Discovering & Learning about Loire Valley Wines

The Wine Producing Regions in France

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• 10 main wine producing regions in France

• Representative wine making regions :

– Bordeaux, Rhône Valley, Loire Valley, Burgundy, Alsace, …

Discover the Loire Valley Wines

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Influence Atlantic Sea and Loire River

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An outstanding terroir

• The variety of the Loire Valley geology

o Nantes area : volcanic rock of the Armorican Massif, gneiss, granite

o Anjou area : schist, chalk limestone

o Saumur and Touraine area : Tuffeau limestone, chalk-clay soils, sand and gravel

o Centre area : chalk-clay soils, sand and flint.

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The Varieties in Loire Valley

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MELON

SAUVIGNON

PINOT NOIRCABERNET FRANC

CHENIN BLANC

GAMAY

Loire Valley Wines

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47% white

1,5 million

Hl (200 M

bottles)

24% rosé

720 000 Hl

(100 M

bottles)

20% red

600 000 Hl

(80 M

bottles)

9% Fines

Bulles

290 000 Hl (40

M bottles)

Loire Valley Wines

• Top producer of white AOC wines

• Top AOC region of Fines Bulles Wines (non Champagne)

• 2nd largest producer of rosé AOC wines

• 48.000 ha of wine-growing area

• An average production of 2.900.000 hl per year

• 79 appellations & denominations

• 5.000 professionals

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Loire Valley Wines

• A dynamic marketing :

– 380 million bottles sold per year (average on 3 years)

– 3rd largest AOC wine making region in French retailing

– 68 million bottles exported

– 157 export markets

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The Loire Valley : a Region of History and Culture

• 4th century : Apparition of vines in Loire

• Development around monastaries and Royal Courts

• XIXe century : crisis of Phylloxera

• 1936 : Creation of AOC

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Loire Valley : The Heart of France

• The purest French is talked in Tours (Loire Valley)

• The most prestigious french castles are in Loire valley

• Joan of Arc started her combat against English in Loire Valley

• Rabelais, the writer, was born in Chinon (Loire Valley)

• Leornardo da Vinci lived in Amboise

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A region of history and culture

– The influence of a river : an outstanding cultural landscape defined by Loire River

• The region is still closely linked to the river. The Loire Valley Wines travelled along this important waterway until the 19th century.

– An architectural heritage :

• The region displays the history of France through its elegant castles, ancient abbeys and historic towns.

– The vine and the wine :

• The Loire valley is the largest French area on UNESCO’s World Heritage List.

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Loire Wines : fruit, freshness et elegance

• Identity : shared characteristic of Loire Wineso Fruity and elegant wines

o Authentic and generous wines

o Fresh and expressive wines

• Variety :o Between colors : white, red and rosé

o Between type of wines : still, sparkling and fines bulles

o Between alcohol degree : dry, tender, half-dry and sweet

o Between grapes

• Originality : a large variety of unique grape wineso Melon de Bourgogne in Nantes area

o Chenin, Cabernet franc and Grolleau in Anjou, Saumur and Touraine areas

o Sauvignon and Gamay in Touraine area

o Sauvignon and Pinot noir in the Centre-Loire area

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White Wines : The excellence of the Loire Valley Wines

• 1st wine-growing area of AOC white wines in France

• A great variety of dry, medium-dry and sweet white wines

• 3 main grapes : Melon de Bourgogne, Chenin and Sauvignon.

• Age worthy wines : wines that can be drunk young but which have the potential for ageing.

• A multitude well known appellations : Muscadet, Pouilly Fumé, Sancerre, Vouvray…

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Red wines with character

• Elegant and fruity wines which, with time, develop notes of stewed fruits and aromas of sous-bois

• A strong identity : easy-drinking or cellaring wines, they can be appreciated young and pair beautifully with fine cuisine

• A multitude well-known appellations : Chinon, Saumur Champigny, Anjou Villages, Sancerre …

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Delicate Rosé wines : A speciality of the Loire vineyard

• ¼ of the AOC Loire Valley wines production

• A great diversity, unique in France :

o 20 appellations

o Several grape varieties

o Off-dry rosé wines : a speciality of the Loire Valley

• Fine, fruity and refreshing

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Fines Bulles Wines : A different approach to sparkling

• 1st AOC Fines Bulles region (non-Champagne)

• A good range of wines produced by the “méthode traditionnelle” :o Several AOC white or rosé wines : brut, dry or medium-dry

o From Anjou to Touraine region

o Elegant and subtle wines with great finesse

• Chenin Blanc is the dominant grape and the exclusive one in Vouvray.

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Loire Valley :The most extensive, diversified and original vineyard

Pays Nantais

Anjou - Saumur

Touraine

Centre-Loire

19Sources : InterLoire, Douane (année 2014 pour la

récolte et campagne 2014-20145 pour la

commercialisation)

2 coopératives

50 négociants

600 producers

=> 9 800 ha

=> 475 000 hL,

= 63 millions of bottles

95,4 %

White

2,4 %

Rosé

2,2 %

Red

0 %

Fines Bulles

Pays Nantais

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Sources : InterLoire, Douane (année 2014 pour la

récolte et campagne 2014-2015 pour la

commercialisation)

2 coopératives

60 négociants

1 000 producers

=> 17 600 ha

=> 936 000 hL,

=125 millions de cols

11%

White50%

Rosé

20%

Red

19%

Fines Bulles

Anjou-Saumur

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Sources : InterLoire, Douane (année 2014 pour la

récolte et campagne 2014-20145 pour la

commercialisation)

12 coopératives

150 négociants

1 400 producers

=> 14 300 ha

=> 703 000 hL,

= 95 millions de cols

32%

white

10%

Rosé40%

Red

18%

Fines

Bulles

Touraine

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Sources : InterLoire, Douane (année 2014 pour la

récolte et campagne 2014-20145 pour la

commercialisation)

400 producers,

coopératives et

négociants

=> 5 660 ha

=> 325 000 hL,

= 43,5 millions de cols

82%

Blanc

6%

Rosé

12%

Rouge

Centre-Loire

France52%

Export48%

KEY INFORMATION

• The Loire Valley : A region of History and culture

– An oustanding cultural landscape defined by the Loire River

– An architectural heritage

– The « Garden of France »

• A septentrional (North) & horizontal vineyard

• Wines mainly from a single grape

• A diversity of soils and climates = a diversity of wines

• The permanent work of Men & Women

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Food & Wine Pairing

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Sparkling Red Rosé White

Real

Meat

Smoked

Meat

White

Meat CheeseSpicy

Food

Shell

Fish Fish Greens Dessert

There’s a wine for every occasion

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Why Loire Valley ?

• Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage :

– Landscapes : villages, chateaux, gardens, royal abbeys

• 1,000 Km wine route including 800 km of bike paths

– The longest wine route in France

• Vineyards open to public

• Wine tourism trips :

– Massive cellars

– Wine Tasting walks in the vineyard : Vines, Wines et Walking

• From the Atlantic to the Centre-Loire : fabulous diversity of wines

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3 REASONS TO COME HERE

1. To see the Loire chateaux and the landscape, which is the largest UNESCO World Heritage site in the world.

2. To ride the 800 km of bike paths along the Loire river: ‘The Loire by Bike’.

3. To taste the Loire Valley wines in different ways: by night at the Chateau de Chenonceau, during a walk in the vineyards, or in the massive underground wine cellars.

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For More Information :

www.loirevalleywine.com

www.visitfrenchwine.com

http://www.vvr-valdeloire.fr//en/#services