| For fun forward, fruity, food-friendly wines and wines | | | | for their stiletto-sharp, flashing palate-cleansing acidity. It |
| to drink by the bucketful you can not beat Loire Valley | | | | is this very acidity that makes Vouvray one of the |
| whites. The wines of the entire Loire Valley with the | | | | longest-lived white wines of the world. They are highly |
| probable exception of Sancerre and Pouilly-Fume are | | | | complex, intriguing, and challenging. They last and last |
| unjustly overlooked and neglected by all but the | | | | and last and become more luscious and full-bodied |
| Parisians and the northern French. | | | | tapering off with a long finish. |
| The Loire Valley is one of the northernmost vineyard | | | | A 20 year old Vouvray will taste as lively as one |
| areas in Europe. For very good reason the Loire is the | | | | much younger. A properly aged Vouvray with deep |
| third most popular tourist destination in France. One of | | | | molten honey colour , toasty nose, wonderful tang and |
| the Loire's regions Touraine near Tours contains the | | | | great vivacity adds a whole new dimension of |
| appellation Vouvray, which is also the name of a small | | | | gorgeous full-blown flavours of lemon, apricot, |
| town. Vouvray is the largest white wine appellation of | | | | pineapple, currants and peach. The best made |
| the Anjou-Saumur-Touraine region, with 4000 acres of | | | | sparkling Vouvray can age beautifully. |
| vineyards. On average, 40 percent of each vintage | | | | The best vintages have heralded from 2005, 2002, |
| becomes sparkling wine. And yet, the only other region | | | | 1995, 1990, 1989, 1988, 1985, 1976, 1971, 1969, 1959, 1949, |
| in France that produces more sparkling wine than the | | | | 1947, 1945 and 1921. The 2005 vintage is one of the |
| Loire is Champagne. | | | | greatest vintages. There were no spring frosts to |
| Vouvray is a white wine made exclusively from the | | | | damage the flowers, and a long dry autumn with |
| Chenin Blanc grape also known locally as Pineau de la | | | | sunny days and cool nights followed. |
| Loire with remarkable qualities and diversity. Asimov | | | | There are two versions of sparkling Vouvray called |
| put it wonderfully regarding Chenin Blanc the only | | | | Vouvray Mousseux and a finer beaded called |
| grape allowed in the appellation. "No other grape I can | | | | Vouvray petillant. Sparkling Vouvray is nothing like |
| think of combines actual lightness with such a | | | | champagne. Because of its richness and depth of |
| sensation of density, almost as if the wine oozes | | | | flavour it is more like a champagne cocktail. Sparkling |
| through the mouth rather than flows." Chenin Blanc has | | | | vouvray is elegantly supple and very sexy. |
| long lived in the shadow of Chardonnay and Sauvignon | | | | Few wines will excite your palate like a good Vouvray |
| Blanc but this great white is effortless wine, welcome | | | | sec or demi-sec from Gaston Huet or Philippe Foreau. |
| in just about any circumstance. | | | | Gaston Huet, grandfather of modern Vouvray and the |
| Vouvray has developed a deserved reputation for | | | | ex-mayor of Vouvray for over 40 years died in 2002 |
| being extraordinary wines of longevity, finesse and | | | | aged 92. He says he drank his best wines before |
| delightful and often surprising versatility. It's often made | | | | surrendering to the Natzis in World War II. He left his |
| dry with a bit of sweetness, or can even be medium | | | | 100 acre biodynamic domaine to his capable son-in-law |
| sweet, but that's tempered by its tingly acidity that | | | | Noel Pinguet. Huet's Vouvrays perhaps the ultimate |
| dances across your palate, kind of like honey and | | | | insider's wines are now immortalised on the big screen |
| lemon together. This makes it a terrific food wine for | | | | so to speak. In "Sideways" when the ladies retreat to |
| chicken, veal, pork and fish. A blast of acidity delivered | | | | the bathroom for a moment, Jack chastises Miles for |
| with each sip makes sparkling Vouvray an excellent | | | | having subjected the group to a lengthy disquisition on |
| bubbly to accompany rich foods such as sauteed | | | | Huet's Vouvrays. Take heed all Huet Vouvrays last |
| seafood, and cream sauces. | | | | and last and are seriously underpriced. |
| Vouvray is what you should drink dressed up and | | | | Lets face it, beyond doubt France's most food friendly |
| served with terrine of foie gras with truffled jelly or | | | | wines come from the Loire. Vouvrays are gorgeously |
| dressed down with a bowl of pasta and pesto. Drink it | | | | complex long-lived wines, as decadently vibrant as |
| reclining on a sun-lounge, chilling out and watching a | | | | they are exuberantly delicious all produced in one of |
| DVD with the kids, or after cleaning out the attic. | | | | the most gorgeous wine regions of the world, the Loire |
| Vouvrays are gorgeous wines, some of the longest | | | | Valley with magnificent chateaux and a gentle climate. |
| lived and most complex whites in the world legendary | | | | |