WINO 101

Hello Friends and Wine Lovers!

Welcome to the First of Four of the Special-Event-Tastings for July! This week we’re kicking off a journey around France, week-by-week, following the internationally known, and notoriously grueling bike race, Tour de Lance! . . .I mean France. . .Tour de France! As luck would have it, every leg of the bike race goes through a major wine region in France. Perhaps that has something to do with the fact that France is like one giant vineyard.

This year the race kicked off on the island “Ile de Noirmoutier” which is at the westernmost point of this week’s wine region: The Loire! Quite honestly, I know more about wine than I do about bike racing. I might even know more about wine than I do about bicycles themselves. (I hear they have wheels. . .and some other stuff. . .like a car, only smaller.) So, I’ve found a few different websites online that trace out the route these bicyclists are taking through France, and tried to match it up as closely as possible to the wine regions nearby. Sometimes they drive straight through the region, but more often than not, they just ride nearby. That’s close enough for me, since it’s still a long ways from here.

The Loire valley is situated on the East-Central coast of France and follows the Loire River inland. (Useless Trivia Tidbit: The Loire River is France’s longest river. Over 1000 miles long.) In following the bike race as closely as possible, we’re first trekking through the Pays Nantais region of the Loire with a wine from the region of Muscadet Sevre et Maine, from Domaine de la Quilla. The wine is made, appropriately enough, with the Muscadet grape and is a light and refreshing white wine, a perfect start to our “race”. Next we’re biking on through the Anjou-Saumur with a red wine (predominantly Cabernet Franc) from the Anjou brought to us by Chateau de Fesles. Traveling further East we ride into the Touraine and coast right by another region famous for Cabernet Franc: The Chinon region with the producer Marc Bredif. Not too much further to the East we’ll be going through the Touraine with a Sauvingnon Blanc from Atlantique. On the way out of the Touraine, we’ll be stopping by the Cheverny district for the lovely and popular white from Domaine du Salvard. Finishing out our first leg of this Tour de France will be a couple wines from the Sancerre region, stunning and amazing whites, as well as impressive reds and roses. I’ll be pouring the white Sancerre from Hippolyte Reverdy and a rose’ Sancerre from Henri Bourgeois. (I’ll have maps available to see where this is all going on.)

The bike race then turns Northeast, towards the Alsace Region (Next week’s tasting!), and actually crosses over the Champagne district. Although it would be interesting to try 7 different Champagnes as part of the Tour de France, it doesn’t really fit into the schedule. And they’re kinda pricey. Perhaps next year, eh?

So Friday, July 8th, between 4:30 and 9:00 PM it’s:

Tour de France, Week 1: Loire!
Domaine de la Quilla 2003 Muscadet Sevre et Maine
Atlantique 2003 Sauvignon Blanc, Touraine
Domaine du Salvard 2003 Cheverny
Chateau de Fesles 2003 Rouge, Anjou
Marc Bredif 2002 Chinon

And a Little More Loire: Sancerre!!
Hippolyte Reverdy 2003 Sancerre Blanc
Henri Bourgeois 2002 Sancerre Rose

A stellar deal at $10 for the First 5, and $6 for the Extra 2 Premium Pours
Hope to see you here!
Seize the Wine!

Next Friday tasting is Tour de France Part 2: Alsace!

M