Blogs RSS

amboise, bourgueil, cabernet franc, chenin blanc, chinon, loire valley, montlouis-sur-loire, sauvignon blanc, touraine, vouvray -

touraine

I'm just back from the Loire Valley, spending time with family but also getting some wine tasting in. We stayed just north of Amboise and Tours, two towns which are surrounded by famous and lesser-known appellations. The overall area is called Touraine, starting where the river bends towards the Atlantic at Orléans and continuing to the red wine regions of Chinon and Bourgueil just east of Saumur. It’s a beautiful region, named "The Garden of France" for good reason, and spotted with many spectacular châteaux along the various rivers. For white wine, Vouvray is the most famous region, lying on...

Read more

chenin blanc, loire valley, melon, muscadet sèvre et maine, verdiso, vouvray -

high acid whites

Acidity gets talked a lot about in descriptions of and conversations about wines, but it doesn't always get explained very well. "This wine has high acid" sounds like it means something—and it does—but what exactly? One way of thinking about acidity in a wine is by drinking a glass of water because water is low in acid and high in alkaline. When filtering water, acid is removed to make it even more alkaline. Water is a life necessity, but it can feel heavy and flat on the palate. In complete contrast, citrus drinks like grapefruit, lemon, or lime juice can...

Read more

chenin blanc, coteaux du loire, loire valley, melon, muscadet sèvre et maine, pineau d'aunis, vouvray -

la loire / le loir

I've often written about how much I love the Loire Valley—it was the first French region I visited when I was growing up. The cool climate leads to high acid wines that aren't too fruity, which is just my style. It's a bit more complicated than that though. When I first visited as a child in the 1980s, quality was low, the wines seen as simple and quaffable. It was only in the 1990s that producers began to increase quality through better viticulture and winemaking. blackpoolmatt's wine club has some new wines from those producers who have made the Loire...

Read more

baja california, grenache, mexico, sauvignon blanc, valle de guadalupe -

mexican wine

Mexico is, of course, known more for its tequila and mezcal than for its wines. Domestic consumption of wine is low, which hasn't helped the development of the industry. However, there are plenty of wineries in various regions across Mexico who are determined to express the terroirs of Mexico. Mexico's wine never developed essentially because of the Spanish. Mexico was the jewel in Spain's imperial crown, and the Spanish were extremely protective of the newly conquered country. Vines were first planted under an edict from Cortés in the 1520s, and wine was becoming a successful industry until the Spanish saw...

Read more

costers del segre, monastrell, spain -

lost in the supermarket

I'm all lost in the supermarketI can no longer shop happilyI came in here for that special offerA guaranteed personality —The Clash, Lost in the Supermarket Before I entered the wine industry, I usually bought wine at the supermarket with my regular groceries. I knew a little about wine, but my purchases were simply based on price and place. For instance, I usually bought wine from France or Spain because I’d been on holiday there many times.  There’s nothing wrong with that approach, based on familiarity and reminiscence. There’s one wine I used to buy regularly, called “Llebre” which means...

Read more

Tags