Festival des Vins de Touraine. Wine Festival.

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Hello to all on this soggy but warm Monday in November.

As you may or may not know I have a small wine tour business, Taste the Loire. You of course understand that           research to find new vineyards is extremely hard work.

Doug and I have covered many a kilometre searching out small vineyards which make delicious wines. I can tell         you from personal experience not all of it is good. Definitely spit not swallow.

The vineyards are open all of the year round so we just pick up the phone and make a RDV for a tasting. Having         done this  for at least 5 years I have quite a list of vineyards to visit now.

During the winter many of the larger towns in the region hold a wine fair. This is a great way to discover new vineyards without doing the kilometres.

This was the case last Saturday.

 

 

 

We set of for PRIEURÉ St COSME – La Riche, Tours. A beautiful old Priory in a suburb of Tours.

This was where the AOC Touraine (L’Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée) were celebrating their 80 years.

Entry is free BUT you need a verre à degustation. A glass to taste the wine.

Pay your 2€ for the glass and begin. (You get to keep the glass). I am building up quite a collection.

There were 28 producers offering their wine. Many of them with between 4 and 6 different wines to taste. It is impossible to taste them all. There were one or two producers there whom we knew. We went and said hello then choose those we did not know to taste.

We ended up tasting 5.

The primary red varieties of the region are, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. Côt more commonly known as Malbec and Gamay.

The primary white varieties are, Sauvignon blanc and Chenin blanc (known locally as Pineau de la Loire).

Our favourite of the day was from a small 4 hectares called Domaine de La Tonnellerie, near Amboise. The producer Monsieur Vincent Péquin.   He only grows two varieties, but he treats them with great respect.

He produces white wines using Chenin. A lovely crisp dry white and using the same variety from the same parcel of land but leaving it longer, a delicious slightly sweet white to drink as an apero. 

With his Côt he produces a delicious, slightly oaky, but smooth and full-bodied red.

This small vineyard produces quality not quantity. Vincent is a charming guy. Doug and I are going to visit his Domaine soon. I don’t think the 6 reds we bought will last till Christmas.

We had a wonderful morning tasting local wines. You too could come and enjoy a similar experience with me when you book a half day wine tour with Taste the Loire.

Contact me through this website to learn more.

 

 

 

 

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