Regional info.

In the eyes of many, Vouvray wines are the Loire's greatest. Whether considering the dry minerality of the sec wines, the exquisite balance of a demi-sec, or the fabulous intensity and complex flavour of an aged moelleux, Vouvray is the greatest appellation of this section of the Loire. Some might say it is the greatest appellation of all the Loire. The wines have great longevity, displaying fabulous richness and complex flavours with advancing age. And even when mature, many of the wines remain comparative bargains.

The 2,000 ha small semi-continental AC Vouvray lie across eight communes around (and including) Vouvray just outside Tours, in the Touraine district of the Loire. The terroir underfoot is tuffeau chalk bedrock covered with clay soils containing areas of flint and sand, and the wines that spring forth are 100% Chenin Blanc, and come in a range of styles, from sec to moelleux, as well as pétillant and mousseux. The minimum sugar concentrations to define sec, demi-sec or moelleux is not defined by the AC regulation, and so these terms are open to wider interpretation. There is, of course, more to sweetness than sugar, as the acidity and balance of a wine has a huge impact on how sweet the wine is perceived to be on the palate, but these figures at least give a little guidance:

Sec: Dry wines, typically 3-5g/l of residual sugar

Sec-Tendre: not a designation you will find on a label but an useful term to describe a style that is leaning towards off-dry. The RS is typically 4-15g/l

Demi-Sec: literally 'half-dry'. It is probably fair to say that it is Vouvray's most 'natural' wine.

Moelleux: Sweet wines with typical RS around 45-50g/l and above.The only real way to understand Vouvray, though, is to taste it and drink it, a practice I wholeheartedly recommend.

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