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If you
enjoy delicious food and great wine to accompany it the Loire
valley is the place to be .........
Because of its mild climate and fertile farmlands, the Loire Valley
is known as the “Garden
of France”.
This leads to the very happy consequence that kitchens throughout the Loire Valley
enjoy an abundance of highest quality fruits, vegetables, cheeses and other
produce - in addition of course, to a wide selection of outstanding wines
and liqueurs. An abundance of sun and warmth produce the plums and melons
for which Tours
is famous. On the other hand, the shade of the forest is necessary to
produce the game, linen white mushrooms and asparagus of Touraine.
Ingredients for the region’s tables are as varied as marinated boar, Gatinais Pike-perch with saffron, Orleans poultry, or any number of the
cheeses or goats’ cheese produced locally.
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There are many vineyards along the banks of The Loire
and the tributaries Vienne, Cher,
Loir, Layon, Indre and Sarthe.
Red, white, rose and sparkling wines have been made for
many centuries from a variety of grapes. In general the Loire
wines are light, elegant and charming in character. Most of them can be
drunk very young and fresh but they are also capable of lying down and
improving with age particularly Vouvray, Chinon, and Bourgueil.
It is in this area that the ‘Chateau’ wines
are the most famous. The Chateau Baron would send his wine tasters to the
local vineyards to bring back the best grapes in the area which he would
blend as the Chateau Wine of that year. On a good year this would be kept
to mature as a vintage, whereas the non-chateau wines would have been
consumed.
Basically from the West of The Loire valley the wines
are as follows:- Muscadet, Anjou, Saumur, Coteaux de l’Aubance, Touraine, Bourgueil, Vouvray, Coteaux du Loir, Sancerre and Pouilly Fume.
The Loire is a perfect
area for grape growing due to the long, hot Summers, irrigation from the
rivers and the lime soil. An added bonus when you visit Vouvray
is to sample wines inside the limestone caverns. This is a particularly
pleasant visit for me as Vouvray is my favourite
white wine and is referred to as “the red wine drinkers’
favourite white wine”.
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Maison des Reves is in the province of Touraine
where the predominant grape-variety is Chenin Blanc.
You will also find here a lesser known grape-variety called Cot which is
highly recommended. The vineyards,
including the one in the photo above, are on the wine route just a short
drive from the house
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