Although the Loire Valley is most famous for the famous for the Sauvignon Blancs of Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé (especially after Taylor Swift drove tons of people to buy Sancerre – thank you Taylor!), there is a white grape that has a longer and more prestigious history in the Loire -- Chenin Blanc is the true star this region! Map: Loire Valley Wines Along the longest river in France, Chenin can make every style of wine on a diversity of terroir. As part of my series on the greatest wine regions of the world, Chenin must be featured. And three regions of Middle Loire Valley showcase the greatness of this grape in all styles: Vouvray, Savennières, and Quarts de Chaume. In Touraine, Vouvray has a long history for making every style imaginable of Chenin. Since Roman times, wines have been made in this region and since the Middle Ages, the area has produced top drawer Chenin Blanc that caught the eye of everyone from Dutch traders to French royalty to the bourgeois. Today more than 50% of what is made is sparkling wine, but Vourvray also produces every style from bone-dry(sec) to very sweet (sec). In the show I talk about how this region can make such a variety of Chenin styles. The other two great regions for Chenin Blanc are west of Touraine in Anjou. The styles couldn't be more diverse in this section of the Loire. Savennières, grown on schist, produces the region's best dry Chenin, with excellent fruit, minerality, and a multitude of other interesting aromas and flavors, which I describe. In the Coteaux du Layon, the grand cru of Quarts de Chaume produces Chenin's best sweet wines. Special conditions make it possible for Botrytis to develop most years and, although they have been praised and famed for centuries, these wines are some of the least known, yet best sweet wines that exist in today's wine world. These are wines you need to know about (and try!). They are truly some of the greatest wines in the world and certainly the most prestigious of the Loire Valley. Full show notes and all back episodes are on Patreon. Join the community today! www.patreon.com/winefornormalpeople _______________________________________________________________ CHECK OUT MY NEW SPONSOR!!! This show is brought to you by my NEW exclusive sponsor, Grapes the Wine Company – an actual brick and mortar store located in White Plains, New York that has been recognized by the Wall Street Journal as one of the most influential wine retailers in America. It is a store owned by my friend Daniel Posner, who has been on the show! When I was looking for a new sponsor, I wanted a small retailer who had the flexibility, contacts, and know-how to get us the wines that we really want. I'm so thrilled that Daniel is now a part of our Wine For Normal People community and I hope you will support him by going to https://www.grapesthewineco.com/
