Spotlight on Vouvray

Vouvray “voo-vray”, is both a wine (Chenin Blanc) and a region, similar to how Champagne is the namesake of the region it comes from. Known for its grandeur old world beauty and rustic chateaus, its wines reflect the regions romantic and traditional style. The Loire Valley, spaced between Champagne and Bordeaux, sits in the mid to upper left of France. It runs along the longest river in France, the Loire River, from the coast of the Atlantic ocean, inland toward Burgundy.

Vouvray is known for its Chenin Blanc that comes in a variety of styles, still and sparkling, dry to sweet. Although they also grow the largest variety of grapes in the Loire, there is nothing they take pride in more than their Chenin Blanc.

Origins

Wine has been being made in Vouvray since the Middle Ages. Back then, the Catholic Church had control over the vineyards that were at Monasteries. In the 1500 and 1600’s it was the Dutch merchants who fell in love with Vouvray and planted plenty of it in order to sell in Paris and London. Sparkling Vouvray started to gain its place in the 1700s and has been a focus since.

Explaining the Loire Valley

The Loire Valley has more than 70,000 hectares of vines and is home to over 60 appellations. Luckily, the French have been kind enough to split it into four sections in order to help differentiate climate, soils, and styles of wine. Such a large wine region can be confusing and explaining Vouvray correctly means understanding more of the Loire Valley. The entire Loire Valley are known for their diversity in styles and grapes and the unique minerality that shines through the taste of the wines.

• Pays Nantais– The westernmost section of the Loire, hugging the Atlantic coast, with a cool coastal climate. Melon de Bourgogne is what this region is known for, which tends to be a favourite of many Muscadet lovers.
• Anjou-Saumur– Considered the left Middle Loire. While most of the grapes grown throughout the Loire are white, this is where we start to find some reds. Chenin Blanc, Cabernet Franc, and Gamay are grown here. This area is known for its Cremant de Loire, a regional appellation recognizing the sparkling wines from the Loire. The Chenin Blancs here tends to be fuller-bodied with a slight smokiness to the palate.
• Touraine– Home of Vouvray and the right half of Middle Loire. This region has the most varieties of grapes grown in the Loire. Chenin Blanc, Cabernet Franc, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Malbec, and Gamay. However, Vouvray is known almost exclusively for its Chenin Blanc.
• Centre– This easternmost Upper Loire region grows Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, Gamay, and Chardonnay and has a similar climate to Burgundy. This is not only the original home of Sauvignon Blanc, but also home to arguably the best Sauvignon Blanc in the world from Sancerre.

Flavour Profile and tasting notes

The Vouvray grape you’ll find in both still white wines and sparkling wines and tends to have a straw yellow colour. Wines tend to have a light body and high acidity when made from the Vouvray grape, however, can vary in their taste from dry to sweet.

In terms of the flavours to expect along with that high acidity, you’ll find citrus lemon flavours along with sweet notes of apple, pear and honey. There is also a more subtle note from distinct tastes of herbal tea.

Styles of Vouvray

Vouvray comes in two styles: sparkling and still. Each method brings out distinct flavours from the wine.

Sparkling wine

Sparkling Vouvray is typically the most common style of the grape variety. Here the methode traditionnelle is used, the same method used for making Champagne. Still, wine goes through secondary fermentation in the bottle, creating a sparkling wine.

Common sweetness levels:

• Brut- Dry (you will often see this style from cooler vintages)
• Demi-Sec- Sweet (you will often see this style from warmer vintages)

Still

Less often, you will see a still Vouvray. This is a white wine typically straw yellow in colour.

Common sweetness levels:

• Sec- Dry (high minerality, you will often see this style come from cooler vintages)
• Tendre- Off-dry (more of a fruity profile than the Sec)
• Demi-Sec- Sweet (noticeably sweet, often with flavours of sweet or candied apple)
• Moelleux- Very sweet (a dessert in itself, very sweet with flavours of candied apple, pears, and ginger. You will see this come from warmer vintages)

What to look for

Everyone has a different taste in wine and the most important thing in drinking wine is finding a wine that you enjoy. With the many styles of Vouvray, there really is something for everyone. The uniqueness and the wide range of flavours that one varietal can brings astounding, it is highly suggested that you try them all.

Sparkling Vouvray

Try a sparkling Vouvray if you are celebrating a special occasion. Though, never limit your sparkling wine consumption strictly for special occasions, although bubbly makes everything more fun. Sparkling wine, especially Vouvray, is an excellent partner for salads and light seafood dishes. A sweet sparkling Vouvray is an excellent pairing or substitute for dessert.

Still Vouvray

If you are looking for the perfect afternoon accompaniment, Still Vouvray is for you. What is often deemed as a “Porch Pounder”, a nice chilled glass of sweet Vouvray is the perfect pairing for an afternoon on the porch. As with the sparkling Vouvray, a dry  Chenin Blanc goes well with salads and light seafood dishes.

Dry vs Sweet

Whether you want a dry or sweet Vouvray is up to you. If you have any questions about the style of Vouvray you are buying, ask the clerk at your local wine shop.

What you should pay

The price depends on the vintage and the winery. In Australia, these wines are not really common, but range in price from about $17 all the way up to $55 and over for older wines. There should be options at your local bottle store or online.

Aging Vouvray

Vouvray ages very well. Chenin Blanc has naturally high acidity, so most of these bottles can age up to five years. Those with especially high acidity and those that are still and sweet can sometimes age successfully for decades.

While many of us lack the self-control to sit on a bottle for more than a year, it is well worth the wait to hide away a bottle of Vouvray for one, two, three, or four decades!

This post was created in collaboration with ilovewine.com and although it has been partially adapted for the Cheeky Vino, you can find the original article here. Check out their site – it has some great reading!