The Loire Valley: naturally back in fashion

Fresh, vibrant wines that are naturally lower in alcohol make the Loire Valley perfectly positioned to benefit from current drinking trend and a duty regime that penalises higher alcohol wines. There’s never been a better time to be importing, distributing and serving a Loire Valley wines. Cooler climate regions that produce wines naturally lighter on the palate, lower in alcohol and higher in acidity are in demand and the Loire should take advantage of this trend. That’s the key message from Master of Wine, Rebecca Gibb, who hosted Loire masterclasses in both Manchester and Edinburgh this month. Trade attendees from sommeliers to buyers are seeing rising interest in the region. Tom Clarkson, regional sales manager for Scottish distributor Inverarity Morton, believes the time is right for Loire whites, and the popularity of the Californian blush market could rub off on off-dry Anjou rosé with greater natural refreshment. “I do think there’s just more interest in the Loire again. Loire rosé could really capitalise as people are keen to move away from white Zinfandel. I’ve also been asked for Touraine whites a couple of times in the past few weeks whereas in the last couple of years, there’s not been any interest beyond Sancerre and Pouilly Fumé.”

Touraine revival

Indeed, Touraine has become the Loire’s most exported wine to the UK, driven by Sauvignon Blanc as Sancerre becomes increasingly expensive. The cost of land in Sancerre is on average €260,00 per hectare compared with €14,000 in Touraine. It is unsurprising that both young winemakers and overseas importers have been looking at Touraine for good value Loire Sauvignon Blanc. It is now the most exported Loire wine to the UK and Netherlands and the second most exported Loire wine after Muscadet. Despite its status as the most-exported wine of the Loire, production in the Muscadet appellation has contracted by more than two and half times since the devastating frost of 1991 but naturally crisp and modest alcohol levels make it a natural choice 30 years later. “In the 1980s Muscadet was huge and we used to sell truckloads and then there was 1992 and people found other things and it never recovered,” says Norman Barr, who has recently retired after selling wine to the Edinburgh on-trade for more than four decades. But the creation of a cru system in 2011, emphasising terroir and long lees ageing, and a renewed interest in fresh, saline white wines means the spotlight is back on this Atlantic-influenced region.

Diverse plantings

France’s third-largest wine region after Bordeaux and the Rhône, the Loire’s 56,000 hectares of vineyard are arguably the most diverse in the country. Gibb says: “Whether it’s a sparkling Crémant de Loire, dry Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Franc from Chinon, a natural wine from Anjou or a sweet Chenin from the Côteaux du Layon, the Loire seems to have something for everyone.” While the most knowledgeable wine consumer may not understand the intricacies of the region’s appellations and terroirs, Gibb points out that Loire wines are typically produced from a single grape variety, which helps simplify the region’s offer. What’s more, the Loire Valley is ahead of most of the world’s wine regions when it comes to its approach to organic viticulture and minimal intervention in the cellar. It has made a name for itself as a hub for natural and biodynamic winemaking, but this has had a wider impact on quality who have looked to reduce their input in the vineyard and intervene less in the cellar without becoming overtly ‘natural’: according to the region’s wine trade association InterLoire, “80% of estates are committed to organic farming or environmental certification.” In short, the Loire Valley has a storied past, has a major opportunity now but is also looking to the future.