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Drinking outside the box – away from the Loire for once

Appreciate natural wines for what they truly are and accept that they are quirky, different, unique. That’s the point.

4 Jan, 2017

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One minute we were celebrating 90 years of the Vou

One minute we were celebrating 90 years of the Vouvray appellation with a beautiful gala dinner and just 4 days later, a brief, but violent thunderstorm accompanied by large hailstones wiped out 600 ha of the 2200ha in the appellation.

It’s so brutal for the growers. It’s not as if 2026 has been an easy season to begin with. Endless high temperatures, no rain and hot dry winds have beaten the vineyards into submission this summer. Even now, as we approach harvest, for those growers that still have grapes left on the vine, things are looking extremely tricky.

We are at the stage we call ‘veraison’. This is where grapes reach the last stage of maturity before picking. But, with no rain and persistent hot weather the vines have shut down. They are protecting themselves, not putting all their energy into ripening the grapes.

Every day we look at the weather forecast and see predictions of rain but we need a ‘good’ rain, not just 1 or 2mm that practically evaporates before it reaches the soil.

Our thoughts are with the growers whose parcels have been affected and also with those that still have grapes on the vine. This is going to be a complicated vintage whatever happens.

This is climate change.

#cheninblanc #vouvray #climatechangeisreal #wineeducation

Dans Ma Bullle - a delightful sparkling Grolleau f

Dans Ma Bullle - a delightful sparkling Grolleau from Brittany.

Situated between Vannes & Theix this domaine has 5 hectares and is farmed organically by Loïc and his family. They call themselves api-vignerons (having bees and making honey too).

It’s a lovely fizz with a beautiful soft pink hue and spicy fruity notes on the palate.

The perfect apéro and a great discovery. I’m looking forward to tasting other wines from Brittany.

#brittanywines #grolleau #sparkling #bees

Did you know that if vines are not pruned, they wi

Did you know that if vines are not pruned, they will potentially produce many many bunches of grapes.

I took this picture in a Vouvray vineyard a couple of weeks ago. The parcel has been abandoned so the vines haven't been pruned.

We counted around 100 potential bunches of grapes on one vine!

But 100 bunches of grapes on one vine is not what we're looking for when it comes to making quality wine.

Restricting yield is the key and it's controlled by appellation legislation in France.

Asking a vine to fully ripen 100 bunches of grapes is a tall order. Asking it to ripen 12 to 15 bunches is another story.

In the Vin de France category there are no yield restrictions so inexpensive wine is often made from vines with much higher yields and adjustments can be made in the cellar to compensate.

There are also expensive wines sold in the Vin de France category. These wines are respecting the low yields that are required to make quality wine but the growers want the flexibility to be more experimental with grape variety, training methods or canopy management.

#cheninblanc #wineeducation #loirevalleywines

Top day with Jacquelin & Ryan from Washington Stat

Top day with Jacquelin & Ryan from Washington State.

We popped to see @philippechigard_latablerouge’s 135 year old Chenin early in the day to avoid the heat. The vines are flowering- such a beautiful delicate scent.

La Table Rouge is a tiny vineyard hidden away in the centre of the Vouvray appellation although Philippe sells his wines in the Vin de France category.

A little haven of biodiversity where plums, medlars, apricots, roses, wild orchids and herbs live happily alongside his ancient Chenin vines. Everything here is done by hand or horse. If you’re lucky enough to find it, you can sit at the red table (La Table Rouge) and enjoy a quiet moment.

Next up was a tasting of wines from all over the Loire and a home cooked lunch followed by a trip back to see Philippe in his cool caves to taste together. Nothing like a cave when the weather’s this hot!

Thanks to Jacquelin and Ryan for being such good company. They were great fun and there was much laughter throughout the day.

#loirewinetours #loirevalley #thingstodoinamboise

News from the Loire May 2026 It's been a busy cou

News from the Loire May 2026

It's been a busy couple of months with trips to Scotland, Manchester & York, Jools Holland in Paris and a trip to Versailles.

The vineyards are racing away and it looks like we're in for another early harvest.
If elderflower cordial is you thing then take a look at my easy recipe. It's delicious and now's the time to make it.

For all our news click on the link in my bio.

Best wishes from the Loire!

One of Vouvray’s top growers, Vincent Careme creat

One of Vouvray’s top growers, Vincent Careme created his domaine in 1999. Organic since 2007 he remains one of the leaders of the appellation.

Elegant Chenin in all its forms - sparkling, dry, off-dry, sweet, dessert and even Vermouth. Each wine tells its own story and reflects him, the terroir and the vintage year.

Tucked away in Vernou-sur Brenne, his troglodyte cellars and tasting room are delightful.

A firm favourite of ours. His wines age beautifully too (if you can resist drinking them).

#loirevalley #vouvray #loirewinetours

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