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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...

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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...

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beaujolais, gamay, hawke's bay, loire valley, lorraine, new zealand -

gamay

There’s lots of great wine made from Gamay, but it’s not appreciated as much as it should be. It’s historically been planted in the wrong places on the wrong soils; criticized for the wrong reasons; often made into inexpensive wines that take advantage of its naturally high yields; and associated with Beaujolais Nouveau, which is released just a few weeks after the harvest. The conclusion: Gamay should be drunk immediately without any thought. Cru Beaujolais is proof that all these conclusions are wrong as they are some of the finest wines in France. These wines have become more popular (and...

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bordeaux blanc, coteaux du giennois, loire valley, quincy, sauvignon blanc -

Sauvignon Blanc

I have to confess that Sauvignon Blanc is a grape variety I've often been snobbily dismissive of as the aromas can be too obvious and often not that pleasant (after all, cat's pee doesn't sound like a positive adjective...). But recently I've had to rethink, after tasting several dangerously drinkable yet sophisticated wines made from Sauvignon Blanc. So, why the prejudice and why the rethink? prejudice: New Zealand  Sauvignon Blanc most likely originates from the Loire Valley in France, where it's famous in appellations such as Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé for a lean style noted for gunflint aromas. But it's New...

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