives and egg dishes.
John’s notes – A really good value Fino Sherry and great pairing.
We served this with Tortilla Espanola (Spanish Omelette), garlic and red pepper Olives and an amazing Chorizo.

Wine and Tapas Course No.2
Val do Salnes Albarino Sobre Lias 2009
Bodegas Castro Martin
DO Rias Baixas Galicia North West Spain
12% - Light, Dry and Fruity. Albarino Grapes.
Available in Marks and Spencers.
Peach & pear flavours and high acidity. Ideal with seafood.
John’s notes – Very good Albarino with a lovely spritz.
We served this with a shot glass of Gazpacho (Spanish tomato soup) and prawn & seafood tapas (fish was available for those with seafood allergies)


Great artisan made Chorizo from acorn fed pigs

 Wine and Tapas Course No.3
Storks Tower Rose 2009
Tempranilla Shiraz Grapes
Vino de la Tierra de Castilla y Leon.
Hijos de Antonio Barcelo
12.5% - Fresh and crisp dark rose. Available in Tesco’s.
Ripe red berry fruit flavours makes this ideal for salmon or spicy food.
John’s notes – Always lovely, an almost perfect easy drinking rose.
We served this with warm Chorizo and garlic mayonnaise plus mushrooms marinated in white wine with chillies, garlic & paprika.

4 of our special wines

Wine and Tapas Course No.4
El Chaparral De Vega Sindoa 2008
Old Vines Garnacha (Grenache) grapes
DO Navarra. Bodegas Nekeas.
14% - Balanced expression of this grape from north Navarra.
Lovely red wine that goes well with any red meat dishes especially those that involve a little spice. Available in Majestic.
John’s notes – A really nice red wine, probably the best Garnacha I have had.
We served this with medallions of pork in herbs and white wine and the classic Patatas Bravas, a spicy potato dish.

Wine and Tapas Course No.5
Marques de la Concordia 2005
DOC Rioja Reserva.
13.5% - 24 months in American oak and a further year in the bottle.
Was available from Majestic wines but they may not have it any more..
A classic Rioja taste that matches well with most red meat dishes.
John’s notes – A typical Rioja taste and good for the price– we got this when on special at Majestic.
We served this with another Tapas classic – Albondigas meatballs plus a side dish of broad beans with onions and paprika.

Wine and Tapas Course No.6
Camins del Priorat 2008
DOC Priorat
Alvaro Palacious – one of the best wine makes of the region.
14.5% - A wine that attempts to bring Priorat to a wider audience.
This wine is made from Carinena, Garnacha, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah grapes. From Berry Bros & Rudd (also available from Waitrose).
A wine to be savoured with good food and cheese.
John’s notes – Wow! Very powerful and really great taste. This will be a contender for wine of the month.
We served this with a selection of Spanish & Basque cheeses. A lovely Maese Miguel Manchego from Sainsburys, a Istara P’tit Basque Brebis from Waitrose and a lovely Mahon from Waitrose.

7 chocolate chorizos

Wine and Tapas Course No 7
Williams and Humbert Sweet Pedro Ximinez Sherry
Bottled for Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference
DO Sherry aged for 12 years.
18% - Luscious Sweet full bodied dessert wine.
Caramel and Raisin flavours.
Silver medal & best in class IWSC awards.
John’s notes – a syrupy prune flavoured delight that pairs well with chocolate. You don’ need much!
We served this with Chocolate Chorizo – an amazing chorizo shaped chocolate confection.

All in all a great night and one that raised over £1,000 for Tongham Village Hall
I can’t end this report without a bunch of thanks –
To Jane and Christine for their wonderful cooking.
To Bob, Patricia and Carol for doing the serving.
To Ruby, Jeremy, Carol and others who worked so hard to prepare the hall.
To everyone, including Hampton Estates, who brought along the raffle prizes.
To Alain Murchison who contributed our auction item that raised so much money.
And to everyone who contributed to the evening’s success.

Some comments (gratefully received) from those who came:

Our own master chef Jane

Very many thanks Jane and John for a superb night of Spanish wines and
Tapas. Chris and I enjoyed it all immensely and both agreed it was the best
one yet! You and the team did a superb job, and despite no doubt, all the hard
work in preparation, you made it look slick, and professional. Very
well done.We can't wait until the next one.

What a fantastic evening. Great food, fine wine and lovely company -
what else could you ask for? Raising money for an excellent cause of
course! I hope all your hard effort is appreciated - keep up the good work -and see you at the next event.

Well done to you both for a fab evening, we really enjoyed ourselves.

Keep watching this blog to find out when our next spectacular will be.

TonghamTaster’s French Wine Tasting Course – week 7 - Loire Cabernet Franc Reds

The 12 month on-line course to help you learn about French wines - Top tips on how to get value when buying them - Reasonably priced up-to-date recommendations of what to buy and try in the UK - Bringing you the best of Tongham Village Hall wine tastings.

INTRODUCTION

The Chateau at Azay-Le-Rideau

 Apart from its beautiful Chateaux, the Loire Valley is, perhaps, best known for its white wines; the Muscadets, the Vouvrays, the Sancerres and Pouilly Fumés etc. So its hidden gems, which are must less known in the UK, are the red wines which we will discover this week.

LOCALITY
The best area for growing red wine grapes in the Loire is arguably the area around Chinon and Bourgueil. These are the Cabernet Franc growing areas. Red wines are also grown further up the Loire around Sancerre and Menetou-Salon but here they use Pinot Noir as in Burgundy. There are other red wine areas and red grapes grown in the Loire but we can on the whole ignore them as we either don’t see them often in the UK or they are frankly not very good.

VARIETALS
The top red grape grown around Saumur, Bourgueil and Chinon is the Cabernet Franc Grape. Here it normally is used in single varietal wines where as in Bordeaux it is used just as part of a blend.
As mentioned above, the Pinot Noir grape is used around the upper Loire.
Malbec, often called Cot locally, and Gamay are also popular grapes grown in the region but don’t often produce wines of distinction.

Vineyards and Chinon Castle

THE WINES
When I lived in France I was often surprised to find that the red wines of Chinon, Bourgueil and St Nicolas de Bourgueil were the favourite wines of friends and colleagues. I also found them very popular in the bars and restaurants of Paris where I lived. This surprised me as I had hardly come across them in the UK. These 3 AOCs  are amongst the best expressions of the Cabernet Franc grape in the world. However, you will also find Cabernet-Franc in the Saumur and Anjou AOCs. Be aware that the Anjou wines may contain grapes other than Cabernet Franc.

Drink always and you'll never die!

I have spent much of the last ten years visiting, for business, Bourges, which is very close to the wine areas of Sancerre, Menetou-Salon and Reuilly. Here they grow Pinot Noir for their red wines. They are too light for most English tastes but I have grown to appreciate them. For reds I would recommend Vincent Pinard and Alphonse Mellot in Sancerre and Domaine Philippe Gilbert in Menetou Salon. However, you will probably need to visit the area to obtain them.  They are also becoming quite expensive so you might wish to consider a less expensive AOC such as Reuilly - Domaine Pascal Desroches is great value in this appellation.  2009 is a good year for Loire Pinot Noirs so do consider them.

THE TASTE
When grown in the Loire, the Cabernet Franc grape imparts a leafy, raspberry flavour to the wine often tinged with tobacco and pencil lead. It is these last two flavours that make the wines of Chinon and Bourgueil a favourite of mine.

When Pinot Noir is grown in the Loire Valley it tends to produce a lighter more delicate wine than when grown in Burgundy, a bit like an Irancy.

TOP TIPS
• The wines of the Loire are good summer reds and are pleasant chilled. When chilled they can often be paired with fish. I tend to like to chill these wines and let them gradually warm up during the meal. This way they often pair well with starter, main and cheese courses.   The fact that they are good chilled means that if you find the wine you buy disappointing then chill it and you might end up pleasantly surprised.
• The Cabernet Franc reds can be good value in France, so don't forget to buy them if visiting the Loire or any French supermarket.

HOMEWORK
For your homework this week you need to buy and try any Loire Cabernet Franc red wine from Chinon, Saumur-Chamipgny, Saumur, Bourgueil or St Nicolas de Bourgueil. You might want to try one of my recommendations below as otherwise they are not easy to find:

Waitrose – Le Paradis Chinon 2009, ESAT Les Chevaux Blanc, 13% - reduced to £6.99 in Farnham but going up again to about £9 on the 15th February.
or, Waitrose – Chinon Les graviers 2009, Complice de Loire, 12.5% - £10.99
Or Laithwaites - Couly Dutheil Chinon La Closerie 2007, about £12.
or if on a budget, Sainsbury’s - Domaine du Colombier Chinon 2003 – about £6
or Waitrose – Les Nivieres Saumur 2009, Cave de Saumur, 12,5% - £7.49
You might also consider a trip down to Les Caves des Pyrenes in Guildford to see their selection (but you need to buy a mixed case of 12 wines).
Normally, also to be found at Majestic but none when I was writing this in early February 2010.

WINE REVIEW
I was lucky enough to find four different Lore Cabernet Franc reds in my local Waitrose this month. On the internet I often read of people saying they can’t get these wines in UK supermarkets – they are looking in the wrong supermarket! Here are my reviews of the four wines I bought and tried:

Waitrose – Les Nivieres Saumur 2009, Cave de Saumur, 12,5% - £7.49.
On the first night I tried this wine I was not impressed. There was some blackcurrant but otherwise it seemed rather bland. I then chilled it down and it was rather good as a chilled red and went well with the Boudin Blanc (a skinless chicken sausage to the uninitiated) and the steamed lemon grass sea bass. There was some left over and after a day, even when at room temperature, it had gained the acidity that was lacking in its balance the first night. So this scored somewhere between 11 and 13 out of 20.

Waitrose – Chinon Les graviers 2009, Complice de Loire, 12.5% - £10.99

This wine was much more what I was looking for, but rather pricey. I enjoyed this one straight away. It has a nice acidic balance and even that pencil lead or slateyness that I love. It has the lightness one would expect and a pleasant softness. Rather nice! This we had with a grilled sirloin steak and it would go with any simply grilled meat or chicken. I scored this wine 14+ out of 20. The store led me to believe this is new to the Waitrose range – a welcome addition I would say. Look out for this when they are doing their 25% discounts.

Waitrose – Domaine De La Croix De Chaintres 2008, Saumur Champigny, 12.5% - £10.49
Another wine that was rather disappointing for the price. Very soft and light with reasonable flavour but no real wow factor. I scored this 13.5 out of 20.

Waitrose – Le Paradis Chinon 2009, ESAT Les Chevaux Blanc, 13% - reduced to £6.99
Another nice Chinon and at at this reduced price (down from about £9) rather good value.  A light wine with very good balance and a typical Loire Cabernet Blanc taste.   I scored this 14+ out of 20.  Probably my recommendation to buy out of the four wines.  Rather an ethical wine as well. as this is part of the ESAT scheme that enables disabled people to get work in local industry.  From the Waitrose website I note that this is a cooperative wine made by a New Zealand winemaker trying to create a fruitier style of Chinon - it works for me.

FOOD PAIRINGS
Cabernet Franc is generally quite an all-rounder.
A good cheese wine, particularly hard cheeses.
As a relatively light wine it goes well with chicken and sometimes even fish.
It will also pair well with any simple grilled red meat. Not enough flavour to stand up to strong sauces.
Loire Pinot Noir is light and thus suits chicken and pork dishes. Chilled this will also match some fish dishes, especially salmon.


COMING SOON
Next week we continue our wine tour of the Loire Valley and discover the great Chenin Blanc whites and sparkling wines of Vouvray and surrounds.

If you missed the early weeks of this course, which covered Bordeaux and Muscadet, it is not too late to catch up.  Just click on French Wine Course at the top of this blog for easy links.

Invitation to the February Tongham Tasters Wine Get-together

Less than two weeks to go before the next Tongham Tasters’ get-together. This month, Clive is hosting the evening and providing the wine and food. As usual we will be blind tasting six different wines. The date for your diary is Thursday 17th February at 8.00pm and the location is Tongham, Surrey, UK. The cost of the evening is shared between those who attend and is limited to a maximum of £10 per person.

6 Glasses ready to be filled with interesting wine.

We always welcome new people coming along to our events. No knowledge of wine is required, just an enthusiasm to try different wines in a social atmosphere. So whether you know us or just happened upon our blog site, and fancy coming along, contact us to reserve your place. Spaces are limited to 14 as we hold our get-togethers in our homes.

For more information and FAQs, click on Wine Circle above. Hope to see you on the 17th!

To contact us ring John on 07717 876743 or email tonghamtaster@gmail.com.

TonghamTaster’s French Wine Tasting Course – week 6 - Loire Seaside Whites

The 12 month on-line course to help you learn about French wines - Top tips on how to get value when buying them - Reasonably priced up-to-date recommendations of what to buy and try in the UK - Bringing you the best of Tongham Village Hall wine tastings.

INTRODUCTION
Whereas the Bordeaux wines we have learned about in January are dominated by blends, most Loire wines are single grape varietals. Throughout February we will cover the famous and not so famous wines of the Loire valley. We will start at the mouth of the Loire and gradually work our way up river.

LOCALITY
The lower Loire is on the Atlantic coast below Brittany and the area we will be covering this week is the area around Nantes. Sometimes this area is referred to as Le Pays Nantais. The most famous wine is Muscadet. Being near the coast the wines are often referred to as seaside wines and sometimes they even have a briny taste. The area is about as far north as grapes have traditionally been grown in France and thus the weather and especially the sun make the wines taste different each year.

3 Muscadet Severe et Maine Sur Lie Whites

VARIETALS
The top white grape grown around Nantes is the Melon de Bourgogne which is sometimes called Muscadet. This is a fairly neutral grape but is suited to the local climate and soils. As can be seen from the name the grape originally came from Burgundy and the Dutch introduced it to the region. It is rarely used elsewhere.

THE WINES
There are four AOCs which are available in Muscadet. The basic Muscadet AOC is to be avoided and the one to look out for is Muscadet Sevre et Maine. The others are Muscadet Coteaux de Loire and Muscadet Cotes de Grandlieu. The very best wines are the Muscadet Sevre et Maine sur lie. The “sur lie” indicates that the wine has been kept in contact with the sediment or dregs for a long period after fermentation, often 6 months. This gives the wine additional flavour, freshness and sometimes a little fizz. Although, Muscadet is well known throughout the world it does not have the reputation the best examples deserve. The great thing about Muscadet for us drinkers is that it is relatively cheap, especially in France, but the Euro exchange rate isn't doing it any favours at present.. Although, you will pay more for the top producers like Domaine de l’Ecu or Pierre Luneau-Papin they will not cost you a small fortune.

Le L'd'Or de Pierre Luneau 1999

Muscadet, however, is not the only wine made around Nantes. There is another cheaper white wine and grape called Gros Plant; this ought to be called Gross Plonk and unless on holiday in the region and you want something cheap, don’t bother as it has little flavour and is very dry and acidic.

The region does have some reds grown south of Nantes and Muscadet. These are the Fiefs Vendeens made from Gamay and Cabernet Franc grapes. This VDQS may also be seen on bottles of white and red. This is really wine for the locals and you are unlikely to see it in the UK.

The better Muscadet wines will keep for a number of years but on the whole most of these wines above are for drinking young. 

THE TASTE
The taste of the Muscadet is minerally rather than fruity, but that doesn’t mean you will get no fruit. Rarely do they have any oak. They are normally very dry. You may detect some salt due to the briny winds that blow through the vineyards. The best wines have a wonderful bone dry freshness. The “sur lie” wines can have a very slight effervescence.  For some the taste can be too neutral and the best wines can be very subtle.

TOP TIPS
• This is often a good value wine, particularly when buying in France.  Do make sure it is from Sevre et Maine and not one of the other Muscadets and make sure it is “sur lie”.  Not all Muscadet are made by good producers so go for recommended ones where possible.
• Muscadets are good for those who want to reduce their alcohol intake or don't like strong wines as they are 12% or under alcohol, which is becoming increasing rare in other wines.

HOMEWORK
For your homework this week you need to buy and try any Muscadet Sevre et Maine sur lie but if and really savour it as the good wine that it can be.   If not budget constrained and if you are used to normal Muscadet do try one from a really good producer. If possible try with seafood other than prawns (lets join in the great fish fight). You might want to try one of my recommendations below:

Sainsbury’s – Taste the Difference Muscadet Sevre et Maine sur lie 2009 – about £6.
or, Majestic – Domaine de la Tourmaline Muscadet Sevre et Maine sur lie 2009 – about £7.
or, if you want to try a top producer, Slurp.co.uk – Domaine Luneau-Papin Clos des Allees 2009 Muscadet Sevre et Maine sur lie – about £12 (inc postage but you need to buy 6 bottles)
or if you want something really special, Slurp.co.uk  Domaine Luneau-Papin Le L'd'Or de Pierre Luneau 1999  about £14. Another good place to pick up interesting Muscadet close to Tongham is Les Caves de Pyrene close to Guildford.

WINE REVIEW
What are you to expect if you pay £14 for a Muscadet that is over 10 years old?  The Domaine Luneau-Papin Le l'd'Or de Pierre Luneau Cuvee 1999 is a very interesting example of a good Muscadet.  You may get whiffs of a good Burgundy white in the nose but the taste is uniquely Muscadet with a very pleasant but subtle and neutral minerally taste.  It is very dry and still incredibly fresh for a wine this age.  I scored it 16 out of 20 - the best Muscadet I have tasted but not enough flavour to score higher.  Would be perfect with a dozen oysters on Valentines Day!

FOOD PAIRINGS
Muscadet is the classic wine pairing for oysters but also goes well with Mussels and other seafood such as lobster or prawns. The fact that the wine is not over fruity, or oaky, means that the seafood taste really comes through. It also goes well with certain fish dishes whether simple or richer – why not experiment. You might also want to try with some chicken dishes or goats cheese and see if it suits your palate, although these are not the normally recommended pairings.

COMING SOON
Next week we continue our wine tour of the Loire Valley by travelling upstream to Saumur, Chinon and Bougeuil where we will discover the great Cabernet Franc reds.

If you missed the early weeks of this course, it is not too late to catch up, just click on the links below:
Week One – Bordeaux Basics
Week Two – Right Bank Bordeaux Reds
Week Three – Left Bank Bordeaux Reds
Week Four – Dry White Bordeaux
Week Five – Sweet White Bordeaux

An even easier way is to click on "French Wine Course" at the top of this page.