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A magnificent grape in France may be a lowly jug-wine blender in the US.
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On this day in 1936, the Vouvray appellation was designated in the Loire Valley of France.
This sets us up for multiple wine word of the day options, and I love options! In fact, I use to trade them professionally as a hedge fund manager back in the day. But I digress…
We could talk about the Loire Valley, or the term “appellation” sounds good too but we’ll probably save “appellation” for July 30th. How’s that for planning ahead? My wife would be proud.
So, that leaves us with today’s Wine Word of the Day: Vouvray
Why Vouvray? Because I love saying it. Vouvray.
What is Vouvray? Well it’s a little village in France on the Loire river just west of Orleans. It is also a white wine. Like most French wines, the wine itself is known by where it is grown. An obvious example is that Champagne only comes from the Champagne region.
The hard part (for the United States wine drinking public, at least), is learning what grapes are grown in those regions. Using our Champagne example, we may find it fascinating to know that area mostly grows Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Pinot Meunier. Thus, Champagne is made from those grapes.
So, you’re now dying to know what they grow in Vouvray, aren’t ya? Well, before I tell you. Let me tell you why it can be such a special wine.
It is a white wine that is very crisp with a high level of acidity but can be made in a variety of styles from dry, to syrupy sweet, and even into a sparkling wine. Besides its ability to be made in different ways, it has the potential of aging a very long time–much longer than most other white wines.
Many of the dry, non-sparlking versions must age 3 to 7 years before the acidity is toned down enough to drink, but usually it has the potential to age 15 to 20 years. Some of the sweeter versions have been known to age for decades, even a century! In fact, in 2005, in Decanter Magazine’s list of the 100 greatest wines of all time, a 1947 Vouvray ranked #6.
Okay, I’ll stop teasing. The grape they plant in Vouvray is Chenin Blanc. Yup, that stuff you see in jugs at the bottom of the supermarket shelves. But, grown in the right place and handled by the best growers and vintners, Chenin Blanc makes one of the most amazing wines in the world. Go figure.
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