As you know we moved to Noizay a year ago. Having spent 13 years living in the Anjou-Saumur region of the Loire we are now located in Touraine.
The Touraine appellation is one of the biggest in the Loire valley. 5,000 hectares of vineyards (15,000 acres) stretching between Chambord and Azay le Rideau passing by Chenonceaux and Chaumont-sur-Loire.
Created in 1939 (originally under the name Coteaux de Touraine), the appellation Touraine has 5 distinct geographic zones in addition to the basic AOC Touraine.
The AOC Touraine is 100% Sauvignon Blanc for whites, for reds there is Touraine Gamay (85% Gamay made up with Malbec, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir) giving lighter fruitier style wines and then Touraine Rouge made from 80% Côt or Cabernet Franc plus Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir or Gamay giving wines with more structure.
Rosés can be made from Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Gamay, Grolleau Gris, Meunier, Grolleau, Pineau d’Aunis, Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir (a blend of 2 from the list with no single variety exceeding 70% of the blend).
White sparkling wines sold under the Touraine appellation may use Chardonnay, Chenin, Cabernet Franc, Grolleau, Grolleau Gris, Orbois, Pineau d’Aunis and Pinot Noir with Chenin or Orbois making up at least 60% of the cuvée and Chardonnay max 40%. These are made in the Traditional Method ie the same method used in Champagne.
Rosé sparkling wines sold under the Touraine appellation may use 2 grape varieties from the following list: Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Côt (Malbec), Gamay, Grolleau, Grolleau Gris, Meunier, Pineau d’Aunis, Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir. The principal grape chosen must not exceed 70% of the blend.
Touraine-Amboise (from 1955) – Reds from the Côt (Malbec) grapes, whites from the Chenin Blanc and rosés from Gamay and Malbec.
Touraine-Chenonceaux (from 2011) – Whites 100% Sauvignon Blanc, reds a blend of Côt (Malbec) and Cabernet Franc with 50-60% Côt and minimum 35% Cabernet Franc.
Touraine-Mesland (from 1955) – Whites predominantly Chenin Blanc with up to 30% Sauvignon Blanc, rosés minimum 80% Gamay Noir a jus blanc with Côt and Cabernet Franc making up the balance. Reds are 40-60% Gamay Noir a jus blanc with Côt and Cabernet France making up the balance.
Touraine-Oisly (from 2011) – Whites from 100% Sauvignon Blanc grapes
Touraine Azay-le-Rideau (from 1953) – Whites from the Chenin Blanc grape and reds from the spicy Grolleau (also blended with Cabernet France, Malbec and Gamay)
As you can see, Touraine has a broad spectrum of grape varieties and wine styles. Sauvignon is by far the most widely planted grape variety accounting for around 43% of the surface area with Gamay, Cabernet Franc and Côt following. 59% of wines produced in Touraine are white, 22% red, 8% rosé and 11% sparkling.
In terms of food and wine pairing the wines from Touraine offer great flexibilty and choice. The Sauvignons are wonderful with asparagus and fish, the Chenins are great with spicy flavours and hard cheese, the Gamays are fabulous with light charcuterie style lunches and the Malbecs perfect for more robust stews and slow cooked dishes. The rosés make perfect summer drinking and the sparklers, well they are fabulous any time!
