Tasting wines from the Loire Valley

In the first tasting we did, we tasted a Riesling from the Alsace region of France. Wines from Alsace are similar to wines from the US in that they are named based on the grape varietal. Alsace is the only region in France that uses the varietal in the name. Once you move out of Alsace the wines are named based on the region where the grapes are grown. Specific regions, or appellations, are legally defined and protected geographic regions. In France these are protected by the Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC).

In the next tasting, we tasted two wines from the Loire Valley region of France. The Loire Valley actually has over 70 appellations under AOC control (87 according to wikipedia). Of these the best known, or at least most available in the US, are Pouilly-Fumé, Muscadet and Sancerre. Pouilly-Fumé and Sancerre are made from 100% Sauvignon Blanc. Muscadet is made from 100% Melon de Bourgogne.

In you are interested in reading an incredibly detailed description of the regions within the Loire Valley you can read the Loire Wine Guide on the thewinedoctor.com.

The two wines we tasted where the 2007 Sauvion Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine and the 2007 Pascal Jolivet Pouilly-Fumé. We like both wines and in our inexperienced opinion the Muscadet was dry and light bodied. The Pouilly-Fumé was a bit less dry and was more medium bodied.