Clay and gravel soils and lots of porous tuffeau, a type of sandstone enriched with sea deposits and with good drainage, dominate the vineyards in Vouvray. In the appellation not far from Tours on the Loire, there is a climate that might be described as cool and
There are wine cellars in which a lot of old vintages are stored, such as at Rioja Alta, at the Terlan winery in South Tyrol or at Vignobles Touchais on the Loire. There, in their extensive underground cellars, 1 – 2 million bottles are stored, dating back to the early 19th century. It was around this time that the Vignobles Touchais winery, founded in Doué-en-Anjou in the heart of the Coteaux du Layon, began to produce sweet wine from the Chenin Blanc grape variety common on the Loire. Thirty-five of the vineyard’s 150 hectares are used to produce sweet wines. The resulting Moulin Touchais, a Coteaux du Layon, is known for its complexity and longevity. We tasted a Moulin Touchais from Hans’ inventory in 1985 that is a testimonial to this longevity.
Château Bellerive cultivates twelve hectares of Chenin Blanc-planted vineyards in the commune of Rochefort-sur-Loire. Part of this community is located in the 54-hectares Quarts de Chaume appellation, which is also part of the nearly 3400 hectares AOC Coteaux du Layon.
Quarts de Chaume wines,- concentrated, expressive and extremely long-lived -, have the status Grand Cru, which can also be labeled on the label – the wines of the Coteaux du Layon appellation may only be labeled Premier Cru.
The Grand Cru status is due not only to the very low yield of 20 hectoliters per hectare, but also to the location. The vineyards in Quarts
The Loire is known for its castles, unspoiled nature and the longest wine route in France. At the Loire you can find such well-known names as Muscadet, Sancerre or even Vouvray. Around the small town Vouvray and seven other neighboring communities, the eponymous wine-growing area extends in the Loire Valley east of Tours.
The vineyards are located on slopes made of tuff limestone, the top layer consists of flint clay or clay sand. The Vouvray is made in different styles from Chenin Blanc, whereby also a share of 5% Orbois Blanc is possible. Chenin Blanc is a grape variety with high-acid that produces very long-lasting wines in Vouvray.
Vouvray is produced both as sparkling wine and still wine. The still wines are dry (sec), semi-dry (demi-sec), sweet (moelleux) or noble sweet, (liquoreux). Only for dry wines, however, it is mandatory to mark this with the indication sec. For the more or less sweet variants, this obligation does not exist, but for many wines, especially sweet wines, this information can be