Just east of Tours we drove to the small town of Vouvray, where we ventured off the beaten track to visit more small producers and take in the incredible scene of endless vineyards. Here’s a short clip…

Vouvray AOC is a premium appellation for Chenin Blanc. The wines may be bone-dry (sec), delightfully off dry (demi-sec), medium, sweet or sparkling. Most are medium-bodied with high acidity, unoaked, with citrus, green tropical fruit notes (lemon, apple, pineapple), and some vegetal aromas (green leaf).

Vouvray has great terroir. Those from clay soil might lean towards a fruitier flavour, while those made on flinty clay soil may have more minerality. Typically drunk young, the best years of Vouvray have been known to produce wines that last up to 100 years in excellent condition, showing that when done well, Chenin Blanc has great aging potential.

The Vouvray wine cellar, or Cave des Producteurs des Grands Vins de Vouvray, was a very interesting visit. Formed over forty years ago, it’s a “common storage” for a large group of growers. A wine-tasting board decides which wines will be aged and the cellar has a capacity of 2 million bottles.

I was fortunate enough to try a number of lovely examples, including a very golden coloured Moelleux. The older versions in particular exuded quince, honey and almond with great all round complexity. And those sparkling Vouvrays just rock - yet another one to look out for.

So, to conclude ‘A week in Loire Valley’, without further delay and as promised, here is Curious Wines first tasting video from Loire Valley, via Bandon, to your living room (or wherever you are).

What did you expect, eh? Here’s our two stellar Vouvrays.